North Park Theatre

I had never seen anything like this wonderful theatre in my life until my friend and I stumbled upon it one day, desperate to see There Will Be Blood, but unable to find any theatres in Ontario playing it. We were absolutely in awe when we saw the theatre, and especially when we entered it. Every person we have encountered working there has been so kind and helpful, and makes the experience that much better. Now, we make the trek out to Buffalo once every few months, whenever money allows it. There are very few trips now that are worth the gas money, but I will always spend every cent I have to make the trip to the North Park Theatre.

Does anyone know, are there any other theatres in the Buffalo area that even compare to this one?

45 YEARS that’s at least how long this theater has had the same phone number!

bflofan,
I live near Chicago, so Buffalo phone numbers don’t mean a lot to me, but it’s should bring back memories to those around Buffalo and especially if they worked at one of these theaters. It was still neat for me to be reminded of when exchanges had names.
Do you have phone numbers for theaters not listed on Cinema Treasures? If yes, you could add them to CT. What a great way to get all the Buffalo area theaters of the early 60’s all listed on CT.

“This is like deja vu all over again.” Yogi Berra (1925-)

View link

Some nice pictures of the North Park here.

Another photo of the North Park
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=7198

“THE SHOW STARTS ON THE SIDEWALK” S. Charles Lee/Maggie Valentine

Regarding last set of marque photos and comments by lost memory and sam-e. I get the impression that you are in the buffalo area in order to take pics and notice if the lights are on. I am in amherst ny. It would be interesting if we all could get together some time and compare notes over a cup of coffee,say at birtha’s,next to the north park.    I am also wondering if you or anyone has looked at the pics I have posted of the inside of the theater. So far I have not seen any comments about the pics or my first post about when I lived and worked there.      Regards   norrlip    Regards     norrlip

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15920679@N07/
Hoping this works.At a recent visit to the North Park theatre I took ten photos of the theatre. If you can view the photos I have a comment about each one. I hope the link to flickr photo site works. Enjoy,regards….norrlip

The outer lobby was once twice as tall as it is now. A drop ceiling was installed to save on heating bills, but the original lobby is intact above this false ceiling.

Hi All, Just recently discovered this web sight. I have a lot of memories about the North Park Theater.
I lived next door to the movie from 1939 to 1960 and was an usher in 1949 and 1950. I lived upstairs in an appartment above the Parkway Ice Cream Shop which is now known as Birtha’s.
One fun thing when I was young was to talk out the window to the stage hand when they would change the letters on the marquee.
Looking at the pictures posted here the marquee that you see is the new one although a lot of time has gone by with this one. The original marquee was larger and rectangular and protruded more over the sidewalk. I covered more area and was good to stand under while waiting for the movie to open the front doors when the weather was bad. As I recall the present marquee was built sometime in the early 50’s. While I was an usher I can remember helping cange the letters on the older one. There was a guy from one of the local stores that would sell the Sunday Morning Courier-Express under the marquee as the patrons came out from the last show.
The parkway Ice cream Shop made all their oun products. It was a real aromatic treat to smell all the chocolate and cinamon flavored candies they would make at the different holidays of the year. They had a large popcorn machine and in the summer months they would put it out on the sidewalk and sell popcorn the the people as they headed to the movie. Many of them would also stop in for ice cream sundsys and sodas.
When they would open the first outer doors to the movie you would line up for tickets at the box office. In that first enterance area you would see on the wall the next posted comming attractions. The picture then showing was posted outside. After you got your ticket you would go through a second row of doors with the door man posted at one door to take your ticket. Thenyou went through another row of doors to the theater seating area. Just inside the last row of doors was a candy case counter. Later on they moved it down to the end of the back wall area as it caused a lot of congestion. Later on again they installed a candy and popcorn consession stand in the area just after you came in from the door man. That first area was also where the enterances to the rest rooms were. The mens room was to the left and upstairs. Originaly that consession area was the room where they kept the sign letters and ladders for changing the marquee.It was also the lost and found room.
Being an usher back then was considered quite a status symbol.Especially with the gals. They all wanted to date the ushers.
Ushers had many different jobs. Help with seating,sell at the candy consession,help change signs and comming attractions posters.You would sometimes help the stage hand change light bulbs on the marquee and other areas. One of the most scarriest jobs was to change burn out bulbs in the cieling. There was a series of cat walks that you had to stay on. The cieling was very fragile and made of wire mesh and plaster.
Access to the cieling was through the projection room. There was a door that you climbed through on the back wall.
The projection room had three carbon arc projectors and a rewind machine as I remember. At one time when I was an usher there was a panaramic picture of the entire block of Hertel ave from North Park to Norwalk showing all the stores and the movie as it was when it first opened.
Living next door to the movie I used to go to the movies every time the picture changed. I probably saw every movie that was ever made in the 40’s. I missed a lot of the 50’s as I was in the military many of those years. Tickets were only about 14,16 cents for child. If you had a quarter you could go to the movie and get a couple of candy bars as well. Still had money left for a coke after the show.
I have many more memories of those years at the North Park and living on Hertel Avenue. I would be glad to answer any questions or comments that I can if anyone who reads this would like to ask.
Best regards to all the North Park movie goers past and present.

Best cinematic experience available on the planet. It’s as simple as that.

Sam_e: Thanks for posting your theatre organ knowledge as it is most interesting!

It’s amazing to me how these theatre organs disappear and then can’t be find/located so they can be returned to their rightful spot in a restored theatre. :–(

There’s as much chance of the original Tiffany fixtures being returned to the North Park as there is of the Frank Lloyd Wright ‘Tree of Life’ windows and original furnishings being returned to the Darwin Martin house, but you never know. Don’t forget you’re talking about a city that didn’t utter a murmur of protest when the Wright signature Larkin headquarters office building was demolished, something they’ll never live down now.
Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society might be a place that would have additional information on the film exchange buildings and perhaps even the light fixtures.
Someone recently asked where in Albany the repossessed Wurlitzer organ from the North Park ended up. That’s another question that has yet to be answered.