Just a reminder to fix the address. While it originally was 126, this was changed, likely around the late ‘40s. This theater is noted on the 1922 Sanborn as being 'operated occasionally’. It was constructed some time after 1914, along with neighboring buildings to the north and south, replacing a small church.
If, as seems almost certain, this was the old Gem/Penn, the building was a two story brick commercial building built sometime between 1901 and 1908. The ground floor was split into two storefronts, and the theater was in the southern one. The 1914 map shows a general store there, but the theater appears on the 1922 map. Given the seating increase, it may have been expanded to take the entire building at some later date.
By the way, the ‘power plant’ is an American Tobacco Company factory, which makes or made Lucky Strikes. There was an existing factory to the north, but it was expanded, probably just after the theater closed.
I had already added the Opera House, which is now an appallingly ugly church. Weldon’s downtown is pretty small, so I agree that 4 theaters seems like too much.
I’ve added views of the original and 1919 structures. Note that the original address was 1009-1011, but between 1915 and 1919 odds and evens switched sides.
The opening date is wrong. This opened as the Imperial on December 21, 1931, but had originally opened on June 6, 1914 as the Rosemary (Rosemary Manufacturing Co. operated several large textile mills in town). This theater was operated by the J.P. Robinson Co., who also ran the People’s much further north. The Rosemary burned in 1916, and was only rebuilt and reopened in 1919, but burned again in January 1921. It was extensively remodeled after that fire, and then again into the Imperial.
According to the NRHP listing for Roanoke Rapids: The theater was built in 1911 by the Robinson brothers. The auditorium was expanded and modified sometime between 1919 and 1925. The present entry dates to the ‘50s, and the theater operated until the early ‘70s.
I have added a Sanborn view showing the original configuration.
This is a very poor listing. We need to add some information.
The theater was already in operation by April 1915, when it appears on the Sanborn map. I’m not sure how much earlier it opened. The building originally had a facade matching the portion to the right of the ‘new’ entrance. The original central entrance was a long, narrow hallway between two storefronts, and was located where the abandoned jewelry store with the purple vitrolite is shown on streetview.
The original number was 47-49, but this had changed to the current address by 1919. When the theater was remodeled at some later date, the entrance was moved to the northern storefront, and the auditorium was changed to a transverse format. In the process, this seems to have eaten into the rear portion of the small storefronts facing 2nd St. The result was an almost entirely new theater.
The marquee was removed sometime before 2018, and the building remains in a derelict state.
Address is correct historically, but this would now be something like 6042, between the church and the city building on the corner. This listing also contains information on two completely different theaters.
The first(?) is shown on the 1927 Sanborn. It was in the old town hall, a two story wooden building further to the east, about where the church is now.
The newer theater was a two story brick building, and is shown on the May 1959 update to the 1939 map. It looks like it was on the 1939 map (which I couldn’t find online), but the 1959 map has a correction pasted over the rear of the building, where it had been modified in the interim. The newer theater was directly next to the city building (originally the volunteer fire department, and which originally faced onto what is now Capitol Heights Blvd), and there was a gap to the east before the church (which was a store on the 1959 map).
The address was changed for some reason when the streets were renamed. The 1923 map shows it between 61st and 62nd Streets, and by 1959 it was between N 61st Ave, SE and 61st Pl, SE.
Not demolished. Looks like it suffered a fire around 2011, and sat for a few years before being gutted. It was given a very severe remodel around 2018-19, which removed most of the character of the building.
I’ve been through all 23 pages of the 1914 map, and whatever is in the photos is not on the map. There are a lot of large wooden buildings, but they’re things like livery stables, lumberyards, and factory outbuildings.
I’m not sure what these photos that were added are of, but it is not the theater in this listing. It’s possible that Ken supplied an incorrect name, but looking at streetview even today, it’s obvious that this huge shed was not on Main. Looks like whatever this theater was, and wherever it was, it was on the edge of a town in a residential area. I’ve added a 1914 map view showing the theater I intended to list, and the theater to the north. I’ve also added a view showing more of the block, so that all three theaters located in this area are visible.
The opening date is wrong. Correct address was 734 Charles. The building was constructed between 1907 and 1913, when the map shows a garage in the rear, and an office in the front. It may have been a dealership of some sort. By 1923, an auditorium had been added at the rear. This is now gone, and the front seems to be an antique store.
This building was originally constructed between 1907 and 1913. The 1913 map shows movies already showing here. The original facade had three bays. A stage and scenery are also shown. By 1923, either the bays were gone, or the surveyor did not note them.
The old owner sounds like a real ‘character’. That IMDB profile is incredibly cringy. He also ruined the beautiful original doors and replaced them with cheap garbage.
This theater was replaced by a cheap and tacky masonic building. It was just around the corner from the earlier theater, so was probably the same owner as the old one.
I’ve created a listing for another theater. I do not see an airdome on the April 1910 map, and there is only one theater (the same) on the 1921 and 1932 maps. The opera house appears on the 1910 map, but probably wasn’t showing movies, and it had closed by 1921. Not sure where the second theater was, or what the name of the one that does appear on the maps was.
Just a reminder to fix the address. While it originally was 126, this was changed, likely around the late ‘40s. This theater is noted on the 1922 Sanborn as being 'operated occasionally’. It was constructed some time after 1914, along with neighboring buildings to the north and south, replacing a small church.
If, as seems almost certain, this was the old Gem/Penn, the building was a two story brick commercial building built sometime between 1901 and 1908. The ground floor was split into two storefronts, and the theater was in the southern one. The 1914 map shows a general store there, but the theater appears on the 1922 map. Given the seating increase, it may have been expanded to take the entire building at some later date.
By the way, the ‘power plant’ is an American Tobacco Company factory, which makes or made Lucky Strikes. There was an existing factory to the north, but it was expanded, probably just after the theater closed.
This listing needs to be combined with the Booker T. It’s the same building.
This has reopened as a performing arts place. There were posters for a show in Jan. ‘23.
Not sure if this was demolished to be replaced by the current building, or if it’s just a really ugly remodel.
This has been an empty lot since well before 2009. Need the address corrected to 230.
We should update the listing with the information Joe found. I’ll add the ‘other’ Levon. This one was never called the Enfield.
I had already added the Opera House, which is now an appallingly ugly church. Weldon’s downtown is pretty small, so I agree that 4 theaters seems like too much.
Must have been constructed or converted after 1915, when the map shows an assortment of commercial buildings in this area.
I’ve added views of the original and 1919 structures. Note that the original address was 1009-1011, but between 1915 and 1919 odds and evens switched sides.
The opening date is wrong. This opened as the Imperial on December 21, 1931, but had originally opened on June 6, 1914 as the Rosemary (Rosemary Manufacturing Co. operated several large textile mills in town). This theater was operated by the J.P. Robinson Co., who also ran the People’s much further north. The Rosemary burned in 1916, and was only rebuilt and reopened in 1919, but burned again in January 1921. It was extensively remodeled after that fire, and then again into the Imperial.
According to the NRHP listing for Roanoke Rapids: The theater was built in 1911 by the Robinson brothers. The auditorium was expanded and modified sometime between 1919 and 1925. The present entry dates to the ‘50s, and the theater operated until the early ‘70s.
I have added a Sanborn view showing the original configuration.
This is a very poor listing. We need to add some information.
The theater was already in operation by April 1915, when it appears on the Sanborn map. I’m not sure how much earlier it opened. The building originally had a facade matching the portion to the right of the ‘new’ entrance. The original central entrance was a long, narrow hallway between two storefronts, and was located where the abandoned jewelry store with the purple vitrolite is shown on streetview.
The original number was 47-49, but this had changed to the current address by 1919. When the theater was remodeled at some later date, the entrance was moved to the northern storefront, and the auditorium was changed to a transverse format. In the process, this seems to have eaten into the rear portion of the small storefronts facing 2nd St. The result was an almost entirely new theater.
The marquee was removed sometime before 2018, and the building remains in a derelict state.
Possibly remodeled into the bank, which uses a 1340 address.
I’ve added a picture of the newer building. The older one should have a separate listing.
Address is correct historically, but this would now be something like 6042, between the church and the city building on the corner. This listing also contains information on two completely different theaters.
The first(?) is shown on the 1927 Sanborn. It was in the old town hall, a two story wooden building further to the east, about where the church is now.
The newer theater was a two story brick building, and is shown on the May 1959 update to the 1939 map. It looks like it was on the 1939 map (which I couldn’t find online), but the 1959 map has a correction pasted over the rear of the building, where it had been modified in the interim. The newer theater was directly next to the city building (originally the volunteer fire department, and which originally faced onto what is now Capitol Heights Blvd), and there was a gap to the east before the church (which was a store on the 1959 map).
The address was changed for some reason when the streets were renamed. The 1923 map shows it between 61st and 62nd Streets, and by 1959 it was between N 61st Ave, SE and 61st Pl, SE.
Not demolished. Looks like it suffered a fire around 2011, and sat for a few years before being gutted. It was given a very severe remodel around 2018-19, which removed most of the character of the building.
This is the wrong Majestic. Photo needs to be moved to the other listing.
I’ve been through all 23 pages of the 1914 map, and whatever is in the photos is not on the map. There are a lot of large wooden buildings, but they’re things like livery stables, lumberyards, and factory outbuildings.
I’m not sure what these photos that were added are of, but it is not the theater in this listing. It’s possible that Ken supplied an incorrect name, but looking at streetview even today, it’s obvious that this huge shed was not on Main. Looks like whatever this theater was, and wherever it was, it was on the edge of a town in a residential area. I’ve added a 1914 map view showing the theater I intended to list, and the theater to the north. I’ve also added a view showing more of the block, so that all three theaters located in this area are visible.
The opening date is wrong. Correct address was 734 Charles. The building was constructed between 1907 and 1913, when the map shows a garage in the rear, and an office in the front. It may have been a dealership of some sort. By 1923, an auditorium had been added at the rear. This is now gone, and the front seems to be an antique store.
This building was originally constructed between 1907 and 1913. The 1913 map shows movies already showing here. The original facade had three bays. A stage and scenery are also shown. By 1923, either the bays were gone, or the surveyor did not note them.
The old owner sounds like a real ‘character’. That IMDB profile is incredibly cringy. He also ruined the beautiful original doors and replaced them with cheap garbage.
This theater was replaced by a cheap and tacky masonic building. It was just around the corner from the earlier theater, so was probably the same owner as the old one.
I’ve created a listing for another theater. I do not see an airdome on the April 1910 map, and there is only one theater (the same) on the 1921 and 1932 maps. The opera house appears on the 1910 map, but probably wasn’t showing movies, and it had closed by 1921. Not sure where the second theater was, or what the name of the one that does appear on the maps was.