Spelling should be “Clementon” for both the town and the theater.
On the satellite map this looks like part of a parking lot. I think that most of Clementon’s downtown, including this theater, was demolished in the 1960s in the name of redevelopment.
Yes, it was a Plitt theater in the late ‘70s (a friend ushered there very briefly, I remember seeing his Plitt paycheck). Plitt bought the ABC theaters in and around Chicago (maybe elsewhere too). If they bought Essaness it would have been in 1980 or after; I think Essaness was still operating the Woods at least up till then.
There were news stories on Friday that the woman involved with the Harwan has been approved by the Bankruptcy Court to buy the Broadway. On courierpostonline.com and nj.com; will post links later if I get time.
If memory serves he (or someone with almost the same name) did movie reviews on KYW radio in Philadelphia, then opened a very small theater in Philly called the Sackett Screening Room, which started out as a revival house but soon changed to gay porn.
Are the theater divestiture consent decrees of the 1940s still in force? If they are, the Redstones may be staying within the letter of the law by ensuring that the theaters are not part of the same corporate structure as Paramount.
Meanwhile, Yahoo shows one theater in Beach Haven: the Frank Theatres Beach Stadium 5 at Herbert Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard with a phone number of 609 492-6906. They have the same movies playing there that Digital City has at the Colonial, running at the same times…unlikely. A local paper ran this story re the reopening of the Beach 5, so that is probably the one currently operating.
According to a nostalgia columnist in the Trenton Times, in the 1930s neighborhood residents nicknamed this theater “The Ranch” because it played mostly Westerns.
I had to take a detour past this one the other day…on the north side wall of the building there’s a fairly new painted sign at second-story level that reads “Olden Theater Complex” and lists some of the tenants. I didn’t see anything that looked like the box office area shown in the rock group photos, just ordinary storefronts. Building could stand a cleaning but it looks like it’s in better shape than many of its neighbors.
Demolished. You can’t see a movie here anymore, but you could see “A Civil Action” or “The Verdict” since Mercer County’s civil courthouse is now on the site. (But not “Anatomy of a Murder;” criminal trials are in the next block.)
Can be made Closed/Demolished; no trace of a theater in this block. There’s a newish-looking residential duplex numbered 1056 that is probably occupying the theater site.
Olden Avenue is the correct name of the street. As recently as a couple years ago the USPS online zip code listings contained a dedicated nine-digit zip for “Olden Theater Bldg”. It’s a brown brick two-story building with what looks like terra-cotta trim; appears to be used for retail and maybe apartments upstairs.
I think the retail portion of this building may still survive. There’s a Rite Aid with a listed address of 127-29 East State that has a very “theaterish” look—tall arches at the second-floor level, etc.
When the weather gets a little less muggy I hope to take a lunch hour and check the current status of the sites of the recently posted downtown Trenton theaters.
Re the 1972 picture: Anyone aboard that train who had boarded at the start of its run would have passed the Howard, the Granada, the Bryn Mawr, the Uptown, the Riviera, and the Mode aka Festival—not to mention the Aragon Ballroom and Wrigley Field. Better than TV.
To add a theater just click where it says “Add Theaters” at the top of the page, and fill in the forms with as much data as you know. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I’ve submitted the Centre Street, because I know some of its recent history and got the address out of last year’s phone book, but it doesn’t even have to be that much. Updates are just comments like these here.
20 is probably the address as the numbers seem to start at the circle and there are at least two buildings (the Point Diner and DiOrio’s Circle Cafe) on that side of the road between the circle and the theater property. I get listings for a T.G.I. Friday’s at 18 or 18-20, so that is most likely the current occupant of the site.
Is this the building that partially collapsed during demolition, a few weeks ago?
The minimum age for a building on the National Register is 50 (and even that can be waived in extraordinary cases). Criteria here.
Demolished, replaced by a small apartment building. Correct spelling of the street name is “Farnsworth.”
Spelling should be “Clementon” for both the town and the theater.
On the satellite map this looks like part of a parking lot. I think that most of Clementon’s downtown, including this theater, was demolished in the 1960s in the name of redevelopment.
Yes, it was a Plitt theater in the late ‘70s (a friend ushered there very briefly, I remember seeing his Plitt paycheck). Plitt bought the ABC theaters in and around Chicago (maybe elsewhere too). If they bought Essaness it would have been in 1980 or after; I think Essaness was still operating the Woods at least up till then.
What kind of business doesn’t even have a sign on the building?! Do you have to know the secret password to buy a ticket?
There were news stories on Friday that the woman involved with the Harwan has been approved by the Bankruptcy Court to buy the Broadway. On courierpostonline.com and nj.com; will post links later if I get time.
Opened around 1975 as the Ritz Three; two more screens were added later. The theater’s owner, Ramon Posel, died on June 23.
He actually does have a listing on IMDB.
If memory serves he (or someone with almost the same name) did movie reviews on KYW radio in Philadelphia, then opened a very small theater in Philly called the Sackett Screening Room, which started out as a revival house but soon changed to gay porn.
Are the theater divestiture consent decrees of the 1940s still in force? If they are, the Redstones may be staying within the letter of the law by ensuring that the theaters are not part of the same corporate structure as Paramount.
Meanwhile, Yahoo shows one theater in Beach Haven: the Frank Theatres Beach Stadium 5 at Herbert Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard with a phone number of 609 492-6906. They have the same movies playing there that Digital City has at the Colonial, running at the same times…unlikely. A local paper ran this story re the reopening of the Beach 5, so that is probably the one currently operating.
Anthony Wayne was a general during the American Revolution. One presumes that the community of Wayne was named for him.
According to a nostalgia columnist in the Trenton Times, in the 1930s neighborhood residents nicknamed this theater “The Ranch” because it played mostly Westerns.
I had to take a detour past this one the other day…on the north side wall of the building there’s a fairly new painted sign at second-story level that reads “Olden Theater Complex” and lists some of the tenants. I didn’t see anything that looked like the box office area shown in the rock group photos, just ordinary storefronts. Building could stand a cleaning but it looks like it’s in better shape than many of its neighbors.
Demolished, probably at the same time as the neighboring Lincoln. Parking lots and a realigned Hanover Street occupy this area.
Demolished. You can’t see a movie here anymore, but you could see “A Civil Action” or “The Verdict” since Mercer County’s civil courthouse is now on the site. (But not “Anatomy of a Murder;” criminal trials are in the next block.)
Demolished. Looks like there’s a parking garage on the site.
Can be made Closed/Demolished; no trace of a theater in this block. There’s a newish-looking residential duplex numbered 1056 that is probably occupying the theater site.
Olden Avenue is the correct name of the street. As recently as a couple years ago the USPS online zip code listings contained a dedicated nine-digit zip for “Olden Theater Bldg”. It’s a brown brick two-story building with what looks like terra-cotta trim; appears to be used for retail and maybe apartments upstairs.
I think the retail portion of this building may still survive. There’s a Rite Aid with a listed address of 127-29 East State that has a very “theaterish” look—tall arches at the second-floor level, etc.
When the weather gets a little less muggy I hope to take a lunch hour and check the current status of the sites of the recently posted downtown Trenton theaters.
Re the 1972 picture: Anyone aboard that train who had boarded at the start of its run would have passed the Howard, the Granada, the Bryn Mawr, the Uptown, the Riviera, and the Mode aka Festival—not to mention the Aragon Ballroom and Wrigley Field. Better than TV.
Before about 1968 the Harwan was known as the Mount Ephriam Theatre.
Can be made Closed/Demolished; site is occupied by either Strawbridge’s department store or their parking garage (probably the latter).
To add a theater just click where it says “Add Theaters” at the top of the page, and fill in the forms with as much data as you know. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I’ve submitted the Centre Street, because I know some of its recent history and got the address out of last year’s phone book, but it doesn’t even have to be that much. Updates are just comments like these here.
20 is probably the address as the numbers seem to start at the circle and there are at least two buildings (the Point Diner and DiOrio’s Circle Cafe) on that side of the road between the circle and the theater property. I get listings for a T.G.I. Friday’s at 18 or 18-20, so that is most likely the current occupant of the site.