Reading’s original Bijou Theatre was destroyed by a fire in the spring of 1900. The opening of the new Bijou Theatre was reported in the January 8, 1901, issue of the Reading News-Times. The auditorium was on Cherry Street, and access from Penn Street was via a new lobby through an existing building called Keystone Hall
The February 10, 1912, issue of The Moving Picture World published this item about the opening of the Olivet Theatre:
“Reading, Pa. — The Olivet, Reading’s newest picture theater, just completed at 647 Schuylkill Avenue, has opened. The house is very cozy, splendidly furnished, has ample exits, wide aisles, [unreadable] lighting arrangements, etc.”
The June 26, 1916, issue of the Reading Times rhapsodized about the pleasures awaiting the public at the opening that afternoon of the Arcadia Theatre:
“The Arcadia, Reading’s latest and largest photoplay theatre, is to be opened auspiciously Monday afternoon under the management of Carr & Schad, Inc., and an anxiously waiting public will marvel at the remarkable transformation of the well-known site, which is one of the best established theatrical spots in this community. So much has been said about the Arcadia, with its delicate decorations, designed by one of America’s leading theatrical artists, its lighting effects, the big screen in a setting planned and set by the head stage director of the Keith circuit, that words fail to do justice to the magnificent interior, and when the audiences are ushered into the Arcadia, they will almost think it impossible that such a decided change could be made in so short a period, the theatre being closed but seven weeks. The entrance at 734 and 736 Penn street is the only mark that will suggest or recall the days of the former theatre. Carr & Schad, Inc., pioneers in the local motion picture Industry, have always endeavored to give the public the best available service and the Arcadia is to present only a brilliant array of program features that will appeal to all classes of photoplay followers.”
There followed a very long, and equally effusive, preview of the Arcadia’s opening attractions, with much of it devoted to Bille Burke, star of the serial Gloria’s Romance, the first chapter of which was to be part of the program.
The June 11, 1921 issue of the Reading Times reported that the New York firm of E. C. Horne & Sons had been chosen to design the repairs and addition to the Rajah Temple which had been devastated by a fire the previous month.
An article in the September 9, 1937, issue of the Reading Times says that the old Bijou Theatre, a burlesque house at 734 Penn Street, was renamed the Palace in 1910. In 1916 it was taken over by Carr & Schad and completely remodeled, reopening on June 26 as the New Arcadia Theatre.
The Bijou was in operation prior to 1905, so even with Carr & Schad’s remodeling of 1916 the house was probably quite ready for replacement when it was demolished in 1928 to make way for the new Astor Theatre.
This article from the July 8, 1928, Reading Eagle says that the Princess Theatre had closed for renovations and would reopened as the Arcadia Theatre about July 23. The Princess had opened in 1913.
However, a January 28, 1968, Reading Eagle article said that “[a]nother downtown theater was the Crescent at 819 Penn St., opened in 1910, with the name changed to the Princess in 1913.” The same article says that the Ritz Theatre was torn down in the 1950s to make way for a city parking lot.
I still haven’t found anything explicitly stating that the Arcadia became the Ritz, but I’m sure the Crescent/Princess/Arcadia/Ritz were all the same theater.
The January 1, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World lists Carr & Schad’s Princess Theatre at 819 Penn Street (the correct address for the Ritz.) when the first Arcadia Theatre was demolished in 1928 to make way for the Astor Theatre, the Princess was renamed the Arcadia.
this article in the December 30, 1940, issue of theReading Eagle says that Carr & Schad were expending $15,000 for improvements to the Arcadia Theatre, which had been closed for many years. They later must have decided to rename the house the Ritz before reopening it in 1941.
Our description says the Astor opened in 1938. This must be a typo. It opened in 1928. The September 11 issue of the Reading Times said that the projected opening date was September 21.
A January 9, 1926, article in the Gettysburg Times listed a number of theaters recently completed, under construction, or under contract that had been designed in the office of Philadelphia architect William Harold Lee. Three houses were listed at Reading: the Colonial, the Strand, and a house called the Penn Street Theatre. All three projects were for Carr & Schad. I don’t see a Penn Street Theatre listed, so maybe it’s missing or it operated under a different name.
14 S. Oak Street looks to be a fairly modern building. Its facade is set back a bit from the sidewalk and there is a balcony at the second floor. It’s possible that a new front was built onto an old building, but it’s also possible that the Valentine Theatre building has been demolished and replaced.
Google’s camera car didn’t travel along 11th Street, so I’ve set Street View to look along the block. The State Theatre was in the first building facing 11th Street, next to the small park on the corner. The Avalon Theatre was in the third building on the block.
Google’s camera car didn’t travel along 11th Street. The Avalon Theatre is the middle building of the five facing 11th (the lowest one.) The State Theatre was in the first.
In late 1930, two of Huntingdon’s movie theaters suffered major fires. This item is from the Janaury 2, 1931, issue of The Film Daily:
“Huntingdon, Pa. — The Grand, closed for months following a fire, will be reopened about Feb. 1 by the Patriotic Order Sons of America, with Western Electric equipment. The Clifton was destroyed by fire recently.”
The March 5 issue of the same publication noted that the POSA had sold the Grand Theatre to A. N. Notopolous. The reopening of the Clifton Theatre was noted in the May 24 issue, in which it was listed as new theater. As it had taken over four months to get the Clifton reopened, the damage must have been quite extensive.
It’s possible that Century took over the project after the Regal signage had been installed but before the theaters had opened. That view with the crowd out front does look like it would be opening night, but it might be one of those very realistic digital renderings. In the daylight photo with the Regal name on the building it doesn’t look like the theater is open.
Benson & Bohl reconfigured their web site and the link I posted earlier no longer works. Maybe this one will stick around longer.
Thanks, Stick82. We mistakenly had the State listed on Oak Street. Now we can surmise that it’s address was probably 3 S. Hickory. If you would like to comment on the State Theatre, there is a link to its Cinema Treasures page in the “Nearby Theaters” field on the right side of this page. There is also a page for the Hollywood Theatre, and we just added a page for the Theatorium, with a couple of vintage photos from 1913 (though I don’t suppose you’d be old enough to remember that long-gone theater, which was probably closed by 1929.)
The building now at 112 S. Oak Street is probably the same building the Theatorium occupied, but William Harold Lee’s fancy facade, which can be seen in one of the 1913 photos I just uploaded, has been removed, probably in the late 1920s. It was probably considered too elaborate for ordinary retail use.
The May 21, 1936, issue of The Film Daily said that the Avalon Theatre in Lawrenceville, Illinois, had been transfered to D. Frisina by Mrs. Hurley Gould.
This weblog post from the Lawrence County Historical Society has two photos of the Avalon Theatre at 716 11th Street. The second of them is a view looking north along the east side of 11th Street toward State Street. I believe the Palace Theatre is in the last building on the block. There is a marquee and vertical sign, but I can’t quite make out the name on the vertical. That building must be at 710 11th Street, though, as it is about three doors north of the Avalon.
This weblog post from the Lawrence County Historical Society is titled Hurley Gould – Moving Picture Theatre Owner. Mrs. Gould owned a number of theaters in and around Lawrence, including the Avalon. There are two photos of the Avalon near the end of the post. The first must be from 1941, the year The Lady Eve was released. Judging from the parked cars, the second is from the 1920s.
This weblog post at Coal Region Notebook says that the State Theatre was at the southeast corner of Third and Hickory Streets. This comment by Stick82 on our Victoria Theatre page says that the State was located where the Post Office is now. The Post Office is indeed at the southeast corner of E. Third and Hickory Streets. The Post Office is at 1 S. Hickory, but I don’t know which street the theater fronted on.
This weblog post has two small photos of the Victoria Theatre. The building extend along W. Third Street from Pear Street to Maple Street, but the entrance was at the corner of Pear Street (which looks more like an alley to me.)
Reading’s original Bijou Theatre was destroyed by a fire in the spring of 1900. The opening of the new Bijou Theatre was reported in the January 8, 1901, issue of the Reading News-Times. The auditorium was on Cherry Street, and access from Penn Street was via a new lobby through an existing building called Keystone Hall
The February 10, 1912, issue of The Moving Picture World published this item about the opening of the Olivet Theatre:
The June 26, 1916, issue of the Reading Times rhapsodized about the pleasures awaiting the public at the opening that afternoon of the Arcadia Theatre:
There followed a very long, and equally effusive, preview of the Arcadia’s opening attractions, with much of it devoted to Bille Burke, star of the serial Gloria’s Romance, the first chapter of which was to be part of the program.The June 11, 1921 issue of the Reading Times reported that the New York firm of E. C. Horne & Sons had been chosen to design the repairs and addition to the Rajah Temple which had been devastated by a fire the previous month.
An article in the September 9, 1937, issue of the Reading Times says that the old Bijou Theatre, a burlesque house at 734 Penn Street, was renamed the Palace in 1910. In 1916 it was taken over by Carr & Schad and completely remodeled, reopening on June 26 as the New Arcadia Theatre.
The Bijou was in operation prior to 1905, so even with Carr & Schad’s remodeling of 1916 the house was probably quite ready for replacement when it was demolished in 1928 to make way for the new Astor Theatre.
This article from the July 8, 1928, Reading Eagle says that the Princess Theatre had closed for renovations and would reopened as the Arcadia Theatre about July 23. The Princess had opened in 1913.
However, a January 28, 1968, Reading Eagle article said that “[a]nother downtown theater was the Crescent at 819 Penn St., opened in 1910, with the name changed to the Princess in 1913.” The same article says that the Ritz Theatre was torn down in the 1950s to make way for a city parking lot.
I still haven’t found anything explicitly stating that the Arcadia became the Ritz, but I’m sure the Crescent/Princess/Arcadia/Ritz were all the same theater.
The January 1, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World lists Carr & Schad’s Princess Theatre at 819 Penn Street (the correct address for the Ritz.) when the first Arcadia Theatre was demolished in 1928 to make way for the Astor Theatre, the Princess was renamed the Arcadia.
this article in the December 30, 1940, issue of theReading Eagle says that Carr & Schad were expending $15,000 for improvements to the Arcadia Theatre, which had been closed for many years. They later must have decided to rename the house the Ritz before reopening it in 1941.
Our description says the Astor opened in 1938. This must be a typo. It opened in 1928. The September 11 issue of the Reading Times said that the projected opening date was September 21.
A January 9, 1926, article in the Gettysburg Times listed a number of theaters recently completed, under construction, or under contract that had been designed in the office of Philadelphia architect William Harold Lee. Three houses were listed at Reading: the Colonial, the Strand, and a house called the Penn Street Theatre. All three projects were for Carr & Schad. I don’t see a Penn Street Theatre listed, so maybe it’s missing or it operated under a different name.
14 S. Oak Street looks to be a fairly modern building. Its facade is set back a bit from the sidewalk and there is a balcony at the second floor. It’s possible that a new front was built onto an old building, but it’s also possible that the Valentine Theatre building has been demolished and replaced.
Google’s camera car didn’t travel along 11th Street, so I’ve set Street View to look along the block. The State Theatre was in the first building facing 11th Street, next to the small park on the corner. The Avalon Theatre was in the third building on the block.
Google’s camera car didn’t travel along 11th Street. The Avalon Theatre is the middle building of the five facing 11th (the lowest one.) The State Theatre was in the first.
In late 1930, two of Huntingdon’s movie theaters suffered major fires. This item is from the Janaury 2, 1931, issue of The Film Daily:
The March 5 issue of the same publication noted that the POSA had sold the Grand Theatre to A. N. Notopolous. The reopening of the Clifton Theatre was noted in the May 24 issue, in which it was listed as new theater. As it had taken over four months to get the Clifton reopened, the damage must have been quite extensive.Linkrot repair: Architects Benson & Bohl have reconfigured their web site. Photos of the Pacific Culver Stadium 12 can now be found at this link.
Linkrot repair: Benson & Bohl have reconfigured their web site. Photos of the Regal Cinemas in Oceanside are now here.
It’s possible that Century took over the project after the Regal signage had been installed but before the theaters had opened. That view with the crowd out front does look like it would be opening night, but it might be one of those very realistic digital renderings. In the daylight photo with the Regal name on the building it doesn’t look like the theater is open.
Benson & Bohl reconfigured their web site and the link I posted earlier no longer works. Maybe this one will stick around longer.
Thanks, Stick82. We mistakenly had the State listed on Oak Street. Now we can surmise that it’s address was probably 3 S. Hickory. If you would like to comment on the State Theatre, there is a link to its Cinema Treasures page in the “Nearby Theaters” field on the right side of this page. There is also a page for the Hollywood Theatre, and we just added a page for the Theatorium, with a couple of vintage photos from 1913 (though I don’t suppose you’d be old enough to remember that long-gone theater, which was probably closed by 1929.)
The building now at 112 S. Oak Street is probably the same building the Theatorium occupied, but William Harold Lee’s fancy facade, which can be seen in one of the 1913 photos I just uploaded, has been removed, probably in the late 1920s. It was probably considered too elaborate for ordinary retail use.
Stick82 says the State Theatre fronted on Hickory, the second building from the corner. The most likely address was thus 3 South Hickory Street.
The May 21, 1936, issue of The Film Daily said that the Avalon Theatre in Lawrenceville, Illinois, had been transfered to D. Frisina by Mrs. Hurley Gould.
This weblog post from the Lawrence County Historical Society has two photos of the Avalon Theatre at 716 11th Street. The second of them is a view looking north along the east side of 11th Street toward State Street. I believe the Palace Theatre is in the last building on the block. There is a marquee and vertical sign, but I can’t quite make out the name on the vertical. That building must be at 710 11th Street, though, as it is about three doors north of the Avalon.
This weblog post from the Lawrence County Historical Society is titled Hurley Gould – Moving Picture Theatre Owner. Mrs. Gould owned a number of theaters in and around Lawrence, including the Avalon. There are two photos of the Avalon near the end of the post. The first must be from 1941, the year The Lady Eve was released. Judging from the parked cars, the second is from the 1920s.
Stick82: Did the State Theatre front on Third Street, or on Hickory Street like the Post Office does?
This weblog post at Coal Region Notebook says that the State Theatre was at the southeast corner of Third and Hickory Streets. This comment by Stick82 on our Victoria Theatre page says that the State was located where the Post Office is now. The Post Office is indeed at the southeast corner of E. Third and Hickory Streets. The Post Office is at 1 S. Hickory, but I don’t know which street the theater fronted on.
This weblog post has two small photos of the Victoria Theatre. The building extend along W. Third Street from Pear Street to Maple Street, but the entrance was at the corner of Pear Street (which looks more like an alley to me.)