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.
I’m wondering if we have the right address. The 1922 map shows this building as a garage. Could have been converted later, but there is a movie theater to the south. Not sure if I should add that one as a new entry.
The Majestic was closed, but the map is from September 1920, so it might have been pretty recent. I agree that the State is an unlikely member of the four. In that case, they’re talking about the Valentine, and three other theaters that we don’t know anything about. I find that extremely unlikely. This was never a really large town. There are Polish, Italian, Slovenian, and other social halls in town and in the close suburbs, so perhaps some of those had informal showings of films in their native languages?
Four more? The Valentine and Majestic would be two, maybe the State (although the maps don’t mention movies at that point), so there’s at least one missing. Nothing else on the 1920 map, so maybe something that opened just after and had already closed?
I can’t place this one at all. The only theater on the 1925 map is the Rialto. But if it was listed separately, it must have been somewhere. Town isn’t all that big, and I’ve combed the 1925 map a few times to make sure.
The address was 131-133. This was a hastily erected structure, basically a big wooden shed. It appears on the 1911 Sanborn. That location is an empty lot in 1904, and the 1925 map shows it returned to that state.
This was built sometime between 1892 and 1897. It was originally Kane’s Theatre, but the name was changed to Renovo sometime between 1905 and 1911. The 1905 Cahn guide gives the capacity as 800, and the owner as John Kane. The structure on the 1925 map appears identical (no name is given). This can’t be the 1919 theater. Just an empty lot today, so this needs to be listed as demolished.
The address is 336. This theater was open by 1911. It was in the Eagles building, with the hall upstairs. The building was constructed sometime after 1904. To say time has been unkind to Renovo would be an understatement, but this building survives. It seems that the Eagles may still meet here.
I’ve added a map view, which is turned 90 degrees, with north at the right. The larger building in the upper right is still there, which helps locate the spot where the theater was.
Address is wrong. 1 S Hickory was a large wooden house on the corner. For some reason, both the 1907 and 1913 maps show the address as 1815, which must be wrong, but they correctly show the addresses for the houses to the south, and those remain unchanged today. 15 is likely correct, but it could have been any odd number between 3 and 15.
It seems likely that this was an adaptation of an old opera house. The 1885 Sanborn shows a two story wooden Grand Army of the Republic hall just north of the little row of houses (which are all still there). It appears that this had a small stage at the rear.
Sometime between 1891 and 1896, a large brick auditorium was added to the rear, extending all the way to Orange St. At this point, a small wooden, one story addition to the north side of the original building served as the ticket office. The 1905 Cahn guide calls it the Burnside Post Opera House (doubtless from the name of the GAR post), and gives the capacity as 1,000. By 1913, the Sanborn maps call it the Mt. Carmel Opera House.
With some small changes, this structure appears on the 1920 map, from which I have added a picture. No mention is made of movies on the 1907, 1913, or 1920 maps.
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.
I’m wondering if we have the right address. The 1922 map shows this building as a garage. Could have been converted later, but there is a movie theater to the south. Not sure if I should add that one as a new entry.
That sounds like it has to be the one. There can’t have been two.
The corner was an empty lot in 1927.
The Majestic was closed, but the map is from September 1920, so it might have been pretty recent. I agree that the State is an unlikely member of the four. In that case, they’re talking about the Valentine, and three other theaters that we don’t know anything about. I find that extremely unlikely. This was never a really large town. There are Polish, Italian, Slovenian, and other social halls in town and in the close suburbs, so perhaps some of those had informal showings of films in their native languages?
The address does seem to have been 16, although we have to correct building.
Four more? The Valentine and Majestic would be two, maybe the State (although the maps don’t mention movies at that point), so there’s at least one missing. Nothing else on the 1920 map, so maybe something that opened just after and had already closed?
I can’t place this one at all. The only theater on the 1925 map is the Rialto. But if it was listed separately, it must have been somewhere. Town isn’t all that big, and I’ve combed the 1925 map a few times to make sure.
The address was 131-133. This was a hastily erected structure, basically a big wooden shed. It appears on the 1911 Sanborn. That location is an empty lot in 1904, and the 1925 map shows it returned to that state.
This was built sometime between 1892 and 1897. It was originally Kane’s Theatre, but the name was changed to Renovo sometime between 1905 and 1911. The 1905 Cahn guide gives the capacity as 800, and the owner as John Kane. The structure on the 1925 map appears identical (no name is given). This can’t be the 1919 theater. Just an empty lot today, so this needs to be listed as demolished.
The theater does not appear on the 1925 map.
The address is 336. This theater was open by 1911. It was in the Eagles building, with the hall upstairs. The building was constructed sometime after 1904. To say time has been unkind to Renovo would be an understatement, but this building survives. It seems that the Eagles may still meet here.
I’ve added a map view, which is turned 90 degrees, with north at the right. The larger building in the upper right is still there, which helps locate the spot where the theater was.
Found the 1927 map online at Penn State, and there is still no mention of movies being shown at that time.
Address is wrong. 1 S Hickory was a large wooden house on the corner. For some reason, both the 1907 and 1913 maps show the address as 1815, which must be wrong, but they correctly show the addresses for the houses to the south, and those remain unchanged today. 15 is likely correct, but it could have been any odd number between 3 and 15.
It seems likely that this was an adaptation of an old opera house. The 1885 Sanborn shows a two story wooden Grand Army of the Republic hall just north of the little row of houses (which are all still there). It appears that this had a small stage at the rear.
Sometime between 1891 and 1896, a large brick auditorium was added to the rear, extending all the way to Orange St. At this point, a small wooden, one story addition to the north side of the original building served as the ticket office. The 1905 Cahn guide calls it the Burnside Post Opera House (doubtless from the name of the GAR post), and gives the capacity as 1,000. By 1913, the Sanborn maps call it the Mt. Carmel Opera House.
With some small changes, this structure appears on the 1920 map, from which I have added a picture. No mention is made of movies on the 1907, 1913, or 1920 maps.