Hi Brian, my facts were wrong in that neither the Sheridan or Vogue belonged to the Mitchell Bros. but they did both belong to the same chain; that being the Ascher Bros. Grandsons of the Ascher’s still live in the Chicago area and are sucessful business men but unfortunately know very little about their grandparents business other that they “were very wealthy and went broke during the depression”. The descendants, unfortunately, have no pictures of any of the theatres but they do have an old newspaper listing of all the theatres.
Memory tells me the Warner is not atmosphereic. I could be wrong because I can’t find any of my notes on the Warner. It’s been over twenty years since either of my two visits. I do remember, however that the acoustics were pretty good. I saw a ‘50’s rock 'n’ roll revival there which featured Little Anthony (minus the Imperials). Well, before someone corrects me, Little Anthony may not have been the headliner but he was the one I was most interested in hearing. I was told that there was a fire next to the theatre and for a while it appeared as though the theatre might be engulfed. The Strand was/is only a block away
Memory tells me the Warner is not atmosphereic. I could be wrong because I can’t find any of my notes on the Warner. It’s been over twenty years since either of my two visits. I do remember, however that the acoustics were pretty good. I saw a ‘50’s rock 'n’ roll revival there which featured Little Anthony (minus the Imperials). Well, before someone corrects me, Little Anthony may not have been the headliner but he was the one I was most interested in hearing. I was told that there was a fire next to the theatre and for a while it appeared as though the theatre might be engulfed. The Strand was/is only a block away
I’ve seen the opera house’s exterior only. Memory tells me it was a Saturday night just this last fall. Downtown was deserted and so was the opera house. There was, however, a lovely art deco diner from the 1930’s which was open. The owner gave me some history about this beautiful diner but unfortunately didn’t know much history about either the opera house or Latchis theatre— the auditorium portion has been demolished. Anyway, for all the art deco diner enthusiasts, I’ll strongly suggest a visit to Claremont
Thanks Brian, I am aware that the Chateau and Vogue do have separate listings but someone informed me that they are one in the same even though the addresses are off by a few numbers. Other than downtown Chicago I can’t think of any neighborhood area where two theatres were that close together. The Hub and Alvin were close but not that close together. The Uptown and Riviera were also close together as were the Harding and Logan, the Bugg and North Center (though on different streets)were also close together. Another close proximity of two theatres was the Pantheon & Lakeside as well as the Sheridan and the Mode. Anyway I’ll do some more research and post what I’ve found out.
The Capitol was twinned by adding a second screen in the balcony. I was informed by the young person working at the theatre that the twinning took sometime in the 1970’s.
I saw this theatre in 1998 and the marquee is quite impressive. The floor has been leveled and seating capacity greatly reduced. The present seating is now stadium style.
Sorry, I was wrong about the Sheridan being part of the Mitchell Bros. chain. It was actually part of the Ascher brothers chain who had it only for a short time. It was then sold to Fox and later to B&K who shuttered it in 1951. Most of the other information I submitted above is correct. The Sheridan opened on February 12, 1927. This fabulous palace lasted just 24 years as a movie showplace.
The tenting on the ceiling was not original and actually the auditorium was very ornate. Evidently, the Anshe Emet Synagogue who bought the theatre from B&K felt the interior was much too ostentatious for a place of worship. The “refurbishing” removed most of the ornate interior friezes and artwork as well as much of the magnificant exterior. The synagogue lasted for 15 years — only 9 years less than the Sheridan showed Hollywood releases. After the Anshe Emet Synagogue moved to new facilities, the Sheridan remained vacant until becoming the Palacio Teatro which is when I saw its interior for the first time.
I have some vintage pictures of the Sheridan and wow, it sure was spectacular. Although its marquee was flush, the building with its several stories high columns (removed by the synagogue) and integral signage “Sheridan” at each side of the front were most impressive.
I was probably nine or ten when I first discovered the Sheridan and by that time it was already a synagogue. I remember asking my parents about the theatre and they told me it was a “white elephant.” Boy, now I was really confused. I knew the building was white but really — an elephant. Anyway, they explained and I became determined to find out more about “the white elephant” that nobody, even “the big guys” like Ascher, Fox and B&K could run profitably.
If funds are limited the Patio is not for you— although I’d still be happy to have the owner contact you. Although the theatre did not make money, the property as a whole has a positive cash flow. There are several store fronts as well as offices which generate income. To a Walgreens or Osco the property would be very valuable and although I’ve never discussed a sale price with the owner I’d think land value alone would be over $1,000,000.00.
While a youngster in grammar school I stumbled upon this theatre during one of my many exploratory bicycle trips. Located on Sheridan Rd. it like the Sheridan, Lakeside, and Pantheon had no protruding marquee. It was small by my “youngster” standards. The ticket window was between the entrance doors. During this time period this neighborhood was struggling and not considered very desirable. My pre-teen mind was convinced that all I had to to make this closed theatre profitable was to operate a shuttle service from Marine Drive to the theatre. The shuttle solved all the problems of apprehension about patrons parking their cars and walking to them after the movie. I couldn’t, however, overcome the fact though that at twelve I couldn’t drive them nor did I have money to buy the theatre.
I was recently in touch with the son of one of the three Greek brothers who owned and built the Patio theatre. The family name Michalopoulous, was shortened and Americanized to Mitchell. He has lots of interesting stories about the Patio and the 13 other theatres the brothers owned in the Chicago area. When I visit the Chicago area again, I hope to find out more about the Patio’s history and I’ll share the stories with you.
The Hoyne theatre was also known as the Roscoe theatre and survivied into the 1950’s. I first dicovered it as a youngster in the mid 1950’s, but it was already closed by that time. Although I never saw the inside of the Hoyne/Roscoe theatre, I do remember its exterior was tiny. The ticket booth was located between the two sets of double doors constituted the entrance. While trying to located some pictures of other Chicago theatres via long distance, I talked to a woman who lived in what is now referred to as Roscoe village. She told me that the theatre hosted teen dances well into the 1960’s. There was a nice “soda shop” several doors from the theatre as well as an excellent German bakery.
The Orpheum’s exterior and marquee were quite impressive and it was and maybe still owned by the person who triplexed it about 15 years ago.
He also owns a larger theater in Cairo, N.Y. which is maybe 20 miles from Saugerties. The Cairo theatre, which is named the Community theatre was operating and for sale 2 years ago. Someday I hope to write it up. Anyway, sorry I can’t supply much more about the Orpheum’s history except that Saugerties is very “touristy” and the owner said businees was good.
I remember the video store and talked to one of the partners of the nightclub about the theatre. This was before the nightclub had opened and the theatre was still intact. I’d hinted that I might be interested in purchasing the theatre, but he showed no interest in selling at that time. He did, however, tell me about the Paramount in Hammond, IN. and how they were looking for investors. I’d seen the Paramount in Hammond from the exterior only and remember it had a nice marquee but I wasn’t interested in investing. One of the nightclub investors just submitted comment about the Schine Auburn but it’s posted under the Glove theatre in Gloversville. So for some more information about this theatre go to the Glove theatre.
Ah, now I remember were my comment for the Grand went, it’s under the Palace. Patsy, sorry for the confusion. When you’re at the Riveria, please try to verify that the chandelier came from the Bailey theatre in Buffalo. The man who owned the theatre in the late 1970’s informed me this is where it came from although I’ve heard many other rumors.
Hi Patsy, I wrote a much longer piece yesterday about the Grand but I guess I pressed the preview selection instead of the submitting. Anyway, the theatre was owned by Dietner (sp?) who resides in Angola, N.Y. He was not the last owner but owned the theatre for many years. He also owned theatres in Angola, Silver Creek, and, I believe also owned the Motel Drive-In theatre. His son still owns the Angola Drive-In theatre which is operational so if everything else fails you’ll be able to reach him in the spring. I’m sure he’ll be able to help you with the Grand’s history.
Hi Patsy, A man whose last name is Deitner was the second to last owner of the Grand. He is still alive an living in Angola, N.Y. Im sure he’d be happy to supply you with some history. The Angola Drive-In, which is still operational, is owned by his son and would be one way to get in contact with him. I know they owned the theatre in Silver Creek and possibly the Drive-In Theatre Motel as well. I managed to get into the Grand after it closed and took a little tour. It was very dark so I couldn’t see much but I do remember the cement stairs leading the dressing room were crumbling. While on the stairs you could plainly here the water flowing by — I had visions of the huge adjacent body of water rushing through the crumbling cement.
I saw this lovely theatre in 1980. Art Linkletter was doing a free benefit — it was standing room only. Even though the Fox had definitely been “saved” by this time, there were still a surprising number of cars around sporting “Save The Fox” bumper stickers. This is a must see theatre so if you’re able, go celebrate the Fox’s 75th birthday with a visit.
I first saw the Ohmann theatre about two years after it had been shuttered. The for sale sign was still affixed to the building so naturally I called. The agent (I believe the listing term probably had expired) put me directly in touch with Dave Reynolds — one of two owners. Dave and I talked for maybe 15 minutes at which time I had decided it would have been very difficult for me to turn the Ohmann into a successful operation. The first red flag was, why didn’t they keep the Ohmann operating along with the new five-plex they just built. The second red flag was, why didn’t they build the new complex in Lyons which (I not positive of this, but appearances would indicate it to be fact) has a larger population base than Newark. Finally, Lyons, like many originally manufacturing based towns, looked like it was having difficult times. Memory tells me the asking price for the Ohman in 1994 or 1995, was $37,000.
It was a lot of theatre for a small price. If, however, crowds are small, the last thing you want is a lot of theatre.
To me, the Lyons of today looks better than it did ten years ago so let’s hope the new Ohmann theatre is a success.
richardg
commented about
Strandon
Nov 17, 2004 at 4:28 pm
Although I’d seen both the inside and outside of the Strand the year before, in early October, 2004, I finally saw a movie in the Strand. The main auditorium was showing “Friday Night Lights. I'ts a great place to see a movie but avoid the "match boxes” in the former balcony. The do a lot of things extra well in New Hampshire but turning down the lighting rheostat isn’t one of them. I only been in approximately eight New Hampshire theatres so maybe I haven’t got the complete “picture”. My idea of proper theatre lighting is when you return to the auditorium from a candy counter visit you need to stop for a second to let your eyes adjust. During my eight theatre visits not only did my eyes need no adjustment, it was so “bright” that I was able to do an entire headcount of the auditorium. On the “bright” side, if the movie was terrible, you could always read a book. I can only add: Theatre owners, please turn down those lights so the kids can make-out and the readers will stay at home in front of the fireplace
I wanted to see a movie in this theatre so I saw “Maria Full Of Grace” for a second time. Joe Quirk, the owner gave me the complete tour. The twinned theatre in North Conway and the Mt. Valley Mall Theatres (six screens if I remember correctly) make it difficult for Joe to show anything even close to a blockbuster film but he’s survived for many years and is determined to keep the Majestic open. Joe’s upgraded many of the theatre’s mechanics and it’s a great place to see a movie. The opportunity to see the lovely art deco wall sconces alone is worth more than the admission price.
This was a huge theatre for a town with a population of just 8000, although I understand at one time the population exceeded 40,000. I discovered this theatre (it still had the for sale sign on it) about two years before it was torn down. It had closed just briefly before that time but had been neglected for many years.
I climbed an exterior metal staircase and worked on an exit door until it opened. It had a domed ceiling and an immense balcony. Many of the balcony seats had been removed. The theatre offices were really cool and were on three different levels.
One of the major problems with the Victoria was that it could never be heated peroperly so it was usually closed during the winter months. The second to the last owner kept it open year around with the use of auxiliary propane heaters. A Shamokin native told me that you could barely hear the movie above the roar of the heaters. When seats needed replacing they robbed them from the balcony.
When I saw this once lovely theatre, the last 40 or so feet of the rear portion of building which contained the stage area had begun to separate from the rest of the building. It would have taken millions to make the building structuraly sound and millions more to restore its very faded beauty. I was saddened when I saw this theatre because I knew Shamokin didn’t have the funds to save their faded palace.
I returned the following year only to find fencing all around separated portion so a second inside visit was impossible. The following year the Victoria was demolished. This chain had a number of theatres and many of them were also called the Victoria. I have a number of pictures of the Victoria which I’ll post on my planned website before too long.
Hi Brian, my facts were wrong in that neither the Sheridan or Vogue belonged to the Mitchell Bros. but they did both belong to the same chain; that being the Ascher Bros. Grandsons of the Ascher’s still live in the Chicago area and are sucessful business men but unfortunately know very little about their grandparents business other that they “were very wealthy and went broke during the depression”. The descendants, unfortunately, have no pictures of any of the theatres but they do have an old newspaper listing of all the theatres.
Memory tells me the Warner is not atmosphereic. I could be wrong because I can’t find any of my notes on the Warner. It’s been over twenty years since either of my two visits. I do remember, however that the acoustics were pretty good. I saw a ‘50’s rock 'n’ roll revival there which featured Little Anthony (minus the Imperials). Well, before someone corrects me, Little Anthony may not have been the headliner but he was the one I was most interested in hearing. I was told that there was a fire next to the theatre and for a while it appeared as though the theatre might be engulfed. The Strand was/is only a block away
Memory tells me the Warner is not atmosphereic. I could be wrong because I can’t find any of my notes on the Warner. It’s been over twenty years since either of my two visits. I do remember, however that the acoustics were pretty good. I saw a ‘50’s rock 'n’ roll revival there which featured Little Anthony (minus the Imperials). Well, before someone corrects me, Little Anthony may not have been the headliner but he was the one I was most interested in hearing. I was told that there was a fire next to the theatre and for a while it appeared as though the theatre might be engulfed. The Strand was/is only a block away
I’ve seen the opera house’s exterior only. Memory tells me it was a Saturday night just this last fall. Downtown was deserted and so was the opera house. There was, however, a lovely art deco diner from the 1930’s which was open. The owner gave me some history about this beautiful diner but unfortunately didn’t know much history about either the opera house or Latchis theatre— the auditorium portion has been demolished. Anyway, for all the art deco diner enthusiasts, I’ll strongly suggest a visit to Claremont
Thanks Brian, I am aware that the Chateau and Vogue do have separate listings but someone informed me that they are one in the same even though the addresses are off by a few numbers. Other than downtown Chicago I can’t think of any neighborhood area where two theatres were that close together. The Hub and Alvin were close but not that close together. The Uptown and Riviera were also close together as were the Harding and Logan, the Bugg and North Center (though on different streets)were also close together. Another close proximity of two theatres was the Pantheon & Lakeside as well as the Sheridan and the Mode. Anyway I’ll do some more research and post what I’ve found out.
Someone in the know recently told me the Vogue was originally called the Chateau. Can anyone confirm?
You can see a picture of the Princess theatre at the website below:
View link
The Capitol was twinned by adding a second screen in the balcony. I was informed by the young person working at the theatre that the twinning took sometime in the 1970’s.
I saw this theatre in 1998 and the marquee is quite impressive. The floor has been leveled and seating capacity greatly reduced. The present seating is now stadium style.
Sorry, I was wrong about the Sheridan being part of the Mitchell Bros. chain. It was actually part of the Ascher brothers chain who had it only for a short time. It was then sold to Fox and later to B&K who shuttered it in 1951. Most of the other information I submitted above is correct. The Sheridan opened on February 12, 1927. This fabulous palace lasted just 24 years as a movie showplace.
The tenting on the ceiling was not original and actually the auditorium was very ornate. Evidently, the Anshe Emet Synagogue who bought the theatre from B&K felt the interior was much too ostentatious for a place of worship. The “refurbishing” removed most of the ornate interior friezes and artwork as well as much of the magnificant exterior. The synagogue lasted for 15 years — only 9 years less than the Sheridan showed Hollywood releases. After the Anshe Emet Synagogue moved to new facilities, the Sheridan remained vacant until becoming the Palacio Teatro which is when I saw its interior for the first time.
I have some vintage pictures of the Sheridan and wow, it sure was spectacular. Although its marquee was flush, the building with its several stories high columns (removed by the synagogue) and integral signage “Sheridan” at each side of the front were most impressive.
I was probably nine or ten when I first discovered the Sheridan and by that time it was already a synagogue. I remember asking my parents about the theatre and they told me it was a “white elephant.” Boy, now I was really confused. I knew the building was white but really — an elephant. Anyway, they explained and I became determined to find out more about “the white elephant” that nobody, even “the big guys” like Ascher, Fox and B&K could run profitably.
Hi Nicole,
If funds are limited the Patio is not for you— although I’d still be happy to have the owner contact you. Although the theatre did not make money, the property as a whole has a positive cash flow. There are several store fronts as well as offices which generate income. To a Walgreens or Osco the property would be very valuable and although I’ve never discussed a sale price with the owner I’d think land value alone would be over $1,000,000.00.
While a youngster in grammar school I stumbled upon this theatre during one of my many exploratory bicycle trips. Located on Sheridan Rd. it like the Sheridan, Lakeside, and Pantheon had no protruding marquee. It was small by my “youngster” standards. The ticket window was between the entrance doors. During this time period this neighborhood was struggling and not considered very desirable. My pre-teen mind was convinced that all I had to to make this closed theatre profitable was to operate a shuttle service from Marine Drive to the theatre. The shuttle solved all the problems of apprehension about patrons parking their cars and walking to them after the movie. I couldn’t, however, overcome the fact though that at twelve I couldn’t drive them nor did I have money to buy the theatre.
I’m almost positive the Calo was converted to a bowling alley during the 1960’s. Sorry can’t be more specific.
I was recently in touch with the son of one of the three Greek brothers who owned and built the Patio theatre. The family name Michalopoulous, was shortened and Americanized to Mitchell. He has lots of interesting stories about the Patio and the 13 other theatres the brothers owned in the Chicago area. When I visit the Chicago area again, I hope to find out more about the Patio’s history and I’ll share the stories with you.
The Hoyne theatre was also known as the Roscoe theatre and survivied into the 1950’s. I first dicovered it as a youngster in the mid 1950’s, but it was already closed by that time. Although I never saw the inside of the Hoyne/Roscoe theatre, I do remember its exterior was tiny. The ticket booth was located between the two sets of double doors constituted the entrance. While trying to located some pictures of other Chicago theatres via long distance, I talked to a woman who lived in what is now referred to as Roscoe village. She told me that the theatre hosted teen dances well into the 1960’s. There was a nice “soda shop” several doors from the theatre as well as an excellent German bakery.
The Orpheum’s exterior and marquee were quite impressive and it was and maybe still owned by the person who triplexed it about 15 years ago.
He also owns a larger theater in Cairo, N.Y. which is maybe 20 miles from Saugerties. The Cairo theatre, which is named the Community theatre was operating and for sale 2 years ago. Someday I hope to write it up. Anyway, sorry I can’t supply much more about the Orpheum’s history except that Saugerties is very “touristy” and the owner said businees was good.
I remember the video store and talked to one of the partners of the nightclub about the theatre. This was before the nightclub had opened and the theatre was still intact. I’d hinted that I might be interested in purchasing the theatre, but he showed no interest in selling at that time. He did, however, tell me about the Paramount in Hammond, IN. and how they were looking for investors. I’d seen the Paramount in Hammond from the exterior only and remember it had a nice marquee but I wasn’t interested in investing. One of the nightclub investors just submitted comment about the Schine Auburn but it’s posted under the Glove theatre in Gloversville. So for some more information about this theatre go to the Glove theatre.
Ah, now I remember were my comment for the Grand went, it’s under the Palace. Patsy, sorry for the confusion. When you’re at the Riveria, please try to verify that the chandelier came from the Bailey theatre in Buffalo. The man who owned the theatre in the late 1970’s informed me this is where it came from although I’ve heard many other rumors.
Hi Patsy, I wrote a much longer piece yesterday about the Grand but I guess I pressed the preview selection instead of the submitting. Anyway, the theatre was owned by Dietner (sp?) who resides in Angola, N.Y. He was not the last owner but owned the theatre for many years. He also owned theatres in Angola, Silver Creek, and, I believe also owned the Motel Drive-In theatre. His son still owns the Angola Drive-In theatre which is operational so if everything else fails you’ll be able to reach him in the spring. I’m sure he’ll be able to help you with the Grand’s history.
Hi Patsy, A man whose last name is Deitner was the second to last owner of the Grand. He is still alive an living in Angola, N.Y. Im sure he’d be happy to supply you with some history. The Angola Drive-In, which is still operational, is owned by his son and would be one way to get in contact with him. I know they owned the theatre in Silver Creek and possibly the Drive-In Theatre Motel as well. I managed to get into the Grand after it closed and took a little tour. It was very dark so I couldn’t see much but I do remember the cement stairs leading the dressing room were crumbling. While on the stairs you could plainly here the water flowing by — I had visions of the huge adjacent body of water rushing through the crumbling cement.
I saw this lovely theatre in 1980. Art Linkletter was doing a free benefit — it was standing room only. Even though the Fox had definitely been “saved” by this time, there were still a surprising number of cars around sporting “Save The Fox” bumper stickers. This is a must see theatre so if you’re able, go celebrate the Fox’s 75th birthday with a visit.
I first saw the Ohmann theatre about two years after it had been shuttered. The for sale sign was still affixed to the building so naturally I called. The agent (I believe the listing term probably had expired) put me directly in touch with Dave Reynolds — one of two owners. Dave and I talked for maybe 15 minutes at which time I had decided it would have been very difficult for me to turn the Ohmann into a successful operation. The first red flag was, why didn’t they keep the Ohmann operating along with the new five-plex they just built. The second red flag was, why didn’t they build the new complex in Lyons which (I not positive of this, but appearances would indicate it to be fact) has a larger population base than Newark. Finally, Lyons, like many originally manufacturing based towns, looked like it was having difficult times. Memory tells me the asking price for the Ohman in 1994 or 1995, was $37,000.
It was a lot of theatre for a small price. If, however, crowds are small, the last thing you want is a lot of theatre.
To me, the Lyons of today looks better than it did ten years ago so let’s hope the new Ohmann theatre is a success.
Although I’d seen both the inside and outside of the Strand the year before, in early October, 2004, I finally saw a movie in the Strand. The main auditorium was showing “Friday Night Lights. I'ts a great place to see a movie but avoid the "match boxes” in the former balcony. The do a lot of things extra well in New Hampshire but turning down the lighting rheostat isn’t one of them. I only been in approximately eight New Hampshire theatres so maybe I haven’t got the complete “picture”. My idea of proper theatre lighting is when you return to the auditorium from a candy counter visit you need to stop for a second to let your eyes adjust. During my eight theatre visits not only did my eyes need no adjustment, it was so “bright” that I was able to do an entire headcount of the auditorium. On the “bright” side, if the movie was terrible, you could always read a book. I can only add: Theatre owners, please turn down those lights so the kids can make-out and the readers will stay at home in front of the fireplace
I wanted to see a movie in this theatre so I saw “Maria Full Of Grace” for a second time. Joe Quirk, the owner gave me the complete tour. The twinned theatre in North Conway and the Mt. Valley Mall Theatres (six screens if I remember correctly) make it difficult for Joe to show anything even close to a blockbuster film but he’s survived for many years and is determined to keep the Majestic open. Joe’s upgraded many of the theatre’s mechanics and it’s a great place to see a movie. The opportunity to see the lovely art deco wall sconces alone is worth more than the admission price.
This was a huge theatre for a town with a population of just 8000, although I understand at one time the population exceeded 40,000. I discovered this theatre (it still had the for sale sign on it) about two years before it was torn down. It had closed just briefly before that time but had been neglected for many years.
I climbed an exterior metal staircase and worked on an exit door until it opened. It had a domed ceiling and an immense balcony. Many of the balcony seats had been removed. The theatre offices were really cool and were on three different levels.
One of the major problems with the Victoria was that it could never be heated peroperly so it was usually closed during the winter months. The second to the last owner kept it open year around with the use of auxiliary propane heaters. A Shamokin native told me that you could barely hear the movie above the roar of the heaters. When seats needed replacing they robbed them from the balcony.
When I saw this once lovely theatre, the last 40 or so feet of the rear portion of building which contained the stage area had begun to separate from the rest of the building. It would have taken millions to make the building structuraly sound and millions more to restore its very faded beauty. I was saddened when I saw this theatre because I knew Shamokin didn’t have the funds to save their faded palace.
I returned the following year only to find fencing all around separated portion so a second inside visit was impossible. The following year the Victoria was demolished. This chain had a number of theatres and many of them were also called the Victoria. I have a number of pictures of the Victoria which I’ll post on my planned website before too long.