Mikeoaklandpark, that piece is from the history page at the Steel Pier website. Its information page says the Pier is “located near the Taj Mahal”. Further down that page it also mentions that it is “located across the Boardwalk from four of the largest hotels in the World: Resorts International and The Taj Mahal.”
By the way, the Taj Mahal closed last year and was recently purchased by Hard Rock International. They are currently renovating the property and will reopen it as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino next summer.
The description in the overview would be more accurate if it were to say the site is now an amusement park.
The Taj Mahal was on the other side of the boardwalk, connected to the Steel Pier by a bridge. The Pier was for many years owned by the Taj Mahal, but leased to a family who eventually purchased it in 2011. More information here.
According to an article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, the Presidio Theatre opened in 1939, it has sat vacant since 1994 when the US Army turned the base it was located on over to the National park Service.
The good news is that the Presidio Theatre is about to undergo a 2 year, $30 million makeover, thanks to Margret “Peggy” Haas and her foundation. Ms. Haas is a descendent of Levi Strauss, and her family has long been involved in numerous philanthropic activities in the Bay Area.
Primarily used as a movie theatre in the past, plans call for expanding the stage area so the venue can handle a variety of events including talks, theatrical presentations, graduations and I would hope the occasional movie presentation.
The theatre is located within a national historic landmark district, so making changes or additions to the structure isn’t easy, previous proposals died in part because of that. However, the State Historic Preservation Office and other parties have given the ok for the changes, which are minimal. Restoration of detail to the building will be done from the original blueprints, it will seat 650 when it opens in 2019.
The article I linked above has more information and includes 7 photos taken last week.
Renovating and Restoring should be added to the Presidio’s status.
A local article says the Oaks has been put up for sale, after 6 years of unsuccessfully trying to lease it. It's hoped that nonprofits that may have been put off by the thought of raising funds to refurbish a leased space will find it more attractive if they can own the building. Asking price is $4.25 million, the property includes 5 retail spaces and 5 offices. A vintage photograph accompanies the article, it appears to be from the late 1930s.
According to a bit in the February 11, 1927 issue of the Motion Picture News, Plans were being prepared for the erection of a theatre building at 1832 86th street in Brooklyn. The owner was the Hawthorne Amusement Corp., which was located at 1540 Broadway in Manhattan. It mentions Marcus Lowe was its president.
If you click the link, this is in the first column, just under an announcement that plans were being prepared for another Brooklyn theatre. That one was demolished this past summer.
Toward the top of the next column, one will discover that plans were also being prepared for this theatre in downtown Brooklyn.
Also mentioned were plans being prepared for a theatre on Fulton Street, note the slight difference in the address with what’s listed on CT.
The Grand Lake lost their Assistant Manager, Denalda Renae (aka Denalda Nicole Siegrist) in the tragic warehouse fire in Oakland last week, I’ve just uploaded a picture of the marquee paying tribute to her and the other victims.
A memorial gathering for Denalda and all of the victims will be held in the main auditorium this Tuesday, December 13, all are welcome. More details are available on the Grand Lake’s website
The Borough of Carteret has announced a 5 year deal with Comcast Spectra to manage the new performing arts center to be built on the site of the Ritz,here is an article from mycentraljersey.com talking about it.
This press release From the Mayor’s office goes into more detail, here’s a bit from it:
“The 1,600 seat Performing Arts Center will be located on Washington Ave between Pershing Ave and Cooke Ave on the site of the old Ritz theatre. The structure that was the Ritz theatre was converted into a sewing factory in 1965 and then a bakery in the 1980s. It subsequently shutdown operations in 2014 and the property was later acquired by the borough with the intention of restoring the theatre. The Performing Arts Center district will include new residential and mixed-use commercial buildings to be built by private developers that are currently under design. The demolition of the site is anticipated to begin in the Spring of 2017 with the construction to start in the Summer of 2017.”
As mentioned in the comments section over a year ago, it appears the existing structure is to be razed, although I've heard the plaster motif of the Ritz will be used in the design of new venue.
I’ve just uploaded a better copy of the opening night ad rivest266 added 3 years ago, this copy from the March 27th issue of the Middlesex County Leader-Press, the local weekly paper at the time.
I would also like to note the date for this theatre’s opening in the overview is off by 2 days, it opened on April 3rd, which was a Wednesday.
Coate, the information IMDb supplied was right. The person posting failed to note that April 3 was the United States release date for “Planet”, which was clearly stated by IMDb, and not necessarily the date it began its run at any particular location. Without further research to confirm, it was a stretch to assume it opened at the Goldman on that date and post that misinformation. I’m surprised that person has not acknowledged their mistake and apologized, as they expect others to do.
I’ve just uploaded a picture of this theatre from its days as home to a plumbing business. Thanks to the Borough of Carteret Historical Committee for allowing its use.
I took a browse through the local papers to see if there was anything written about the last day of this theatre. There wasn’t, but I did come across this opinion piece in the Reno Gazette-Journal written by a young man who grew up with the Century Sparks 14 and was published the day it closed.
In addition to the link I am including the article, which I thought worth sharing.
One View: Goodbye, Century Sparks 14
“Paranormal Activity 2?”
“Uh … yeah. You wanna come?”
“I don’t know.” she said. “Isn’t it going to be scary?”
“Oh, not the way we watch it!” I yelled suddenly and nervously. “You see, we like to sit in the back and voice the ghost from his perspective? Like apologize for bumping into things and stuff like that? I know it might sound stupid but —”
“That’s awesome!” she said. “What time?”
And so that weekend three close friends of mine and a girl I had wanted to know a little better carpooled down to Century Sparks to a matinee showing of “Paranormal Activity 2.” We laughed the entire time and got the row behind us to even join in on our little game. At the end of the movie we went back to the parking lot and all went our separate ways. The girl and I hugged and agreed that we should do it again sometime.
I took my wife to that theater many times in our life. We’ve seen Disney movies, musicals, raunchy comedies and period dramas, and after each night we went back to the parking lot and laughed just as we did the first time.
I have plenty of great memories of Century Sparks. I saw nearly every Harry Potter movie in it, taking my youngest sister to the very last one (she had barely been born when the first one came out). My best friend and I saw “Superbad” every week it was out in that theater, among many other R-rated movies we probably shouldn’t have seen. I remember wearing graduation gowns months after our actual graduation just to sneak more snacks in (probably unnecessary but definitely fun). I saw my first PG-13 movie there (Jurassic Park III), my first 3-D movie there (Spy Kids 3), had my first date there, and spent hours at a Crazy Taxi machine I was certain was rigged. I spent many weekends grabbing gobs of people to cram into one movie after a week of planning and a few just going on a whim to see what’s playing. Growing up, it was probably my very favorite place in Sparks.
Of course we have the IMAX and Park Lane and Riverside, but it still kind of breaks my heart to hear this place is closing down. I always thought it was a beautiful part of our city and a prominent piece of my childhood, as well as my growing up. So farewell Century Sparks, I’ll always look back and remember your popcorn tasted the best, your fountain was the funnest on a hot day, I memorized all of your Coke trivia cards and you never failed to play “Kiss From a Rose” before every movie until Cinemark rolled in.
So long Century Sparks, and thanks for “Paranormal Activity 2.”
Ryan Costello is a local actor and writer in Sparks.
bigjoe59, to add to your fascination, there was a Bronx Theatre you may not have heard of, it’s not listed on CT. That was in 1910. It was located at the intersection of Wendover and Park Avenues. Today Wendover is Claremont Parkway.
A mention in the July 23, 1910 issue of the Film Index (gardens on the right) talks about Mr. Jacobs, who operated the Bronx Theatre, having problems with 2 or 3 open air venues operating in his vicinity and opening his own outdoor enterprise to compete.
So there you have it. More undiscovered moving picture venues, some nameless at the moment. By the way, Jacobs’ operation was only two blocks from Third Avenue, so that may be a clue to about where in the Bronx on Third Avenue the Aerodome was located.
I’ve just uploaded a photograph of the Ritz Marquee and entrance taken by Anthony Pusillo, older brother of Ritz projectionist Joseph Pusillo, in August of 1945. The picture was donated to the archives of the Borough of Carteret’s Historical Committee, who is kind enough to share it with us, much thanks! Anthony and Joe are respectively the Uncle and Father of Mark Pusillo, who posts to CT.
Mike (saps), I stand corrected. I had looked at the Kings website as recently as June to see if there were tours (I was visiting the area most of July) and didn’t find any information then, so I thought when a Facebook announcement on Monday said they were “kicking off our monthly tours today”, it was something new.
What I was looking for when I found the tour info was the pricing for the Star Wars Trilogy, which was a topic here. As tickets were no longer being sold, all I could find was an article that mentioned tickets started at $55, which would be for a balcony seat and the price that was mentioned in a comment above. One person commented to the article that with ticketmaster charges, two advance tickets came to $131.
I’m hoping my next visit to NYC this December coincides with at least one of the tour dates that month, that would be a holiday treat!
markp, believe it or not, today is the first public tour of the Kings, cost $15.00. This is going to be a regular event, there are 2 more tours later this month, one an evening event with a glass of wine. That might cost more. You can get more details by clicking the link to the Kings website on this page.
Here’s an article from today’s Asbury Park Press talking about the renovation of the Savoy, which is currently under way. It includes a short video of the interior.
There is also a 22 photo collection titled “The lost theatres of Asbury Park”, which is also the title of a seperate article in today’s Press. There’s a link to that on the article page, or you can just click here. Always nice to see an old theatre come back to life! ;–) .
Canda Hall was a single story attachment to the 3 story Canda House Hotel, built in the first decade of the 20th century. Starting in February 1911, an unidentified exhibitor rented it full time, and advertised as Dreamland Theatre, presenting 4 and later 5,000 feet of “motion pictures” 6 days a week, content changed daily.
In April, Wagner Amusement Company (a single individual) assumed management and renamed the venue the Electric Theatre, adding other attractions such as vaudeville and illustrated songs twice weekly, sometimes expanding to 3 nights, along with 8,000 feet of “moving pictures” 6 days a week.
In late May, Wagner announced that for the summer season he would expand his operation by moving his Wednesday and Saturday shows to two larger halls in town, Kish’s Hall on Wednesdays and Nash’s Hall on Saturdays, with the Electric Theatre open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Nash and Kish Halls were used by exhibitors for moving picture shows at least since the spring of 1909, offering weekly or twice weekly events. These halls were at opposite ends of the Borough, Nash in Chrome (as was the Electric Theatre) and Kish in the Hill section of Carteret.
It appears Wagner ceased operation for a time that summer, most likely due to light box office receipts that accompanied the seasonal heat and humidity in the days before air conditioning or adequate ventilation. While there is no record of a formal announcement of closure, in August he announced that the Electric Theatre would reopen on the 26th, with Wednesday shows at Kish’s Hall starting on the 30th and Saturdays at Nash’s Hall 3 days later.
In November it was announced that the Adam Richter Amusement Company purchased the Wagner interest in the Electric Theatre, promising “the best show ever in town”.
The March 28th 1912 edition of the Roosevelt News carried a coupon for free admission to the Electric Theatre the following evening, $.10 otherwise. No ads appeared in subsequent issues, but an item in the April 27 issue of The Moving Picture News mentioned that The Electric Theatre had closed “on account of dull business”.
Canda Hall still exists though as a business space, just in from the intersection of Roosevelt and Carteret Avenues. In 1911-1912 that would have been the intersection of WoodBridge Avenue and Roosevelt Boluevard. Not clear on maps, it most likely carried the address of the Canda House Hotel, 191 Woodbridge Avenue.
Much thanks to the Borough of Carteret Historical Committee for allowing me to research the material they curate that made this listing possible.
The someone who attempted to start a Dreamland Theatre in 1926 was Frank P Saunders. According to the March 5, 1926 issue of Variety, Saunders was directed to make certain safety changes before he would be granted a license to operate. The March 20th issue of Motion Picture News was more specific, reporting that the council that would grant the license wanted several changes in exits, aisles, toilet accommodations and the projection booth before granting it. I didn’t find any mention of this work being completed or that the theatre ever opened other than the Film Daily Yearbook listing.
Some months back I mentioned a bit more information about the Majestic forthcoming, including research in progress. Last summer I was able to access more material that leaves me making corrections to my most recent comments last June, along with adding some new information.
Regarding new material, much thanks to the Borough of Carteret’s Historical Committee which allowed me access to the collection of material they curate. This not only filled in some blanks about the Majestic and Crescent theatres, but also gave a look into the 1909-12 period when moving picture presentations, sometimes accompanied by vaudeville and illustrated songs, were presented by various exhibitors in the local public halls generally once or twice a week. I would especially like to thank Susan Wentzel and Bonnie Cooley for the time they took to assist me going through a mountain of material.
I mentioned that the Majestic opened “around” 1915. It actually makes an appearance in the 1914 city directory. An exact opening date however is unknown, but there is enough information to safely say it dates from 1914. At the time it was built, that section of Roosevelt Avenue was known as Rahway Avenue, the Majestic’s original address was 135 Rahway Avenue.
Some of my last post was based on a 1970 article about the old theatres of Carteret, with 4 residents, including the Majestic projectionist, interviewed. They mentioned the Majestic featured a 5 piece “family” band as accompaniment to the moving pictures.
The article said the Majestic was owned and operated by Charles Crane Sr, which I posted here. However, according to the 1914 city directory and one of the local newspapers of the time Joseph Crane, a local electrical contractor, was the proprietor. His home address was the building next door, which was torn down along with the theatre last June.
The article also mentioned 2 other venues Crane operated, one was identified as the Chrome theatre, located in the Chrome section of the borough. Because the article had supplied a picture of the New Palace (known as the Crescent from 1914 until 1932) and gave its Roosevelt Avenue address, I referred to it as the New Palace in my comment, figuring that residents might have referred to the theatre located in Chrome as the Chrome Theatre. Although Maurice Spewak purchased the Crescent from parties other than Crane in early 1916, I thought it possible he held an early interest.
It is unknown at this point if Crane had any interest in the Crescent. However the 1914 city directory does list a Chrome Theatre, located on Delamar Avenue. The Crescent (not listed in the directory) was located on what was then called Woodbridge Avenue. Delamar a century ago was what is today that part of Pershing Avenue located east of Roosevelt Avenue. This would have been a converted space like Crane’s other theatre, the Idle Hour, which was located across from the Majestic at 132 Rahway Avenue and most likely closed with the Majestic’s opening. That building still stands. Of the Idle Hour, very little is known. It was listed in the 1914-1915 edition of the American Motion Picture Directory and its address was associated with moving pictures in the 1914 City Directory.
In October 1916 with no fanfare, the Majestic added Sunday movies to its weekly advertisements. Within a few weeks, the Crescent also began to advertise that it was open on Sundays. New Jersey at the time had some strict blue laws, though in many cases they weren’t enforced unless there was a complaint. Sunday movies lasted 2 months before disappearing from local ads.
A decade later, theatre operators in some municipalities in New Jersey were still being hauled to court for opening their doors on Sunday.
In 1921 Crane sold the Majestic to Maurice Spewak, who took over operation on Labor Day. Spewak would change his bill mostly on a daily basis and began alternating shows between the Majestic and the Crescent.
I had also heard from an older resident and wrote that the Majestic didn’t convert to sound, which doesn’t appear to be the case. The September 1, 1929 issue of the Film Daily listed the 6,037 theatres in the US that were at that point wired for sound. Of three active theatres in Carteret at the time, only the Majestic was mentioned, its system described as homemade. We know it involved the use phonograph records from a story related by Mark Pusillo that came from his Dad. Joe Pusillo was Mr. Spewak’s projectionist at the Ritz Theatre for many years and Spewak had told him of the difficulties encountered at the Majestic. Carteret had numerous factories in the 1920’s and most of the truck traffic going to and from them passed the Majestic. The largest of these would cause the building to vibrate enough to make the needle skip, throwing the soundtrack out of sync.
The Majestic closed its doors in summer of 1930, as reported in the August 25th issue of the Film Daily.
Mikeoaklandpark, that piece is from the history page at the Steel Pier website. Its information page says the Pier is “located near the Taj Mahal”. Further down that page it also mentions that it is “located across the Boardwalk from four of the largest hotels in the World: Resorts International and The Taj Mahal.”
By the way, the Taj Mahal closed last year and was recently purchased by Hard Rock International. They are currently renovating the property and will reopen it as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino next summer.
The description in the overview would be more accurate if it were to say the site is now an amusement park.
The Taj Mahal was on the other side of the boardwalk, connected to the Steel Pier by a bridge. The Pier was for many years owned by the Taj Mahal, but leased to a family who eventually purchased it in 2011. More information here.
According to an article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, the Presidio Theatre opened in 1939, it has sat vacant since 1994 when the US Army turned the base it was located on over to the National park Service.
The good news is that the Presidio Theatre is about to undergo a 2 year, $30 million makeover, thanks to Margret “Peggy” Haas and her foundation. Ms. Haas is a descendent of Levi Strauss, and her family has long been involved in numerous philanthropic activities in the Bay Area.
Primarily used as a movie theatre in the past, plans call for expanding the stage area so the venue can handle a variety of events including talks, theatrical presentations, graduations and I would hope the occasional movie presentation.
The theatre is located within a national historic landmark district, so making changes or additions to the structure isn’t easy, previous proposals died in part because of that. However, the State Historic Preservation Office and other parties have given the ok for the changes, which are minimal. Restoration of detail to the building will be done from the original blueprints, it will seat 650 when it opens in 2019.
The article I linked above has more information and includes 7 photos taken last week.
Renovating and Restoring should be added to the Presidio’s status.
A local article says the Oaks has been put up for sale, after 6 years of unsuccessfully trying to lease it. It's hoped that nonprofits that may have been put off by the thought of raising funds to refurbish a leased space will find it more attractive if they can own the building. Asking price is $4.25 million, the property includes 5 retail spaces and 5 offices. A vintage photograph accompanies the article, it appears to be from the late 1930s.
According to a bit in the February 11, 1927 issue of the Motion Picture News, Plans were being prepared for the erection of a theatre building at 1832 86th street in Brooklyn. The owner was the Hawthorne Amusement Corp., which was located at 1540 Broadway in Manhattan. It mentions Marcus Lowe was its president.
If you click the link, this is in the first column, just under an announcement that plans were being prepared for another Brooklyn theatre. That one was demolished this past summer.
Toward the top of the next column, one will discover that plans were also being prepared for this theatre in downtown Brooklyn.
Also mentioned were plans being prepared for a theatre on Fulton Street, note the slight difference in the address with what’s listed on CT.
The Grand Lake lost their Assistant Manager, Denalda Renae (aka Denalda Nicole Siegrist) in the tragic warehouse fire in Oakland last week, I’ve just uploaded a picture of the marquee paying tribute to her and the other victims.
A memorial gathering for Denalda and all of the victims will be held in the main auditorium this Tuesday, December 13, all are welcome. More details are available on the Grand Lake’s website
The Borough of Carteret has announced a 5 year deal with Comcast Spectra to manage the new performing arts center to be built on the site of the Ritz,here is an article from mycentraljersey.com talking about it.
This press release From the Mayor’s office goes into more detail, here’s a bit from it:
“The 1,600 seat Performing Arts Center will be located on Washington Ave between Pershing Ave and Cooke Ave on the site of the old Ritz theatre. The structure that was the Ritz theatre was converted into a sewing factory in 1965 and then a bakery in the 1980s. It subsequently shutdown operations in 2014 and the property was later acquired by the borough with the intention of restoring the theatre. The Performing Arts Center district will include new residential and mixed-use commercial buildings to be built by private developers that are currently under design. The demolition of the site is anticipated to begin in the Spring of 2017 with the construction to start in the Summer of 2017.”
As mentioned in the comments section over a year ago, it appears the existing structure is to be razed, although I've heard the plaster motif of the Ritz will be used in the design of new venue.
I’ve just uploaded the gala opening ad from the 08-30-1922 edition of the Westfield Leader.
I’ve just uploaded a better copy of the opening night ad rivest266 added 3 years ago, this copy from the March 27th issue of the Middlesex County Leader-Press, the local weekly paper at the time.
I would also like to note the date for this theatre’s opening in the overview is off by 2 days, it opened on April 3rd, which was a Wednesday.
Coate, the information IMDb supplied was right. The person posting failed to note that April 3 was the United States release date for “Planet”, which was clearly stated by IMDb, and not necessarily the date it began its run at any particular location. Without further research to confirm, it was a stretch to assume it opened at the Goldman on that date and post that misinformation. I’m surprised that person has not acknowledged their mistake and apologized, as they expect others to do.
I’ve just uploaded a picture of this theatre from its days as home to a plumbing business. Thanks to the Borough of Carteret Historical Committee for allowing its use.
I took a browse through the local papers to see if there was anything written about the last day of this theatre. There wasn’t, but I did come across this opinion piece in the Reno Gazette-Journal written by a young man who grew up with the Century Sparks 14 and was published the day it closed.
In addition to the link I am including the article, which I thought worth sharing.
One View: Goodbye, Century Sparks 14
“Paranormal Activity 2?”
“Uh … yeah. You wanna come?”
“I don’t know.” she said. “Isn’t it going to be scary?”
“Oh, not the way we watch it!” I yelled suddenly and nervously. “You see, we like to sit in the back and voice the ghost from his perspective? Like apologize for bumping into things and stuff like that? I know it might sound stupid but —”
“That’s awesome!” she said. “What time?”
And so that weekend three close friends of mine and a girl I had wanted to know a little better carpooled down to Century Sparks to a matinee showing of “Paranormal Activity 2.” We laughed the entire time and got the row behind us to even join in on our little game. At the end of the movie we went back to the parking lot and all went our separate ways. The girl and I hugged and agreed that we should do it again sometime.
I took my wife to that theater many times in our life. We’ve seen Disney movies, musicals, raunchy comedies and period dramas, and after each night we went back to the parking lot and laughed just as we did the first time.
I have plenty of great memories of Century Sparks. I saw nearly every Harry Potter movie in it, taking my youngest sister to the very last one (she had barely been born when the first one came out). My best friend and I saw “Superbad” every week it was out in that theater, among many other R-rated movies we probably shouldn’t have seen. I remember wearing graduation gowns months after our actual graduation just to sneak more snacks in (probably unnecessary but definitely fun). I saw my first PG-13 movie there (Jurassic Park III), my first 3-D movie there (Spy Kids 3), had my first date there, and spent hours at a Crazy Taxi machine I was certain was rigged. I spent many weekends grabbing gobs of people to cram into one movie after a week of planning and a few just going on a whim to see what’s playing. Growing up, it was probably my very favorite place in Sparks.
Of course we have the IMAX and Park Lane and Riverside, but it still kind of breaks my heart to hear this place is closing down. I always thought it was a beautiful part of our city and a prominent piece of my childhood, as well as my growing up. So farewell Century Sparks, I’ll always look back and remember your popcorn tasted the best, your fountain was the funnest on a hot day, I memorized all of your Coke trivia cards and you never failed to play “Kiss From a Rose” before every movie until Cinemark rolled in.
So long Century Sparks, and thanks for “Paranormal Activity 2.”
Ryan Costello is a local actor and writer in Sparks.
bigjoe59, to add to your fascination, there was a Bronx Theatre you may not have heard of, it’s not listed on CT. That was in 1910. It was located at the intersection of Wendover and Park Avenues. Today Wendover is Claremont Parkway.
A mention in the July 23, 1910 issue of the Film Index (gardens on the right) talks about Mr. Jacobs, who operated the Bronx Theatre, having problems with 2 or 3 open air venues operating in his vicinity and opening his own outdoor enterprise to compete.
So there you have it. More undiscovered moving picture venues, some nameless at the moment. By the way, Jacobs’ operation was only two blocks from Third Avenue, so that may be a clue to about where in the Bronx on Third Avenue the Aerodome was located.
I’ve just uploaded a photograph of the Ritz Marquee and entrance taken by Anthony Pusillo, older brother of Ritz projectionist Joseph Pusillo, in August of 1945. The picture was donated to the archives of the Borough of Carteret’s Historical Committee, who is kind enough to share it with us, much thanks! Anthony and Joe are respectively the Uncle and Father of Mark Pusillo, who posts to CT.
Mike (saps), I stand corrected. I had looked at the Kings website as recently as June to see if there were tours (I was visiting the area most of July) and didn’t find any information then, so I thought when a Facebook announcement on Monday said they were “kicking off our monthly tours today”, it was something new.
What I was looking for when I found the tour info was the pricing for the Star Wars Trilogy, which was a topic here. As tickets were no longer being sold, all I could find was an article that mentioned tickets started at $55, which would be for a balcony seat and the price that was mentioned in a comment above. One person commented to the article that with ticketmaster charges, two advance tickets came to $131.
I’m hoping my next visit to NYC this December coincides with at least one of the tour dates that month, that would be a holiday treat!
markp, believe it or not, today is the first public tour of the Kings, cost $15.00. This is going to be a regular event, there are 2 more tours later this month, one an evening event with a glass of wine. That might cost more. You can get more details by clicking the link to the Kings website on this page.
Here’s an article from today’s Asbury Park Press talking about the renovation of the Savoy, which is currently under way. It includes a short video of the interior.
There is also a 22 photo collection titled “The lost theatres of Asbury Park”, which is also the title of a seperate article in today’s Press. There’s a link to that on the article page, or you can just click here. Always nice to see an old theatre come back to life! ;–) .
markp, here’s a link to their website and upcoming events. Not very busy right now, but up and running they are.
Chandra Lampreich, whose pictures are featured in the Hidden City post is a CT member with over 100 pictures posted, you can view them here.
Here’s a clickable link to the Berkeleyside article and here’s the drone tour!
I took some pictures of the auditorium about an hour after the final seats were removed last March, I’ll look through them and perhaps upload a few.
Canda Hall was a single story attachment to the 3 story Canda House Hotel, built in the first decade of the 20th century. Starting in February 1911, an unidentified exhibitor rented it full time, and advertised as Dreamland Theatre, presenting 4 and later 5,000 feet of “motion pictures” 6 days a week, content changed daily.
In April, Wagner Amusement Company (a single individual) assumed management and renamed the venue the Electric Theatre, adding other attractions such as vaudeville and illustrated songs twice weekly, sometimes expanding to 3 nights, along with 8,000 feet of “moving pictures” 6 days a week.
In late May, Wagner announced that for the summer season he would expand his operation by moving his Wednesday and Saturday shows to two larger halls in town, Kish’s Hall on Wednesdays and Nash’s Hall on Saturdays, with the Electric Theatre open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Nash and Kish Halls were used by exhibitors for moving picture shows at least since the spring of 1909, offering weekly or twice weekly events. These halls were at opposite ends of the Borough, Nash in Chrome (as was the Electric Theatre) and Kish in the Hill section of Carteret.
It appears Wagner ceased operation for a time that summer, most likely due to light box office receipts that accompanied the seasonal heat and humidity in the days before air conditioning or adequate ventilation. While there is no record of a formal announcement of closure, in August he announced that the Electric Theatre would reopen on the 26th, with Wednesday shows at Kish’s Hall starting on the 30th and Saturdays at Nash’s Hall 3 days later.
In November it was announced that the Adam Richter Amusement Company purchased the Wagner interest in the Electric Theatre, promising “the best show ever in town”.
The March 28th 1912 edition of the Roosevelt News carried a coupon for free admission to the Electric Theatre the following evening, $.10 otherwise. No ads appeared in subsequent issues, but an item in the April 27 issue of The Moving Picture News mentioned that The Electric Theatre had closed “on account of dull business”.
Canda Hall still exists though as a business space, just in from the intersection of Roosevelt and Carteret Avenues. In 1911-1912 that would have been the intersection of WoodBridge Avenue and Roosevelt Boluevard. Not clear on maps, it most likely carried the address of the Canda House Hotel, 191 Woodbridge Avenue.
Much thanks to the Borough of Carteret Historical Committee for allowing me to research the material they curate that made this listing possible.
According to the 1940 Film Daily Yearbook, the Lincoln had 750 seats.
Sean, the photo comes from the Berkeley Historical Society, you can contact them here. I wish I could make your show, but I’m working that night.
The someone who attempted to start a Dreamland Theatre in 1926 was Frank P Saunders. According to the March 5, 1926 issue of Variety, Saunders was directed to make certain safety changes before he would be granted a license to operate. The March 20th issue of Motion Picture News was more specific, reporting that the council that would grant the license wanted several changes in exits, aisles, toilet accommodations and the projection booth before granting it. I didn’t find any mention of this work being completed or that the theatre ever opened other than the Film Daily Yearbook listing.
Some months back I mentioned a bit more information about the Majestic forthcoming, including research in progress. Last summer I was able to access more material that leaves me making corrections to my most recent comments last June, along with adding some new information. Regarding new material, much thanks to the Borough of Carteret’s Historical Committee which allowed me access to the collection of material they curate. This not only filled in some blanks about the Majestic and Crescent theatres, but also gave a look into the 1909-12 period when moving picture presentations, sometimes accompanied by vaudeville and illustrated songs, were presented by various exhibitors in the local public halls generally once or twice a week. I would especially like to thank Susan Wentzel and Bonnie Cooley for the time they took to assist me going through a mountain of material.
I mentioned that the Majestic opened “around” 1915. It actually makes an appearance in the 1914 city directory. An exact opening date however is unknown, but there is enough information to safely say it dates from 1914. At the time it was built, that section of Roosevelt Avenue was known as Rahway Avenue, the Majestic’s original address was 135 Rahway Avenue.
Some of my last post was based on a 1970 article about the old theatres of Carteret, with 4 residents, including the Majestic projectionist, interviewed. They mentioned the Majestic featured a 5 piece “family” band as accompaniment to the moving pictures.
The article said the Majestic was owned and operated by Charles Crane Sr, which I posted here. However, according to the 1914 city directory and one of the local newspapers of the time Joseph Crane, a local electrical contractor, was the proprietor. His home address was the building next door, which was torn down along with the theatre last June.
The article also mentioned 2 other venues Crane operated, one was identified as the Chrome theatre, located in the Chrome section of the borough. Because the article had supplied a picture of the New Palace (known as the Crescent from 1914 until 1932) and gave its Roosevelt Avenue address, I referred to it as the New Palace in my comment, figuring that residents might have referred to the theatre located in Chrome as the Chrome Theatre. Although Maurice Spewak purchased the Crescent from parties other than Crane in early 1916, I thought it possible he held an early interest.
It is unknown at this point if Crane had any interest in the Crescent. However the 1914 city directory does list a Chrome Theatre, located on Delamar Avenue. The Crescent (not listed in the directory) was located on what was then called Woodbridge Avenue. Delamar a century ago was what is today that part of Pershing Avenue located east of Roosevelt Avenue. This would have been a converted space like Crane’s other theatre, the Idle Hour, which was located across from the Majestic at 132 Rahway Avenue and most likely closed with the Majestic’s opening. That building still stands. Of the Idle Hour, very little is known. It was listed in the 1914-1915 edition of the American Motion Picture Directory and its address was associated with moving pictures in the 1914 City Directory.
In October 1916 with no fanfare, the Majestic added Sunday movies to its weekly advertisements. Within a few weeks, the Crescent also began to advertise that it was open on Sundays. New Jersey at the time had some strict blue laws, though in many cases they weren’t enforced unless there was a complaint. Sunday movies lasted 2 months before disappearing from local ads. A decade later, theatre operators in some municipalities in New Jersey were still being hauled to court for opening their doors on Sunday.
In 1921 Crane sold the Majestic to Maurice Spewak, who took over operation on Labor Day. Spewak would change his bill mostly on a daily basis and began alternating shows between the Majestic and the Crescent.
I had also heard from an older resident and wrote that the Majestic didn’t convert to sound, which doesn’t appear to be the case. The September 1, 1929 issue of the Film Daily listed the 6,037 theatres in the US that were at that point wired for sound. Of three active theatres in Carteret at the time, only the Majestic was mentioned, its system described as homemade. We know it involved the use phonograph records from a story related by Mark Pusillo that came from his Dad. Joe Pusillo was Mr. Spewak’s projectionist at the Ritz Theatre for many years and Spewak had told him of the difficulties encountered at the Majestic. Carteret had numerous factories in the 1920’s and most of the truck traffic going to and from them passed the Majestic. The largest of these would cause the building to vibrate enough to make the needle skip, throwing the soundtrack out of sync.
The Majestic closed its doors in summer of 1930, as reported in the August 25th issue of the Film Daily.