The September 19, 1962 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor said that the conversion of the old Telepix Theatre into the Park Square Cinema for Joseph Levine and partners was well underway in Boston, with the opening expected soon. The Telepix had closed in April. Plans for the project were by theater architect William Reisman.
The October 17, 1914 issue of Real Estate Record and Builder’s Guide had a notice announcing the contracts for an expansion and remodeling project for a theater and office building for James H. Rowe at Ossining. Plans were by local architects Applebree & Gowan. As near as I can figure, the theater was added to the existing office building at this time. The project was budgeted at $35,000.
The August 15, 1962 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor noted that the Victoria Theatre in Ossining had just been remodeled for the Skouras company. The $100,000 project had been designed by architect H. Tenebaum of New York City. The remodeled house seated 724.
An extensive remodeling of the Fabian Theatre took place in 1962, featured in a two-page article in the August 15 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor. A reseating reduced the capacity of the house by about 600, ornate decoration was removed or covered, the house was recarpeted and repainted, a new marquee was installed, and the restrooms and lounges updated. The original auditorium chandelier was removed. A new screen 52x26 feet was installed, along with new projectors and a modern sound system. In a nod to the old days, the Wurlitzer Hope-Jones organ was refurbished and was featured at the reopening of the house. Plans for the project were by Paterson architect Sidney Schenker.
An item about this theater appeared in the August 8, 1962 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor:
“The Balmoral, a new movie house, is being built on the north side of Chicago. It may not be completed until early next year. The theatre will seat 500 persons. The architect is Jerome Soltan.”
Construction must have gone a bit faster than expected. As Broan noted in an earlier comment, the Balmoral opened on December 28, 1962.
The Balmoral’s architect, Jerome Soltan, is now remembered primarily as the inventor of the residential style known in the Chicago area as a four-plus-one, consisting of four levels of apartments over a ground floor parking garage– essentially a taller version of the Los Angeles apartment style known there as the dingbat, which also flourished during the post-WWII era. It’s quite possible that the four-plus-one that replaced the theater (noted in davidplomin’s comment) was also designed by Soltan.
This item is from the July 21, 1945 issue of Showmen’s Trade Review:
“Veith Gives Town First Theatre
“F. W. Veith of Laingsburg, Mich., has just announced plans to convert a building in which local merchants have sponsored free movies for a number of years into a more up-to-the-minute motion picture theatre for the regular showing of current product. Simplex projectors and complete booth equipment have been purchased and the construction of a modern, fire-proof booth will be started shortly. The theatre, known as the Elite, will now become the community’s first home of 35-mm. movies and Mr. Veith is confident of local public support for the project.”
The July 18, 1941 issue of Film Daily had this item about the Brockway Theatre:
“Brockway House Open Tomorrow
“Brockway, Pa. — The new 605-seat Brockway Theater, constructed by J. B. and C. B. Kosco, will have its formal opening tomorrow. Attending will be many members of the trade from both the exhibition and distribution fields. The old Brockway Theater, owned and operated by the Kosco brothers for many years, will be closed.”
A brief notice in Boxoffice of May 3, 1952 said “Lou Mitchell is planning to close the Drayton Theatre at Drayton Plains and convert it to commercial use.” Ads placed in the same issue by Mitchell offered the theater’s equipment for sale “at once.” The conversion to commercial use apparently didn’t take place, though as Motion Picture Herald of October 11 that year said:
“Louis Mitchell of Kilbride Theaters has sold the Drayton theater in suburban Drayton Plains to a religious organization for use as a church. The theatre had been the only one in the town of Drayton Plains.”
The August 19, 1941 issue of Film Daily reported on a clearance lawsuit filed by Drayton Theatre owner Bud Harris, and it said that he had opened the house “six weeks ago.” The July 18 issue of the same journal had reported that the decoration of the house had been done by T. Jagmin, Inc, of Detroit.
The February 28, 1948 issue of Boxoffice said that the new Town Theatre in Chesaning was slated to open on March 3. The house was to be booked by Ashmun Bros. of Caro, Michigan, for the owner, Vera Graham. The 45x117 foot cinder block building with white porcelain front had cost $75,000 to build and equip, according to Boxoffice.
Mrs. Graham and her late husband Fred had earlier operated another theater in Chesaning, which was probably the one call called the Crystal, which had gone into operation by 1918. Their sons Bill and Don Graham later took over the Town, and when the movie business ceased to be viable converted the building into a bowling alley.
The earliest mention I’ve found of a movie theater in Chesaning was a house called the Vaudette, which was listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
According to this page at DocSouth, Lumina began showing movies in July, 1905, and appears to have ceased its movie operation in 1930. The entire venue was designed by local architect Henry E. Bonitz.
The only theaters listed at Urbana in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory were the Clifford, on North Main Street, the Lyric, at 110 S. Main Street, and the Wonderland, no address given.
A number of references to the Ric Theatre appear in trade journals, mostly Boxoffice, in the early 1950s. The house was owned by Jack Howard, and managed by his father, Charles Howard.
A January 26, 1946 item in The Billboard said that Howard Paul, operator of the Romeo Theatre at Romeo, Michigan, had sold his movie house to William Schulte, owner of the rival Juliet Theatre. Schulte had opened the Juliet “a few seasons back,” and the two houses had operated in competition for several years.
The early 1940 opening for the Patricia Annex is very interesting. Jimmy Edwards always claimed that his Alhambra & Annex Theatre in Alhambra, California was the first twin cinema in the United States, but I don’t think his Annex opened until later in 1940. It looks like the Patricia might have beaten Edwards to the punch, though neither of them would have actually been the first twin cinema in the U.S., as at least a few twin storefront nickelodeons had operated in the early 20th century, and the Duplex Theatre in Detroit opened as a new-build twin in 1915.
Six screens with a total of only 240 seats? That’s 40 seats per screen. Can that be? Well, this web page has a photo of one of the auditoriums, and it does indeed have only 40 seats. There are also photos of lounge areas, and they look like they seat way more people than that auditorium does. Is this place a movie theater, or is it a big cocktail lounge with a few little screening rooms attached?
The Murray Theatre at Lawton, Oklahoma, was mentioned in the August 17, 1918 issue of The Moving Picture World. The house must have been in operation for several years by then, as the chapter “The Devil Worshipers” of the serial Exploits of Elaine, in the ad for the Murray on our photo page, was released on December 28, 1914.
The January 6, 1923 issue of Motion Picture News mentions a house in Lawton called the Met Theatre. As the Palace was originally called the Metropolitan, I suspect that Met was a foreshortened name adopted by the house at some point. It was still called the Metropolitan in 1918, when it was mentioned in the September 7 Moving Picture World.
I’m sure that “Davenew” Street in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory was a typo, and the Yale Theatre was on SW D Avenue. At 414, it would have been adjacent to, or on at least part of the site of, the later and larger Lawton Theatre at 418 SW D Avenue.
A house in Jasper called the Nickelodeon, operated by Sprauer and Schneider, was mentioned in the October 3, 1908 issue of The Moving Picture World.
A Jasper movie house called the Star Theatre is mentioned in trade journals in 1918, 1921, 1923, and 1924. The last mention was an ad offering various items of theater equipment (including 200 seats) for sale, appearing in the October 4, 1924 issue of Exhibitors Herald. It’s likely that the opening of the Tivoli Theatre the previous August doomed the Star. It’s also possible that Star was a new name for the Nicklo, but so far I’ve found nothing to confirm that surmise.
The newspaper page posted by rivest266 shows a courtesy ad placed by the theater’s architects, Steffens & Steffens. The Cleveland firm was established by brothers George H. and John F. Steffens in 1912 and dissolved in 1923.
The October 15, 1921 issue of Moving Picture World said that the Warner Theatre in Niles was a new house built on the site of the Niles Opera House, which had burned the previous year. This web page from the Niles Historical Society says only that the top floor of the Opera House was removed following the fire, but photos of the Opera House and the Warner Theatre show that the Warner’s façade was quite different, with a different pattern of fenestration. The reconstruction must have been quite extensive.
The September 19, 1962 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor said that the conversion of the old Telepix Theatre into the Park Square Cinema for Joseph Levine and partners was well underway in Boston, with the opening expected soon. The Telepix had closed in April. Plans for the project were by theater architect William Reisman.
The October 17, 1914 issue of Real Estate Record and Builder’s Guide had a notice announcing the contracts for an expansion and remodeling project for a theater and office building for James H. Rowe at Ossining. Plans were by local architects Applebree & Gowan. As near as I can figure, the theater was added to the existing office building at this time. The project was budgeted at $35,000.
The August 15, 1962 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor noted that the Victoria Theatre in Ossining had just been remodeled for the Skouras company. The $100,000 project had been designed by architect H. Tenebaum of New York City. The remodeled house seated 724.
An extensive remodeling of the Fabian Theatre took place in 1962, featured in a two-page article in the August 15 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor. A reseating reduced the capacity of the house by about 600, ornate decoration was removed or covered, the house was recarpeted and repainted, a new marquee was installed, and the restrooms and lounges updated. The original auditorium chandelier was removed. A new screen 52x26 feet was installed, along with new projectors and a modern sound system. In a nod to the old days, the Wurlitzer Hope-Jones organ was refurbished and was featured at the reopening of the house. Plans for the project were by Paterson architect Sidney Schenker.
An item about this theater appeared in the August 8, 1962 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor:
Construction must have gone a bit faster than expected. As Broan noted in an earlier comment, the Balmoral opened on December 28, 1962.The Balmoral’s architect, Jerome Soltan, is now remembered primarily as the inventor of the residential style known in the Chicago area as a four-plus-one, consisting of four levels of apartments over a ground floor parking garage– essentially a taller version of the Los Angeles apartment style known there as the dingbat, which also flourished during the post-WWII era. It’s quite possible that the four-plus-one that replaced the theater (noted in davidplomin’s comment) was also designed by Soltan.
This item is from the July 21, 1945 issue of Showmen’s Trade Review:
The July 18, 1941 issue of Film Daily had this item about the Brockway Theatre:
A brief notice in Boxoffice of May 3, 1952 said “Lou Mitchell is planning to close the Drayton Theatre at Drayton Plains and convert it to commercial use.” Ads placed in the same issue by Mitchell offered the theater’s equipment for sale “at once.” The conversion to commercial use apparently didn’t take place, though as Motion Picture Herald of October 11 that year said:
The August 19, 1941 issue of Film Daily reported on a clearance lawsuit filed by Drayton Theatre owner Bud Harris, and it said that he had opened the house “six weeks ago.” The July 18 issue of the same journal had reported that the decoration of the house had been done by T. Jagmin, Inc, of Detroit.The February 28, 1948 issue of Boxoffice said that the new Town Theatre in Chesaning was slated to open on March 3. The house was to be booked by Ashmun Bros. of Caro, Michigan, for the owner, Vera Graham. The 45x117 foot cinder block building with white porcelain front had cost $75,000 to build and equip, according to Boxoffice.
Mrs. Graham and her late husband Fred had earlier operated another theater in Chesaning, which was probably the one call called the Crystal, which had gone into operation by 1918. Their sons Bill and Don Graham later took over the Town, and when the movie business ceased to be viable converted the building into a bowling alley.
The earliest mention I’ve found of a movie theater in Chesaning was a house called the Vaudette, which was listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
According to this page at DocSouth, Lumina began showing movies in July, 1905, and appears to have ceased its movie operation in 1930. The entire venue was designed by local architect Henry E. Bonitz.
The fire was on August 11, 1951. Another photo here.
Listings probably ended in 1951 due to the fire depicted on this web page.
Th Metropolitan Theatre was listed at 106 W. Main Street in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
The only theaters listed at Urbana in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory were the Clifford, on North Main Street, the Lyric, at 110 S. Main Street, and the Wonderland, no address given.
The Lyric Theatre is listed at this address in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
A number of references to the Ric Theatre appear in trade journals, mostly Boxoffice, in the early 1950s. The house was owned by Jack Howard, and managed by his father, Charles Howard.
A January 26, 1946 item in The Billboard said that Howard Paul, operator of the Romeo Theatre at Romeo, Michigan, had sold his movie house to William Schulte, owner of the rival Juliet Theatre. Schulte had opened the Juliet “a few seasons back,” and the two houses had operated in competition for several years.
The early 1940 opening for the Patricia Annex is very interesting. Jimmy Edwards always claimed that his Alhambra & Annex Theatre in Alhambra, California was the first twin cinema in the United States, but I don’t think his Annex opened until later in 1940. It looks like the Patricia might have beaten Edwards to the punch, though neither of them would have actually been the first twin cinema in the U.S., as at least a few twin storefront nickelodeons had operated in the early 20th century, and the Duplex Theatre in Detroit opened as a new-build twin in 1915.
Six screens with a total of only 240 seats? That’s 40 seats per screen. Can that be? Well, this web page has a photo of one of the auditoriums, and it does indeed have only 40 seats. There are also photos of lounge areas, and they look like they seat way more people than that auditorium does. Is this place a movie theater, or is it a big cocktail lounge with a few little screening rooms attached?
The Temple Theatre in Lawton is mentioned in the May 25, 1918 issue of Motography.
The Murray Theatre at Lawton, Oklahoma, was mentioned in the August 17, 1918 issue of The Moving Picture World. The house must have been in operation for several years by then, as the chapter “The Devil Worshipers” of the serial Exploits of Elaine, in the ad for the Murray on our photo page, was released on December 28, 1914.
The January 6, 1923 issue of Motion Picture News mentions a house in Lawton called the Met Theatre. As the Palace was originally called the Metropolitan, I suspect that Met was a foreshortened name adopted by the house at some point. It was still called the Metropolitan in 1918, when it was mentioned in the September 7 Moving Picture World.
I’m sure that “Davenew” Street in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory was a typo, and the Yale Theatre was on SW D Avenue. At 414, it would have been adjacent to, or on at least part of the site of, the later and larger Lawton Theatre at 418 SW D Avenue.
A house in Jasper called the Nickelodeon, operated by Sprauer and Schneider, was mentioned in the October 3, 1908 issue of The Moving Picture World.
A Jasper movie house called the Star Theatre is mentioned in trade journals in 1918, 1921, 1923, and 1924. The last mention was an ad offering various items of theater equipment (including 200 seats) for sale, appearing in the October 4, 1924 issue of Exhibitors Herald. It’s likely that the opening of the Tivoli Theatre the previous August doomed the Star. It’s also possible that Star was a new name for the Nicklo, but so far I’ve found nothing to confirm that surmise.
The newspaper page posted by rivest266 shows a courtesy ad placed by the theater’s architects, Steffens & Steffens. The Cleveland firm was established by brothers George H. and John F. Steffens in 1912 and dissolved in 1923.
The October 15, 1921 issue of Moving Picture World said that the Warner Theatre in Niles was a new house built on the site of the Niles Opera House, which had burned the previous year. This web page from the Niles Historical Society says only that the top floor of the Opera House was removed following the fire, but photos of the Opera House and the Warner Theatre show that the Warner’s façade was quite different, with a different pattern of fenestration. The reconstruction must have been quite extensive.