The basis of the Superior goes back to a legit house, when it opened as Hitchcock’s Third Avenue Theatre in 1875. The theater’s architect was Alfred Chamberlain. A fire in 1895 gutted most of the building when it was known as Jacob’s Third Avenue, but the remains were restored a year later. It continued to be a legit house, and supposedly Mary Pickford made her stage debut in a play there.Frank Keeney took it over as a vaudeville house, Keeney’s Third Avenue, in 1909. By the following year, the theater was showing films, and was renamed the Superior around 1921. In 1923, a Moller Op 3746 2/7 was installed. The neighborhood must have been getting rough by the late ‘40s, because a number of robberies took place at the theater. The Superior closed around 1954, and was demolished in February 1957, where it stayed a parking lot for many years. A 19-storey apartment building built in 1980 stands on its site, although you can see the ghost of the theater’s roofline on the side of 447 Third.
Although the opening day ad states FANTASTIC VOYAGE was in stereophonic sound, I can find no other play dates listed as stereo, so I think the first stereophonic presentation was in May 1981, when they played LION IN THE DESERT.
I suspect this was built on the site of the Victoria Theatre. The architect here was Leon Lempert, Jr., who designed many of the other Comerfords. The sign on the front of the building is similar to early designs for Lempert’s Capitol in Rome, NY, also partly a Comerford house.
Opened in September 1918 on the site of what was previously “The Duck,” a famous docked boat, destroyed by fire. Opening attraction was Theda Bara in “Salome.” Seated 1,000, and had a stage for live performances, too. Originally managed by J. Elmer Redelle, a former Shubert manager who left about a year later to manage the Victory in Dayton. Victor Cohn took over for him, but when Camp Sherman closed after the War, business went downhill. C. A. Smith, who owned the Star and the Queen eventually took it over. William J. Cowdrey was the organist there in the 1920s. The Paramount film “Huckleberry Finn” had its world premiere there in 1920.
Warner Theaters took the Sherman over in 1931. Managerial turnover was fast there, as L. R. Barhydt, Floyd D. Morrow, Robert A. Momm, Harland Fend, Paul J. Montavon, and Don H. Jacobs were later managers.
On the cusp of new improvements, the future of the theater was doomed starting in 1947 when the town started plans to practice eminent domain to take over what were called “old canal” land upon which the theater and other buildings were built. The theater closed in December 1954, at which time it was raised and Water St., on which the side of the theater sat, was expanded to four lanes.
Architect was Michael DeAngelis. Seating was originally 500. Architectural style is actually Italian Renaissance. Was owned in the late ‘20s by Major L. J. Waterbury, who also owned the Staley in Rochester.
Saw many, many films here in the ‘80s and '90s. At that time, most of the buildings in the area were still three-story tenements from the old days, but the writing was on the wall when they started tearing those down.
I would love to see some interior photos if someone rustled them up. I remember the decoration was terrible—very much the type of stuff Loew’s was doing all over at the time. I remember the Murray Hill Cinema was the better venue with better selections, but this one had the better projection.
Saw many films here in the late ‘80s/early '90s, but it just couldn’t keep up with the Cineplex Odeon on 23rd and the row of theaters on 34th. The eyeglasses store had that great pink neon sign next door (seen in the photo above not lit) that could have only been designed in the '70s or '80s.
Last show had to be no later than 1999 or 2000. I’m fairly certain it was STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE. I went to see that film on its run there and remember it closing shortly thereafter. I actually preferred this theater to Clearview’s Cinema 6 in New City—a not half-bad twinning job, and I remember the sound in particular was good at this venue. Nice location, too… the shopping center had LOTS of parking.
The American was, indeed, the original name of the theater. It was constructed in 1912 and opened sometime between January and February of 1913. As mentioned in the article above, it was constructed at a cost of $150,000 by H. A. Sims of the Liberty Theatre Company, who by earlier accounts had been in the business since 1903. The Liberty Theatre company was made up primarily of bankers and businessmen from the area. The seating capacity was 3,000. The American had a 16-piece orchestra, conducted by J. J. McClellan, previously the organist of the Mormon Tabernacle. McClellan conducted from the $30,000 Kimball organ installed.
The American was taken over in June of 1928 by the American Theatre Operating Co. of Ogden, A. L. Glassman, president. The theater was extensively remodeled in the then-popular Spanish Renaissance style by Arthur Shreve of Ogden. It re-opened as the Granada on March 8, 1929, with sound film equipment installed. The re-opening feature was THE IRON MASK with Douglas Fairbanks.
A mere two months later, on March 16, 1929, the Granada was sold to W. T. Grant’s, which re-opened the converted space in January 1930. Grant’s closed sometime in the ‘70s, I believe. The site is now Gallivan Plaza.
Demolished in 1954, a year before the Third Ave. El.
The basis of the Superior goes back to a legit house, when it opened as Hitchcock’s Third Avenue Theatre in 1875. The theater’s architect was Alfred Chamberlain. A fire in 1895 gutted most of the building when it was known as Jacob’s Third Avenue, but the remains were restored a year later. It continued to be a legit house, and supposedly Mary Pickford made her stage debut in a play there.Frank Keeney took it over as a vaudeville house, Keeney’s Third Avenue, in 1909. By the following year, the theater was showing films, and was renamed the Superior around 1921. In 1923, a Moller Op 3746 2/7 was installed. The neighborhood must have been getting rough by the late ‘40s, because a number of robberies took place at the theater. The Superior closed around 1954, and was demolished in February 1957, where it stayed a parking lot for many years. A 19-storey apartment building built in 1980 stands on its site, although you can see the ghost of the theater’s roofline on the side of 447 Third.
Although the opening day ad states FANTASTIC VOYAGE was in stereophonic sound, I can find no other play dates listed as stereo, so I think the first stereophonic presentation was in May 1981, when they played LION IN THE DESERT.
New City Cinema, its last incarnation, closed in late July/early August.
As of last month, the entire building has been demolished, soon to make way for a hotel, I believe.
As of October 2021, the building is Clean-Rite Center 24-hr laundromat. Nothing of the interior left, and the outside has been stuccoed and painted.
Seating was 600. The structure is still there and is connected to the plaza, but leased by the DMV.
Originally opened in 1922 and was run by Steinman and Greenberg. Seating was listed as 1,200. Ran 100% Universal Pictures when it opened.
According to the 12/14/1915 issue of “American Contractor,” cost was $10,000 and the owner was the Madial Amusement Company.
The Lafayette in Suffern, NY was an expanded version of the Cameo, complete with the same Adam ceiling. Fortunately, the Lafayette still exists.
Stagehand Lon Mason.
I suspect this was built on the site of the Victoria Theatre. The architect here was Leon Lempert, Jr., who designed many of the other Comerfords. The sign on the front of the building is similar to early designs for Lempert’s Capitol in Rome, NY, also partly a Comerford house.
The September 14, 1940 issue of BoxOffice shows the interior remodeled by the Wood Conversion Company. Fairly plain look.
Opened in September 1918 on the site of what was previously “The Duck,” a famous docked boat, destroyed by fire. Opening attraction was Theda Bara in “Salome.” Seated 1,000, and had a stage for live performances, too. Originally managed by J. Elmer Redelle, a former Shubert manager who left about a year later to manage the Victory in Dayton. Victor Cohn took over for him, but when Camp Sherman closed after the War, business went downhill. C. A. Smith, who owned the Star and the Queen eventually took it over. William J. Cowdrey was the organist there in the 1920s. The Paramount film “Huckleberry Finn” had its world premiere there in 1920.
Warner Theaters took the Sherman over in 1931. Managerial turnover was fast there, as L. R. Barhydt, Floyd D. Morrow, Robert A. Momm, Harland Fend, Paul J. Montavon, and Don H. Jacobs were later managers.
On the cusp of new improvements, the future of the theater was doomed starting in 1947 when the town started plans to practice eminent domain to take over what were called “old canal” land upon which the theater and other buildings were built. The theater closed in December 1954, at which time it was raised and Water St., on which the side of the theater sat, was expanded to four lanes.
Part of the Comerford chain as of 1930.
If the sister organ at the Capitol in Rome, NY is any indication, the console may have originally been stained with gold fleck.
Article from Showmen’s Trade Review about the opening of the Hawaii: http://www.archive.org/stream/showmenstraderev32lewi#page/n499/mode/2up/
Lempert Jr. was the architect. Sr. died in 1909. The moniker “& Son” was a formality left over.
Architect was Michael DeAngelis. Seating was originally 500. Architectural style is actually Italian Renaissance. Was owned in the late ‘20s by Major L. J. Waterbury, who also owned the Staley in Rochester.
I can’t figure how there was an annex of retail space. The theater is in the corner of the mall. Where did they take over space?
Saw many, many films here in the ‘80s and '90s. At that time, most of the buildings in the area were still three-story tenements from the old days, but the writing was on the wall when they started tearing those down.
I would love to see some interior photos if someone rustled them up. I remember the decoration was terrible—very much the type of stuff Loew’s was doing all over at the time. I remember the Murray Hill Cinema was the better venue with better selections, but this one had the better projection.
Saw many films here in the late ‘80s/early '90s, but it just couldn’t keep up with the Cineplex Odeon on 23rd and the row of theaters on 34th. The eyeglasses store had that great pink neon sign next door (seen in the photo above not lit) that could have only been designed in the '70s or '80s.
Last show had to be no later than 1999 or 2000. I’m fairly certain it was STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE. I went to see that film on its run there and remember it closing shortly thereafter. I actually preferred this theater to Clearview’s Cinema 6 in New City—a not half-bad twinning job, and I remember the sound in particular was good at this venue. Nice location, too… the shopping center had LOTS of parking.
The American was, indeed, the original name of the theater. It was constructed in 1912 and opened sometime between January and February of 1913. As mentioned in the article above, it was constructed at a cost of $150,000 by H. A. Sims of the Liberty Theatre Company, who by earlier accounts had been in the business since 1903. The Liberty Theatre company was made up primarily of bankers and businessmen from the area. The seating capacity was 3,000. The American had a 16-piece orchestra, conducted by J. J. McClellan, previously the organist of the Mormon Tabernacle. McClellan conducted from the $30,000 Kimball organ installed.
The American was taken over in June of 1928 by the American Theatre Operating Co. of Ogden, A. L. Glassman, president. The theater was extensively remodeled in the then-popular Spanish Renaissance style by Arthur Shreve of Ogden. It re-opened as the Granada on March 8, 1929, with sound film equipment installed. The re-opening feature was THE IRON MASK with Douglas Fairbanks.
A mere two months later, on March 16, 1929, the Granada was sold to W. T. Grant’s, which re-opened the converted space in January 1930. Grant’s closed sometime in the ‘70s, I believe. The site is now Gallivan Plaza.