RQ: There are stars in the night-time Spanish Courtyard. I wish the illusions to the setting sun were still available, but alass, the machines were probably stolen in the 1970s. The lamp houses are still there, but are in bad shape at the moment.
Great, Elmere3. Love to see it. Roscoe is a great guy! He maintains the building as an appliance repair shop, so that’s great. Unfortunately it will never be a movie house again. We can barely maintain the ones we have in downtown Huntington. All of the neighborhood theaters have disappeared and most of the buildings have been torn down over the years. The last teardown was the Abbott Theater in west Huntington. Roscoe maintains the Margaret/Uptown theater building and I think the only other building that was a neighborhood theater—the Beverly Hills Theater—is a drycleaners now.
This is a picture of the theater with the vertical sign removed. The sign was damaged by the wind in 2011. It was restored by the Paris Sign Company of Huntington in 2012 and reinstalled in May 2012.
The theater was indeed on 14th Street West about ½ block north of Adams Avenue. The building was abandoned by the Huntington Community Players. The building was probably torn down in the mid 1990s. It was a very nice little neighborhood second run movie house. ‘Tis a shame that there are very few small movie houses left in the USA. It’s sad to say that there are none in within the city limits of Huntington.
The State Theater closed in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The lot is still vacant. The State was just a few doors to the west of the Granada Theater. It was a smaller second run house. The Granada Theater was the first run house just a few doors up Commerce Street.
In its life as a night club, the interior was painted and the floor leveled; however, all of that can be reversed and I’m hopeful that it will come back to life as a theater…..HOORAY! for the few dedicated members of the Bluefield Preservation Society.
To all, the Granada Theater in Bluefield is coming back to life. The theater was bought by the Bluefield Development Authority and will be operated by the Bluefield Preservation Society. It did have a small life as a night club, but the BPS is working hard to begin restoration of the theater later on this year into both a performing arts center and cinema. I’m looking forward to seeing the reinstallation of the Wurlitzer Style EX, Opus 1790, in the next year or so.
Thanks much for the tour, Roscoe. I have admired that building from the outside for years. I was mistaken about the large decorative “M” above the proscenium, however, the Adamasque decorations are in evidence. I will add some pictures.
The sign was lit at night for the first time on Thursday May 24, 2012 at the Premiere of the History Channel’s production of “Hatfields and McCoys” The production is the brainchild of Darrel Fetty (Milton, WV) native and Trifecta Productions of Huntington. The mini-series will premiere on the History Channel on Monday May 28 and run for 3 nights. Check it out.
Tony: The cinema owned and operated by the Greater Huntington Theater Corp. did indeed close its tenure with the building in January 2006. Films and live theater are part of the rechristened Keith Albee Performing Arts Center now. As one of only a few remaining grand theaters from the first third of the 20th century, the Keith Albee is truly a jewel in the crown of Huntington, WV. Let’s keep it that way.
The website is indeed down. There is a facebook page for the theater organ. The name is Keith Albee Theater Organ. The partitions have been removed and the theater is once again similar to what it was in the early 1970s. The theater is undergoing some upgrading. In 2006 the theater was gifted from the Marshall University Foundation to the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc. A not-for-profit private 501c3 corporation. The picture included at the top of this page was taken in July 2011 or after. The vertical sign was damaged in a windstorm in June, 2011 and was removed in early July. There are plans to restore the sign. The grand vestibule and foyer have received a facelift with the 1970s concession stand being removed. There are a number of other enhancements which need to be done before the theater will be restored to its former glory. The theater has not been completely restored, but with the removal of the 2 mini-theaters under the right and left portions of the balcony significant steps have been taken to return the auditorium to its former size.
The Huntington Theater Organ Project, Inc., has been able to secure the original Keith Albee Theater Wurlitzer (opus 1780) and has plans to reinstall it in the Keith. The current Style E will remain there, sans console as the original organ will be installed with that in mind. The Solo Chamber will be completed with mostly original Keith equipment and as much as the main division will be reinstalled as space and funds become available. It will be great to hear the magnificient sounds of the original instrument within the walls of the auditorium.
I believe that the information above is partially incorrect. The 1941 Polk Directory lists the Uptown Theatre’s address as 1950 8th Ave. The building is still in existence. The Uptown was probably known as the Margaret Theatre at least from the mid 1920s. The proscenium arch is still in the building. A large decorative “M” is still visible above the arch. The opening is basically the same as the academy ratio of 1:1.33. There is a small stage area. There is a balcony. The building is serving as a warehouse for a discount/used appliance shop. The building appears to be in relatively good shape. As I learn more about the building, I’ll post it.
The Freeman Theater was probably open from at least 1927 or 1928. Records indicate that Wurlitzer built Opus 1801, a Style D, 6 rank instrument, for the theater and shipped it to Northfork in November, 1927. The Organ remained in the theater for approximately 20 years and then saw life again in the Bramwell (WV) Presbyterian Church. J. C. Newbold, owner of the Freeman, was also a member of the Church and donated it to the church, replacing a 1917 Hook and Hastings which probably needed some new leather on the resevoirs. The Wurlitzer remained in the church until 1968 when it was replaced by a Moller Artiste. The Wurlitzer was summarily thrown out on the street for the trash hauler to dispose of. My dad collected a few pipes from the organ. I still have those pipes. In the 1980s the blower was removed and moved to Lexington, KY. Had I been home in 1968, I would have had the instrument. But, alas, it is gone forever.
The last time I was in Bluefield (Nov. 2009) the Granada Theater building was still standing. The Wurlitzer organ, Opus 1790, is at the Keith Albee Theater, Huntington, WV. It would be great to restore the Cohen Granada Theater to its original splendor as an Art Deco movie house. I need to do research on the beginnings of the theater in late 1927 and early 1928. The organ was shipped from the Wurlitzer factory in November, 1927.
Unfortunately the Colonial Theater is gone. In 2009 a portion of the front of the Milner Hotel facade collapsed and took the front of the Colonial Theater with it. The theater was subsequently torn down and is now a grassy area.
There are a few inaccuracies in Tony Rutherford’s description of the Keith Albee. The Theater opened May 8, 1928. The original architects plans, confirmed by the Hyman family, call for 2660 seats. The Theater was divided into a multiplex in the late 1970s. It served as a 4-plex until January 2006 when the theater was donated to Marshall University Foundation. The Mini-theaters in the main auditorium were removed in September 2006.
One of the projects of the Huntington Theater Organ Project, Inc., is to restore the original Keith Albee Theater Organ in the Theater. Maybe this will happen. We hope so!
RQ: There are stars in the night-time Spanish Courtyard. I wish the illusions to the setting sun were still available, but alass, the machines were probably stolen in the 1970s. The lamp houses are still there, but are in bad shape at the moment.
Great, Elmere3. Love to see it. Roscoe is a great guy! He maintains the building as an appliance repair shop, so that’s great. Unfortunately it will never be a movie house again. We can barely maintain the ones we have in downtown Huntington. All of the neighborhood theaters have disappeared and most of the buildings have been torn down over the years. The last teardown was the Abbott Theater in west Huntington. Roscoe maintains the Margaret/Uptown theater building and I think the only other building that was a neighborhood theater—the Beverly Hills Theater—is a drycleaners now.
This is a picture of the theater with the vertical sign removed. The sign was damaged by the wind in 2011. It was restored by the Paris Sign Company of Huntington in 2012 and reinstalled in May 2012.
The theater was indeed on 14th Street West about ½ block north of Adams Avenue. The building was abandoned by the Huntington Community Players. The building was probably torn down in the mid 1990s. It was a very nice little neighborhood second run movie house. ‘Tis a shame that there are very few small movie houses left in the USA. It’s sad to say that there are none in within the city limits of Huntington.
The State Theater closed in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The lot is still vacant. The State was just a few doors to the west of the Granada Theater. It was a smaller second run house. The Granada Theater was the first run house just a few doors up Commerce Street.
In its life as a night club, the interior was painted and the floor leveled; however, all of that can be reversed and I’m hopeful that it will come back to life as a theater…..HOORAY! for the few dedicated members of the Bluefield Preservation Society.
To all, the Granada Theater in Bluefield is coming back to life. The theater was bought by the Bluefield Development Authority and will be operated by the Bluefield Preservation Society. It did have a small life as a night club, but the BPS is working hard to begin restoration of the theater later on this year into both a performing arts center and cinema. I’m looking forward to seeing the reinstallation of the Wurlitzer Style EX, Opus 1790, in the next year or so.
Tinseltones: Thank goodness the theater has been preserved for the moment. It has a great look but still needs quite a bit of work.
Thanks much for the tour, Roscoe. I have admired that building from the outside for years. I was mistaken about the large decorative “M” above the proscenium, however, the Adamasque decorations are in evidence. I will add some pictures.
The night time picture has been posted. Check out the Photos section.
There is a pic in this morning’s Herald-Dispatch showing the Sign at night. Check it out.
The sign was lit at night for the first time on Thursday May 24, 2012 at the Premiere of the History Channel’s production of “Hatfields and McCoys” The production is the brainchild of Darrel Fetty (Milton, WV) native and Trifecta Productions of Huntington. The mini-series will premiere on the History Channel on Monday May 28 and run for 3 nights. Check it out.
I’ll post a pic momentarily.
Tony: The cinema owned and operated by the Greater Huntington Theater Corp. did indeed close its tenure with the building in January 2006. Films and live theater are part of the rechristened Keith Albee Performing Arts Center now. As one of only a few remaining grand theaters from the first third of the 20th century, the Keith Albee is truly a jewel in the crown of Huntington, WV. Let’s keep it that way.
By the way, there are few pictures of the interior of the auditorium on the Keith Albee Theater Organ facebook page.
The website is indeed down. There is a facebook page for the theater organ. The name is Keith Albee Theater Organ. The partitions have been removed and the theater is once again similar to what it was in the early 1970s. The theater is undergoing some upgrading. In 2006 the theater was gifted from the Marshall University Foundation to the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc. A not-for-profit private 501c3 corporation. The picture included at the top of this page was taken in July 2011 or after. The vertical sign was damaged in a windstorm in June, 2011 and was removed in early July. There are plans to restore the sign. The grand vestibule and foyer have received a facelift with the 1970s concession stand being removed. There are a number of other enhancements which need to be done before the theater will be restored to its former glory. The theater has not been completely restored, but with the removal of the 2 mini-theaters under the right and left portions of the balcony significant steps have been taken to return the auditorium to its former size.
The Huntington Theater Organ Project, Inc., has been able to secure the original Keith Albee Theater Wurlitzer (opus 1780) and has plans to reinstall it in the Keith. The current Style E will remain there, sans console as the original organ will be installed with that in mind. The Solo Chamber will be completed with mostly original Keith equipment and as much as the main division will be reinstalled as space and funds become available. It will be great to hear the magnificient sounds of the original instrument within the walls of the auditorium.
I believe that the information above is partially incorrect. The 1941 Polk Directory lists the Uptown Theatre’s address as 1950 8th Ave. The building is still in existence. The Uptown was probably known as the Margaret Theatre at least from the mid 1920s. The proscenium arch is still in the building. A large decorative “M” is still visible above the arch. The opening is basically the same as the academy ratio of 1:1.33. There is a small stage area. There is a balcony. The building is serving as a warehouse for a discount/used appliance shop. The building appears to be in relatively good shape. As I learn more about the building, I’ll post it.
Does anyone know if the building is still standing? I have been through Northfork, but am not familiar with where the theater was.
The Freeman Theater was probably open from at least 1927 or 1928. Records indicate that Wurlitzer built Opus 1801, a Style D, 6 rank instrument, for the theater and shipped it to Northfork in November, 1927. The Organ remained in the theater for approximately 20 years and then saw life again in the Bramwell (WV) Presbyterian Church. J. C. Newbold, owner of the Freeman, was also a member of the Church and donated it to the church, replacing a 1917 Hook and Hastings which probably needed some new leather on the resevoirs. The Wurlitzer remained in the church until 1968 when it was replaced by a Moller Artiste. The Wurlitzer was summarily thrown out on the street for the trash hauler to dispose of. My dad collected a few pipes from the organ. I still have those pipes. In the 1980s the blower was removed and moved to Lexington, KY. Had I been home in 1968, I would have had the instrument. But, alas, it is gone forever.
The Tipton was only built in 1947, so it did not go through the 1937 flood.
The last time I was in Bluefield (Nov. 2009) the Granada Theater building was still standing. The Wurlitzer organ, Opus 1790, is at the Keith Albee Theater, Huntington, WV. It would be great to restore the Cohen Granada Theater to its original splendor as an Art Deco movie house. I need to do research on the beginnings of the theater in late 1927 and early 1928. The organ was shipped from the Wurlitzer factory in November, 1927.
Unfortunately the Colonial Theater is gone. In 2009 a portion of the front of the Milner Hotel facade collapsed and took the front of the Colonial Theater with it. The theater was subsequently torn down and is now a grassy area.
There are a few inaccuracies in Tony Rutherford’s description of the Keith Albee. The Theater opened May 8, 1928. The original architects plans, confirmed by the Hyman family, call for 2660 seats. The Theater was divided into a multiplex in the late 1970s. It served as a 4-plex until January 2006 when the theater was donated to Marshall University Foundation. The Mini-theaters in the main auditorium were removed in September 2006.
One of the projects of the Huntington Theater Organ Project, Inc., is to restore the original Keith Albee Theater Organ in the Theater. Maybe this will happen. We hope so!