Strand Theatre
181 Main Street,
Hackettstown,
NJ
07840
181 Main Street,
Hackettstown,
NJ
07840
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Brandt Theaters
Functions: Educational, Performing Arts, Retail
Previous Names: United Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The United Theatre was opened by 1927. By 1929 it had been renamed Strand Theatre. It was still open in 1957 with 768-seats. The main orchestra floor is now used as a piano store, while the former balcony is a 70-seat performing arts venue.
Contributed by
Dave Bonan
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I was biking in Hackettstown last Friday and decided to visit the Strand around 5pm. It’s a relatively small theater and in the back outside, the staging area is virtually non-existent. They were open and the ticket booth is painted and between the 2 double entrance doors. You can go inside the ticket booth. As soon as you enter there are pianos everywhere and miniature studios and showrooms and it’s a very elegant place. The office and practice rooms are upstairs in the balcony. The sloping floor is no more than 15 feet from the entrance and slopes quite a ways down to the stage. The building is not very wide and feels cramped and must have when it was in operation. Further down on the left at about the back rows is a windowed in mini-stage with about 50 chairs and a piano for recitals. When you enter the end of the auditorium you can see the box seats on either side but they are walled in. (The wall is where their railings once were) and it’s a nice beige/peach shade of wallpaper that’s quite ornate. The proscenium was pretty slim, maybe 25 feet. The work room is in the back stage area and the owner showed me around. The ramp is still in use from the backstage to the outside doors on the side. He showed me where the stage once ended and where they put an addition to the floor to preserve it. The ceiling is not too high at all in the back, maybe 25 feet at most.
Listed in the 1970 Film Daily Yearbook as part of Brandt Theatres.
I remember going to this theater as a kid when visiting friend sin the area.
Still open selling pianos but there is now a for rent sign out front.
Was owned by Alvin Sloan from the 30s to the 70s. See my last post from the Washington Theatre at /theaters/6644/
In the late 1940s the Strand was operated by the St. Cloud Amusement Company, headquartered in Washington, NJ. President was Harvey Newins.
When did it close?
2017 UPDATE. Although no longer showing movies, the Strand Theater is host to the Vienna Piano Company downstairs and Strand Studios Learning Center for Music, Film and Acting upstairs. The upstairs was the balcony of the theater and was renovated once again in August 2016 by the new music business that took over after the former tenant died. Thankfully, the murals on the wall downstairs are still intact, although not accessible to the public.
2020 UPDATE: The Producer and Owner of Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC, Chris Lance, has created the Hackettstown Center for the Arts, a 501©3 non-profit entity that hosts concerts, art shows, plays, recitals, rentals, and more. They are using the space on the first floor of the Strand. It is has a sound system. No stage but has a lighting system. Climate controlled. Can hold hold up to 70 chairs. Because the ceiling is so low, movies aren’t an option right now. They have been open for just about over a year. More details on their web site. Just Google/Bing them.