Stanley Theatre
605 Market Street,
Camden,
NJ
08102
605 Market Street,
Camden,
NJ
08102
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Stanley-Warner Theatres, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: Paul J. Henon, Jr., William H. Hoffman
Firms: Hoffman-Henon Co.
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From what my parents told me it must have been quite a place…The Stanley Theatre was opened on February 19, 1926 with Richard Dix in “The Vanishing American”. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 3 manual, 14 rank theatre organ (Opus 1203, style 260 Special).
The Stanley Theatre was closed in 1965 and was demolished later that year to build a Holiday Inn on the site. The hotel was never built and the site was a vacant lot for many years until it became a parking lot.
Contributed by
RSecinaro
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Recent comments (view all 21 comments)
The tall tower in the aerial photo is City Hall, which is still there. The building with the large dome is the old Camden County courthouse, which was torn down in the ‘50s and replaced by a Lit Brothers department store, which closed in the '70s and was renovated into office space for Camden County.
I think all the Lit brothers stores closed at the same time. There was one in Atlantic City as well as the flagship store on Market Street.
The Stanley can be seen roughly in the center of this 1957 photo, across from the distinctive building with the dome:
http://tinyurl.com/5kkc2d
This 1939 photo shows some street ads for the Stanley and the Savar:
http://tinyurl.com/mqf2wp
On Saturday 17 March 1951, Bela “Dracula” Lugosi presented his in person Horror and Magic Stage show at RKO Stanley. Currently I am conducting research on all things Lugosi; if anyone out there actually saw this show and/or has memorabilia (poster, handbill, photos) related to this show, please contact Bill at Thanks in advance for any assistance!
The Stanley was a wonderful and very beautiful movie theater. I guess I am giving away my age but my graduating class of 1965 from Woodrow Wilson High School was the last to have its graduation in the Stanley before it was demolished. The interior was born in the 20s for sure. Such a shame that she is gone in time, all but forgotten but by a few of us who were lucky enough to have viewed the lavish interior and enjoyed the shows there.
The most lavish theater in central Camden. Matched the Walt Whitman with its beautiful carpets, chandeliers, and balcony railings.
kencmcintyre, The Lits Camden closed in 1972; Lits Trenton closed in the early 1970’s.
Grand opening ad:
Stanley theatre opening Fri, Feb 19, 1926 – 13 · Morning Post-Telegram (Camden, New Jersey, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
A slide show of many Camden cinemas, including the Stanley, can be viewed here