Rivoli Theatre
S. 52nd Street and Sansom Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19139
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Nixon-Nirdlinger Theaters
Architects: Jacob Nasehold
Previous Names: 52nd Street Theatre
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The 52nd Street Theatre was built in 1909 on the corner of S. 52nd Street and Sansom Street. The architect is listed as Jacob Nasehold. It had a 17ft deep stage. The name was changed to the Rivoli Theatre in 1920 and it was equipped with a 3 manual Marr & Colton organ. The Rivoli Theatre closed in 1930 and became an indoor golf course. This later closed and it reopened as the Rivoli Theatre again until closing as a movie theatre in the 1960’s. It went over to live theatre use by a local repertory company. This closed in 1970 and it was demolished later that year. A library was built on the site.
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The thing I remember about the Rivoli was that the marquee displayed odd, home made looking wooden letters that slid into wooden tracks. By the 1960’s from the street the theater looked lost and old fashoned among the other 52nd street houses. Even the closed ones!
Not a great photo, but the Rivoli marquee can be seen on the right. Date is 1950.
http://tinyurl.com/qy8l26
Here is a photo circaa 1960s from the Irvin Glazer theater collection:
http://tinyurl.com/ylgdrtr
According to an item in the December 1, 1909, issue of The American Architect, the 95x107-foot store and moving picture theater building being built at Sansom and 52nd Streets, which architect Jacob Nasehold had designed, was being built for Samuel Wheeler. The February 14, 1914, issue of The Moving Picture World had this bit of information about Mr. Wheeler:
The June 21, 1912, issue of The Player also had an item about Mr. Wheeler: I had thought that the house at 52nd and Market might have been the mysterious Grand, which operated only for a few years, but an item about Samuel Wheeler’s retirement from the theater business in the September 4, 1915, issue of The Moving Picture World says that he owned the Belmont Theatre, which was up the block from Market Street, but didn’t mention the Grand.