Laurel Theatre
32 S. Laurel Street,
Bridgeton,
NJ
08302
32 S. Laurel Street,
Bridgeton,
NJ
08302
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Built in 1950 on the site of the Criterion Theatre, destroyed 14 months earlier in a fire (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures). The Laurel Theatre was opened on August 24, 1950 with James Stewart in “Broken Arrow”. In the 1970’s it was screening Spanish language movies.
The local historic commission granted a temporary restriction against demolition in 2004. A local theatre group, Off Broad Street Players, was lobbying to prevent the demolition. The Laurel Theatre was demolished apart from the lobby area and marquee, which was vacant in 2008 and still remained vacant in August 2018.
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LAUREL THEATER
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Feasibility Study
Watson and Henry Associates
Bridgeton, New Jersey
DAVIS CROSSFIELD ASSOCIATES – theater consultant
Perhaps these firms have some additional data on the theater.
Opening night program (8/24/1950):
View link
Survived as a theater into the 1970s by showing Spanish language films. Closed as a theater in 1979.
Images of America: South Jersey Movie Houses, page 84
This is from a city progress report in February 2008:
Laurel Theater, Laurel Street, Downtown Bridgeton:
The Laurel Theater is being purchased by Bahri Yilmaz. Mr. Yilmaz owns the BridgeWater Pub in Bridgeton and the Green Olive Restaurant in Hopewell. Plans for the Laurel Theater include renovating the existing building and connecting it with the BridgeWater Pub in order to expand the Pub to do weddings and other large banquets. Mr. Yilmaz will create a garden environment on the property in order to hold outdoor events.
the only remanants of this building are the lobby. the theater space itself was long ago demolished. the remaining lobby area still has the slope floor but is in very poor condition.
Actual address is 32-34 S. Laurel Street. Currently owned by Riverfront Cafe LLC % Yilmaz, which owns the Bridgewater Pub. Purchased for $56,000 on April 20, 2009.
I dated the theater owner’s son in the early 70s, their family name was Spagnola. I went back to Bridgeton this summer and took a photo of the theater, it’s in sad condition. I shared it on the photo page here.
I remember sometime in 70s the theater had concerts there the rock band Steppenwolf played there does anyone else remember and what the dates were
The Steppenwolf concert was in the Summer of 1976, probably July 1976. I remember the intro to Magic Carpet Ride sounded just like the record…