Hollywood Theater
7 S. Centre Street,
Pottsville,
PA
17901
7 S. Centre Street,
Pottsville,
PA
17901
2 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Comerford Theaters Inc.
Functions: Bank
Previous Names: American Theater
Nearby Theaters
The American Theater was located on S. Centre Street, between Mahantongo Street and W. Norwegian Street in Pottsville and opened on December 9, 1916 with Theda Bara in “Romeo and Juliet”. It was located just over one block away from the much larger Capitol Theater. It was built at a cost of $125,000 and had seats for 1,025. It was a three-floor brick structure that had a popular dance hall on the third floor known as the Holly Roof. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra was a frequent favorite and drew large crowds.
It was remodeled and reopened on January 7, 1924 as the Hollywood Theater. The theater operated until October 1969 and its final film was “Spirits of the Dead” with Brigette Bardot. The theater building was purchased by a bank located next door and used for the banks expansion.
Contributed by
Bobs
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
A Wurlitzer organ, opus 749, was installed on 12/10/1923 in support of the opening.
My Great-Grandfather, Philip R Brenneman opened the Hollywood in 1916 as the American Theater. It was the 1ST Fireproof Bldg built in Pottsville after virtually the entire block it was built on had been destroyed by fire in the early teens. It’s capacity was reduced to 900 seats after the stage was enlarged to accomodate motion pictures. There was a center isle with about 8 seats/side, due to the narrowness of the bldg. The Dance Hall’s popularity died after the elevator was taken out of the bldg to enlarge the lobby area of the theater. There was a balcony which sat about 100. The marquee was changed out in the early ‘30s to its more colorful art deco design.
The caption of this photo shows the Hollywood at 7 South Centre Street:
http://tinyurl.com/2palqv
Current photo of 7 S. Center St. Just to the right of Miller & Miller building.
HERE
This opened as American on December 9th, 1916
American theatre opening Mon, Dec 11, 1916 – 6 · Pottsville Republican (Pottsville, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com
Also, the grand opening ad has been posted.