Poplar Theatre
903-905 N. 6th Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19123
903-905 N. 6th Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19123
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Called the Poplar because of it’s proximity to Poplar Street. I’ve uploaded an early photo of the intersection. In a later photo Poplar Street has been widened and the theatre is directly at the intersection. I’ve also uploaded pre interior and post interior renovation images mentioned in the photo esssay above since, in time, these links cease to exist.
The Poplar Theatre was opened as a movie house in December of 1916 with a Bartola pipe organ. The Poplar was converted to sound to remain vaible. In 1938, the venue had a run as the Cinema Art Theatre beginning on September 15, 1938 which may have also been called the Poplar Cinema Art Theatre very briefly.
It was renamed the Poplar Theatre in 1938 and, under Stanley Warner Circuit, it closed early in 1947. It reopened with foreign films independently months later and closed. It reopened independently once again with Jewish-themed films on October 15, 1948 closing at year’s end likely at the end of lease. It was used for religious services into the early 1950s before being converted for a variety of other purposes.
According to Hidden City Philadelphia the Poplar was demolished in late 2018. https://hiddencityphila.org/2018/12/lost-buildings-of-2018/ No mention in the most recent article about its 2012 renovation. https://hiddencityphila.org/2012/08/the-poplar-theatre/
This photo essay shows a picture of the theater’s interior now renovated for new purposes, possibly as an arts center. It has been essentially gutted out. There is also some history and historical photos. The article confirms that the theater was also known as the Poplar Cinema Art Theatre.
A commenter at Hidden City Philadelphia says that the Poplar closed in 1935, then reopened in the ‘40s as the Poplar Cinema Art Theatre with a foreign film policy. The conversion to printer’s warehouse and bindery is said to have come in 1961.
I think this would be around Sixth and Race, if my memory serves me well so many years later. Isn’t that where they built that large freeway extension about twenty years ago? I wonder if anything is left on this block.