Memrose Theatre

Sharing the link to a recently-published chronology of the Tidewater region’s 70mm presentation history. The Memrose is mentioned quite a few times in the piece.

opened February 20th, 1947. small ad posted.

Ah, i have happy memories of getting tossed out of the Memrose by an usher back in the late 60s … my mom took me to my first movie (I think it was Snow White) here and i recall i was a vocal little embryonic film critic at the tender age of 3 :) . Even 49 years later i can still see in my mind’s eye his smart uniform and his flashlight.

Years later in a suburban multiplex no longer extant, across the river (which happily is still extant), i repeated the experiment with my two young daughters. This time it was the Little Mermaid. After 10 minutes, my younger daughter kept saying “I wanna get outta here!” so we did. Of course by then in the early 90s ushers were something you’d only see at a funeral anymore. Does anybody even know how to ush anymore?

I grew up right down the street from the Memrose, on Raleigh Avenue. I think that’s where my Mom took me to “see” my first movie — Captain From Castile — when I was six months old. When I was old enough to go on my own, my mother would give me 50 cents — which was enough to pay for the ticket, a box of popcorn and a soda. Those were the days!

wsasser, thanks so much for the photo!

That must be Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, that would put tne Memrose more or less between Raleigh Avenue and Fairfax Avenue on Colley Avenue. Alas, in those days, I think Colley Avenue was straight. I think, when it was widened a big curve was put in it, so I think the old Colley Avenue is now called Childrens Lane? Anyone else know anything about this or the Memrose? From what I can remember, I would guess it was BUILT in the 1930’s and was sorta ART DECO.