Congress Theatre
328 Broadway,
Saratoga Springs,
NY
12866
328 Broadway,
Saratoga Springs,
NY
12866
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Walter Reade Theatres
Architects: William H. Vaughan
Nearby Theaters
A conversion of the Congress Ballroom which had opened around 1870. The Congress Theatre was opened on August 21, 1919 with the musical stage production “Somebody’s Sweetheart”. In 1937, the Congress Theatre was remodeled by architect William H. Vaughan for the Walter Reade Organisation and reopened on June 30, 1937 screening Pat O'Brien in “Slim”.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
The Congress Theatre was remodeled about the time Reade bought it. There are before-and-after photos in Boxoffice of January 8, 1938. The design was by architect William H. Vaughan.
Vaughan, incidentally, was named for his grandfather, who had also been an architect and had designed a number of important buildings in Saratoga Springs, including the United States Hotel.
You can see some photos of the remains of the theatre today…
http://www.christinairene.com/saratogasprings.html
Is this building really the Congress Theatre or is it some other unknown theatre? The address I have for the Congress was 328 Broadway, but the building above clearly shows an address of 260 Broadway.
Here is a picture of the Congress from a recent article about theaters in Saratoga Springs that appeared in the Times Union.
As a kid I remember the Congress Theater sitting on the corner of Broadway and Spring St across from the old library, later it became the House Of Gee which was a chinese restaurant and they use the old huge marquee sign to advertise their restaurant, and I had many fun times at the Community Threater seeing movies and even live shows….
My earliest memory ( early 60’s) of the congress theater was that it was closed, and then I remember it opening as the Chinese restaurant, the house Of Gee. My mom and dad took me to eat there one night and I finally got to see what it looked like inside.
Linkrot repair: The before and after photos in Boxoffice of the Congress Theatre, remodeled in 1937, can now be seen at this link.
The Congress Theatre occupied a building originally erected around 1870 for the Congress Hall Ballroom, an adjunct of the Congress Hall Hotel located across Spring Street. A cast iron bridge connected the two buildings at the second floor. When the hotel was demolished in 1912, the ballroom continued to operate as a dance hall until 1919, when it was converted into the Congress Theatre.
Although equipped for moving pictures, the attraction at the Congress Theatre’s gala opening on August 21, 1919, was the Arthur Hammerstein-produced musical comedy Somebody’s Sweetheart, performed by the original New York cast.
The Congress theatre opened on August 21st, 1919. Grand opening ad posted.
Reopened June 30th, 1937, after remodeling to keep up to the then under construction Community theatre.