Hippodrome Theater

1624 Beaver Avenue,
Pittsburgh, PA 15233

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Additional Info

Previous Names: Imperial Theater, Victory Theater

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This theater was located in the Manchester section of Pittsburgh. It opened as the Imperial Theater in 1914. In 1917 it was renamed Hippodrome Theatre. In the early-2000’s I took a stroll by there. You could see where the marquee has been covered over. From the structure of the building itself it’s not hard to imagine a movie theater was once housed there.

The Hippodrome Theater was closed September 9, 1960.

Contributed by jrs99cinefile

Recent comments (view all 8 comments)

raubre
raubre on June 18, 2007 at 5:43 pm

Is this the same theater?

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jrs99
jrs99 on June 21, 2007 at 11:53 am

Wow that’s a great photo.So I guess the theater was on Beaver ave.That’s amazing,the office I work in is on the same block.It’s safe to say the theater has been long demolished.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on September 12, 2007 at 9:40 pm

In 1963, Isaac and Harry Browarsky ran the Hippodrome, along with the Beaver Theater in Pittsburgh. They also operated the Bellevue and Linden theaters in Bellevue, PA.

edblank
edblank on June 14, 2008 at 9:47 pm

During the first two years of the theater’s existence, when it was known as the Imperial, it lost money trying to present vaudeville shows.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on April 21, 2010 at 9:16 pm

Any photos anyone.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on March 7, 2016 at 6:45 am

Opened in 1914 as the Imperial Theater managed by Thomas Eichholz. It’s a quick casulaty and is purchased in 1915 and remodeled by Thomas Gilbert. That doesn’t do much better and in 1917, Louis Handel acquires the property and it becomes the Hippodrome under Louis Hendel with more mixing in of live vaudeveille. In 1924, Hendel sells the theater to the Browarsky Brothers Circuit which ran the theater much of its successful life.

In the TV age, the theater and area begin to slide. September 9, 1960 was the end of the line for the Hippodrome with “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” and “Warlock.” A massive urban development project announced in 1960 decimated the Manchester retail district leading to the demolition of 900 buildings including the Hippodrome as well as the uprooting of its streetcar line in the creation of new roadways.

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