Centre Theatre

This theater, located just east of the intersection at Craig Street, later was razed and used as a surface parking lot for Giant Eagle super market, which since has closed.

Though capacity is listed as 603 by at least one source, I also found an indication it had just 500.

The theater opened as the Weiland. The name was changed to Centre, mirroring the avenue on which it was located, when the late Jacques Kahn took over management in 1941-42.

I cannot remember the interior at all, but I was lucky enough to get there once in late 1951 or early 1952 for “The Frogman” and “Teresa.”

The Weiland family operated this venue as one of several theaters in their portfolio. This was a converted garage / retail building that was re-imagined by architects Joseph B. Smithyman and Charles R. Geisler. It appears to have opened as the Weiland Theatre on January 3, 1934 with “Big Brain” and “Samarang.” In April of 1941, the Weiland family sold their theater to the Warner Circuit. Warner immediately changed its name to the Centre. After a brief refresh, the venue relaunched with “High Sierra” and “Keeping Company” on May 9, 1941.

Warner closed here on December 2, 1951 with “The Prowler” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” It was offered for sale with a dozen other Warner theaters as it was likely divesting due to the Paramount decree. The Giant Eagle chain of grocery stores purchased the building and had it demolished for its new store that opened here on May 1, 1952. It would close early in 2006 and replaced by a new CVS drug store.