Washington Theater
123 Boggs Avenue,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15211
123 Boggs Avenue,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15211
1 person
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The Lincoln Theater was opened in 1914. In 1929 it was taken over by a new operator and re-named Washington Theater which operated as an African-American theatre until 1949. The Glade Theater is listed in the 1950 Polk’s Pittsburgh City Directory.
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Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
Rather strangely, the Washington Theatre is listed in the 1941 and 1943 editions of Film Daly Yearbook with a 350 seating capacity, located at 121 Boggs Avenue (close enough to the address given above for the Glade Theatre). The 1950 edition of FDY gives the Glade Theatre location as 348 Boggs Avenue (381 seats).
I wonder if there was a re-numbering of the street? and also a change of name?
Opened as the Lincoln Theatre in 1914 likely on a 15-year lease by Heny Gauding. He neither renews nor converts the theatre to sound. New operator – likely on a 25-year lease – changes the theatre to an African American sound theatre, the Washington Theatre closing in 1949. The building is repurposed for other retail including a fruit stand by the mid-1950s. Even if it were the Glade briefly, the theatre should be known as the long-running African American house, the Washington Theatre.
My great-grandfather was Henry Gauding and I grew up in the Mt. Washington area not far from Boggs Ave. It is exciting to find a reference to “Grampy Gauding” and to confirm some of the family lore about the theater that owned. Thank you!