Middlesex Theater
120 College Street,
Middletown,
CT
06457
120 College Street,
Middletown,
CT
06457
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Liggett-Florin Booking Service
Functions: Live Performances, Restaurant
Previous Names: Middlesex Opera House
Nearby Theaters
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Built in 1892, this theatre was originally known as the Middlesex Opera House. The auditorium of the theatre was demolished many years ago. However, the lobby building, complete with the marquee, still stands and houses the Tuscany Grill, a restaurant. The lobby has not been gutted either, from the moment you walk in it is readily apparent that this is the lobby to a movie palace. The poster frames, doors, grand stairway, and more all still exist.
Here is a photo I took of the Middlesex, or what remains of it, a while back.
Well at least it’s something.
It looked doomed in those
77 &84 pics.It’s neat that they coveted it’s history as a theater within the current lobby.
Listed under Middletown CT in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide is “The Middlesex” (Theatre). It was run by the Middlesex Mutual Association. It had 1,076 seats, and ticket prices ranging from 25 cents to $1. There was both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 36 feet wide X 33 feet high and the stage was 44 feet deep. The theater was on the first floor. There were 7 members of the house orchestra. Newspapers were the Penny Press and the Tribune. Hotels for show folk were the Chafee, McDonough and the Phoenix. There was also a McDonough Theatre in Middletown, with 800 seats. The 1897 population was 18,000.
The Middlesex Theatre in Middletown was to be immediately rebuilt following a recent fire, according to the February 16, 1927, issue of The Film Daily. The item did not indicate the extent of the fire damage to the theater.
The Middlesex Theatre should be marked as demolished. It’s clear from comparing the current satellite and street views with the LOC photos lostmemory linked to on September 24, 2008, that the auditorium is gone. The Tuscany Grill only occupies the theater’s surviving entrance building. Move Street View a couple of clicks to the right and compare with this historic photo when the auditorium was still standing.
The Tuscany Grill website photo gallery has pics of the former lobby area.
http://www.tuscany-grill.com/photo-gallery/