Centre Theatre

10 E. North Avenue,
Baltimore, MD 21218

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rivest266
rivest266 on February 5, 2017 at 4:50 pm

This reopened as Film Centre on August 18th, 1954. Grand opening ad in the photo section.

rivest266
rivest266 on February 5, 2017 at 7:59 am

February 2nd, 1939 grand opening ad in the photo section

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on November 2, 2015 at 10:35 pm

6 images added, 1939, 1954 and current courtesy of Irving Vnay.

Also a March 2015 article about the reopening.

http://hub.jhu.edu/2015/03/04/centre-theater-marquee-lighting

randytheicon
randytheicon on January 17, 2015 at 5:08 pm

More info: http://www.jubileebaltimore.org/projects/project-10-east-north-avenue/

randytheicon
randytheicon on January 17, 2015 at 5:05 pm

The Centre is nearing renovation and will be reopened as a performing arts center, with the help of the Maryland Institute College of Art (among others). Article from three years ago:

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-02-06/news/bs-md-ci-theater-20120206_1_arts-district-central-baltimore-partnership-film-screenings

Gamble
Gamble on October 31, 2011 at 1:24 pm

Theres nothing inside. Its all offices now and is in terrible shape. The roof is collapsing and the whole place is full of mold. If it werent for Cinema Treasures you wouldnt even have known it used to be a theater.

agulick
agulick on October 31, 2011 at 7:18 am

Does anyone know who owns it now? I am going to school right down the street and i am interested in reactivating the space. Does the city own it?

durango48
durango48 on September 23, 2011 at 11:04 am

Lost Memory, Thank you so much for posting that excellent photograph of the Centre Theatre surrounded by great memories of the landscape, such as; the No. 13 streetcar (I remember so well). At this theater, I remember seeing “Around The World In 80 Days”, “Oklahoma” and one or two other great movies. I remember “The Shrike” (I missed it) was also screened there. One of my biggest fantasies is to travel back in time with a high-end camera and take multiple shots of each Baltimore theater (and it’s architectural surroundings).

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on January 14, 2009 at 8:15 pm

Looking at the Google photo, it doesn’t appear that there is any effort being made to re-use this theater. There is a nice looking church next door, so that neighborhood can’t be that bad. Someone owns the building and is content to let it sit unused, I suppose.

allanb
allanb on June 24, 2005 at 8:52 am

I remember the Centre as being a second-run theatre in the 50s. In the days of “art theatres,” showing foreign and specialized films, it became the Film Centre. I remember seeing Diabolique, Sabrina, and Walt Disney’s “true-life adventure” films, like The Living Desert, there. It continued to be called the Film Centre when TODD-AO was installed, and also had a reserved-seat run of Gigi in conventional 35mm. At some time after that, as previously stated, it was converted into a bank.

Michael21046
Michael21046 on January 13, 2005 at 3:48 pm

I believe you’re right. Before it closed it was the only film theatre in Baltimore that showed TODD-AO. It may have had the deep curved screen required then for TODD-AO features. When TODD-AO cut costs by switching to a more conventional flat screen the majority of the TODD-AO films were shown at the New. Incidentally, Oklahoma was the first TODD-AO film. It’s commonly mistaken that Around The WOrld In 80 Days was the first, because it took fuller advantage of TODD-AO’s assetts than Oklahoma. I’m betraying my age but I remember seeing “Around The WOrld” when I was 5 years. My brother bought the original souveneir book but guess who acquired it and lost it?

phillehman
phillehman on December 15, 2004 at 12:36 pm

I would like to see if anyone can answer this question: I think I remember seeing OKLAHOMA in 1957 at the Centre Theater when it was released in 1957 in the Todd-AO process. I think I also remember seeing AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS there in 1956 and that was the first film in the Todd-AO process. I think that the Centre was the only theater equipped to show Todd-AO format films in those early days of the process.
Any comments?