Centre Theatre
10 E. North Avenue,
Baltimore,
MD
21218
10 E. North Avenue,
Baltimore,
MD
21218
5 people
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This reopened as Film Centre on August 18th, 1954. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
February 2nd, 1939 grand opening ad in the photo section
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
More info: http://www.jubileebaltimore.org/projects/project-10-east-north-avenue/
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
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.
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?
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).
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.
Here are some photos:
http://www.kilduffs.com/CCA.html
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.
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?
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?