Cinema Art Theater

289 River Street,
Troy, NY 12180

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rivest266
rivest266 on May 13, 2024 at 2:28 pm

Renamed Cinerama Art Theatre on November 4th, 1963, and Cinema art theatre the next day. Ads posted.

paulkazee
paulkazee on December 20, 2023 at 6:56 am

With a little luck and a lot of love, it will reopen in 2025.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2023/08/02/american-theatre-troy-proctors-movies.html

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 5, 2015 at 11:35 am

Joe Masher’s description of the State Theatre says that it was designed by the same architect as the American Theatre, and the description of this house says that it was a twin of the State. If that’s so, then the architect of this theater was Abraham K. Mosley, who was noted as the architect of the Rose (State) Theatre in The American Contractor of April 29, 1922.

joemasher
joemasher on January 21, 2013 at 2:46 am

Shoeshoe, are you sure you had the right building? Threre are no railroad tracks anywhere near this building.

shoeshoe14
shoeshoe14 on August 25, 2009 at 5:32 pm

Saw this theatre while on a bike trip 2 weeks ago. Still closed of course and really hard to get around the back to see the building since it’s right over the railroad tracks.

Roger Katz
Roger Katz on May 2, 2008 at 4:11 am

Still closed. See my photos of the building http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/7874.html

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on February 8, 2008 at 7:46 am

The theater is advertising “talking sound pictures” in this photo, which probably dates it around 1928:
http://tinyurl.com/27zapd

avkid
avkid on October 16, 2007 at 12:04 pm

Any updates on the future of the Cinema Art?

Plantweed
Plantweed on August 27, 2007 at 4:12 am

Vintage ads for the Cinema Art can be found here:
http://plantweed.blogspot.com/search?q=cinema+art

avkid
avkid on August 20, 2007 at 6:27 pm

I was in Troy today on business. After I completed my scheduled tasks for the day I walked around downtown Troy for about two hours taking pictures of old buildings being given new life.
I wandered around taking pictures until I got hungry, just barely a block from the cafe I was considering, were the telltale steel remnants of a marquee and the curved entry of a movie house.
The building has almost totally been stripped of architectural importance, save the leaf pendant on the very tip of the building.
Here are the pictures:
View link

joemasher
joemasher on July 5, 2007 at 6:38 pm

This theater is closed, and the marquee has been removed from the building. It’s currently for sale. It would make a GREAT art house, and could easily be divided into two or three screens.

blogger21
blogger21 on April 14, 2006 at 6:00 pm

Plantweed, it will never happen
if porn isn’t your thing, then avert your attention to something that is
if you want to see a movie, go to a movie theater
if you want to see porn, go to an adult theater.
those who are opposed shouldn’t meddle, they should mind; you know … their own business

Plantweed
Plantweed on March 17, 2006 at 2:04 am

Since at least the early ‘90s this theater was converted into video projection. I hope they dump the porn and make it a real 2nd-run specialty theater.

joemasher
joemasher on March 11, 2006 at 3:03 am

The theater was raided and padlocked—several customers and the manager were arrested. From the Troy Record:

03/03/2006
Last picture show? Cinema Art raided
By: R.W. Groneman , The Record

TROY – Police led away one unidentified man in hand restraints Thursday night following a raid by city and State Police at the Cinema Art Theater, a long-running adult entertainment center at 289 River St.
Advertisement

About a dozen persons and at least one employee were in the theater at the time of the 7:15 p.m. raid, according to Det. Sgt. John Cooney, a spokesman for the city Police Department. Also inside were about a half dozen undercover troopers from the State Police.
Police arrived at the theater with a search warrant as part of “an ongoing investigation into activities in the premises,” Cooney said.
“There will be multiple charges and multiple arrests,” Cooney said at the scene. He said details will be released at a press conference at 10 a.m. today at Troy Police headquarters. He declined to provide more details Thursday night.
The theater, also knows as Cinema Art Show World, has exhibited X-rated movies for about four decades. In recent years it added private viewing booths. A sign on the door advertised DVDs and tapes for sale. Another sign cautioned that no minors were allowed inside.
In the normally quiet downtown area, Troy Police cruisers blocked off River Street between Second and Third streets.
About 20 minutes after the raid began, a bystander reported observing two apparent customers – one a man about 30 years old, and an older man – exit the theater individually, walk to their parked cars on River Street and drive away past the blocking police cruisers.
The police action involving about 20 officers “went off without incident,” Cooney said.
The operation was under the direction of Troy Police Capt. John Reigert, head of the Community Police Service Bureau. He deferred all questions to Cooney, the official police spokesman.
Cooney said it is common practice to enlist the support of the State Police for undercover operations.
Police left the scene at about 9:45 p.m. A code enforcement officer posted the building as closed.
While the raid was going on, the Troy City Council at its regular meeting a block away at City Hall on Monument Square was discussing an ordinance for the removal of junk cars.
Although not present at the scene, Mayor Harry Tutunjian “was aware of the ongoing investigation,” said his spokesman, Jeff Buell.
Buell arrived at the theater about an hour after the raid began.
Police officers were seen exiting the scene with handheld video cameras. Several boxes, perhaps of evidence, were loaded by police into an unmarked van. Rensselaer County District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis arrived later with a handful of aides.

Plantweed
Plantweed on September 2, 2005 at 1:57 am

Hi, this is Bob Plante from the Movie Ad Archive site mentioned above. I grew up in Troy; in high school the big thing was to somehow get into the Cinema Art to see CALIGULA. I have a ton of ads from the place.

Michael Furlinger
Michael Furlinger on September 23, 2004 at 8:41 pm

wow. did not think there were that many left doing xxx

Roger Katz
Roger Katz on September 22, 2004 at 10:44 am

The Paris Cinema I & II in Syracuse shows adult films.

RobertR
RobertR on September 22, 2004 at 5:55 am

The Polk and Fair both here in Queens as well as Cinema Kings Highway in Brooklyn still run adult films. It is actually video projection.

Michael Furlinger
Michael Furlinger on September 21, 2004 at 8:50 pm

Can anyone think of any NEW YORK theater other than this still running adult films (an old movie house not an adult store)

Michael Furlinger
Michael Furlinger on September 21, 2004 at 8:41 pm

wow. not to many theaters still running adult films this has to be one of the few.