Grand Theatre
317 Allegheny Street,
Hollidaysburg,
PA
16648
317 Allegheny Street,
Hollidaysburg,
PA
16648
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Manos Amusement Inc.
Functions: Studio
Previous Names: Lyric Theatre, Manos Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Lyric Theatre launched on Allegheny Street on August 26, 1916 by C.L. Koller with Mary Ryan in “Stop Thief!” The Lyric Theatre competed with the Logan Theatre as the town’s two silent theatres. Koller sold the venue to operators Steve Chingos and Peter Chroukas in 1920 and they vanquished the competing Logan Theatre in 1923/4.
In December of 1929, the Lyric Theatre was heavily refurbished adding sound and became the “all new” Grand Theatre. Chingos and Chroukas sold the theatre to the Manos Theatre Circuit on May 1, 1937 and it was closed. It became a furnishing & appliance store from 1937 to 1957.
The Grand Theatre reopened on October 2, 1957 with John Payne in “Bail Out at 43,000 Feet” & Robert Wagner in “A Kiss Before Dying”. In 2020 it is in use as a photography studio.
Contributed by
dallasmovietheaters
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
The Blair must have been on the site a block away, as the Grand was still standing in 1957, when the October 26 issue of Boxoffice reported that Steve Chingos, owner of the house, which had been leased out for twenty years, had modernized and renovated the theater and reopened it under his own management. Chingos also operated a confectionery called the Sugar Bowl next door to the Grand.
The August 31 Boxoffice had revealed that the Grand had been called the Manos Theatre for some time, but had been dark for several years. It appears that Manos had pulled out of Hollidaysburg, as the item also noted that the Blair Theatre had recently been transferred to Altoona exhibitor Saul Perilman.
Thanks, Joe. Another note: in September 1919, the Lyric Theatre installed a $10,000 Seeburg-Hope-Jones pipe organ. The Lyric hired Ellen Heartsick as the new organist.
When Manos bought the theatre, they indeed simply closed the Grand and demolished the building a block away for the Blair Theatre at 213-215 Allegheny. From 1937 to 1957, the building appears to have been leased for 20 years as a home furnishing and appliance store.
Chingos indeed returned to the location giving the Grand Theatre an encore after 20 years to reopen it with widescreen projection on October 2, 1957 with “Bail Out at 43,000 Feet” and “Kiss Before Dying.” The grand re-opening page is in photos.
The address is wrong. As you can see in the photo, the facade matches 317, which houses a photography studio.