Wickford Theatre
90 Phillips Street,
North Kingstown,
RI
02852
90 Phillips Street,
North Kingstown,
RI
02852
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This former theatre is located not far from the Wickford Junction station of the MBTA commuter rail line.
This theatre was open and showing movies between May 1942 and April 1952, almost exactly ten years.
You can see from http://www.sbcwickford.org/history/history.html that it appears the Wickford Theatre is the old Odd Fellows Hall while the Mathewson Hall was on Brown Street.
It is for sale!
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Article in Boxoffice magazine, April 12, 1952:
Theatre in Wickford Closed by Stanzler
PROVIDENCE. —-The 37-year-old Wickford Theatre in nearby Wickford has closed for good after a two-year battle for survival. Up until two years ago, the Wickford operated seven nights a week, but since then it has operated only on weekends.
Manager Guy E. Renfro blamed television for the recent closing. but Meyer Stanzler, lessor of the Wickford in a prepared statement, denied that TV was responsible, claiming that his theatre could not stand the competition of the Quonset naval base theatre, which offers a 15-cent rate to defense workers.
Quonset authorities, however, denied that defense workers were allowed in the base theatre. They insisted that admission is granted only to servicemen. Stanzler denies that this is true and claims he can furnish proof to substantiate his claims.
[Note: “37-year old” would place the original opening of this theatre at around 1915.]
Does anyone know where someone might find the origial blueprints for The Old Theatre ( i.e. floor plan, seating charts, etc)?
Good name,it does look like a barn.
FYI.. the shop is known as the “Old Theatre Store”.
The 1949 Film Daily Yearbook gives the seating capacity as 265.
A note on the building from Statewide Historical Preservation Report – North Kingstown, Rhode Island, 1979:
“Former Beacon Lodge Number Thirty-Eight, I.O.O.F. (1884). An impressive 2-story, end gable, shingled building built as a meeting hall for several fraternal organizations.”
A 1914 City Directory refers to a Miller Mathewson Hall (moving pictures) in North Kingstown. I wonder if this was the same place.
It is widely believed that the Wickford goes back to the turn of the century, but this is untrue. It was opened May 8, 1942. The building itself was built in 1884, and it was used for theatrical productions. It may have closed as early as 1958.
The Wickford opened for screenings about 1905, and ran until 1963-64. It was never a part of a chain, and only seated about 100.