Strand Theatre

Brandywine Village’s neighborhood was home to the Strand Theatre which opened at N. Market Street between E. 24th Street and E. 25th Street on May 14, 1920. Benjamin F. Seligman ran the operation for its entire 30-year lease. The theatre added sound to remain viable. The venue got new ownership following the expiry of a 30-year lease in Benjamin Shindler and the theatre’s fortunes devolved quickly.

The City of Wilmington closed the Strand Theatre on January 6, 1951. Shindler had previously run the Ace Theatre and was said to have failed in payment of the city’s theatre license tax. Final shows at the Strand Theatre were Dan Barry in “I Shot Billy, the Kid” and Glenn Ford in “Convicted”.

Mayor James P. Hearn cited failure to pay a theatre license fee combined with television’s impact on neighborhood theatres as his reason for shutting the Strand Theatre down. After a pubic squabble, the Mayor issued a statement on the closure of the Strand Theatre. It was taken over in February of 1951 showing British films exclusively operating until March of 1952 and offered for lease.

Under new operators in 1953, it became a summer stock, live theatre. Under new operators in 1954, it became a wrestling venue. It closed with live entertainment in November of 1954. In 1955, Reverend Bert Hare took over the venue for the Evangel Temple that ran there from 1955 to 1970. The building was sold and torn down for a seniors apartment building in 1970 that still existed in the 2020’s.

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