Theatre

79 McDowell Street,
Welch, WV 24801

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SethG
SethG on March 5, 2024 at 10:22 am

Thanks for naming this one, and providing some background.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 4, 2024 at 9:22 pm

Typos and errors in the Hill and Cahn guides muddled the owners of the first Welch Theatre. They were Benjamin Hurvitz and partners J. M. (Joseph) Lopinsky and his brother E. H. (Eugene) Lopinsky.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 3, 2024 at 5:56 pm

Gus Hill’s 1914 directory lists a theater at Welch called the Welch, playing “R V P” (Road shows, Vaudeville, and Pictures.) The stage was 20 feet deep and 28 feet wide, which sounds like a good fit for this building. It was managed by “Huritz Lopinsky & Bro.” The 1912-1913 Cahn guide also lists the house, giving a seating capacity of 217 on the lower floor and 200 in the balcony. In 1917, a Joe Lopinsky (apparently the Bro.) was noted as owner of an unnamed movie theater at Welch. The 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory missed Welch altogether, but the Welch Theatre was listed in the FDY through the late 1920s.