Branford Theatre
11 Branford Place,
Newark,
NJ
07102
11 Branford Place,
Newark,
NJ
07102
3 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: RKO, Stanley-Warner Theatres, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: Fred Wesley Wentworth
Styles: Adam
Nearby Theaters
The Branford Theatre was opened December 17, 1920 with Pola Negri in “Passion”. Fred Wesley Wentworth was the architect. It was equipped with a large Wurlitzer organ. It was long one of the top movie theatres in downtown Newark due to its link to the Stanley-Warner circuit. To achieve a seating capacity of 2,844 in the auditorium, lobby and stage facilities were kept to a minimum, earning the Branford Theatre a reputation as a “big barn” without architectural distinction. It was converted by RKO into four screens on September 15, 1978. It was closed on August 29, 1982 and demolished in 1985.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
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Recent comments (view all 22 comments)
Thanks Bob, I’ll look those theaters up on CT. Is there any hope (or desire) on anyone’s part in Newark to restore those theaters? Is there anything to restore? It seems things are finally starting to look up in Newark.
Here is a 1942 news story from the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette:
http://tinyurl.com/8qfvam
Here is a 1981 photo. It looks like there were four screens at that time:
http://tinyurl.com/c8vuzm
1933 medal:
View link
The only time I recall being in the Branford was in 1982. I was in downtown Newark with a couple of hours to kill, and it was about the only cinema still open. By then it had been cut up into a four-plex, the interior was coated in that ugly color scheme of dark red and blue that the Stanley-Warner chain was so fond of, and this once proud first-run movie palace was showing crap like “Drive-In Massacre.†How very sad.
I was the head doorman at the Branford in 1972. My salary was $1.65 an hour. I replaced Sid,who was not happy about that. But I made friends with John Hudson,and Hassan,from Pakistan. All ushers wore tuxedo’s and bow ties and polished black shoes.
The manager was Mr. Osborne. The assistant manager was named Mike. In an office on the second floor they counted by hand the ticket stubs I collected after I completed my shift. Occasionally I accompanied Mike or Mr. Osborn to Newark Airport to pick up the new films;crated in metal boxes,they were bulky and heavy.
A red haired woman named Lucy ran the concession stand. The elderly projectionist name was named Andy. He ran the noisy carbon light projector from a small cramped booth. I was friends with the Newark cops who worked in the Branford. One policeman, Johnny, was a Korean vet. I had done an infantry tour in Vietnam; we could talk about such things. In the usher locker room Johnny once told me,“You don’t know nothing you never seen a human wave attack.” And he closed his eyes and looked away.
It’s sad to see that the Branford and most of the theaters in Newark are gone. Each was ornate and beautiful and layered with character and history.
Became a quad cinema on September 15th, 1978. Ad in the photo section.
I can’t understand why anyone would have considered the Branford a “…‘big barn’ without architectural distinction.” Photos show Fred Wentworth’s restrained Adamesque interiors to have been quite lovely.
Grand opening ad posted.
Final showings were on August 29th, 1982