Newton Theatre
3601 12th Street NE,
Washington,
DC
20017
3601 12th Street NE,
Washington,
DC
20017
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Additional Info
Architects: John J. Zink
Functions: Pharmacy
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
The Newton Theater opened on July 29, 1937 with Claudette Colbert in “I Met Him In Paris”. It was designed in Streamline Moderne style, at the intersection of 12th Street NE and Newton Street, in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington. The architect, John J. Zink, designed several of Washington’s best-known movie houses, including the Uptown Theater, Naylor Theater, and the Atlas Theater.
After closing as a movie house in 1979, the Newton Theater served as a rock concert venue in the early-to-mid 1980’s before closing permanently. The former theater has since been converted into a pharmacy.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Owner Louis Bernheimer did a nice job of upgrading his theater in the mid 1950’s with fancy new seats, etc. But when we last saw a movie there in 1956, we were aware of the increasing unchecked crime in that area and knew we’d never go back.
This site discusses revitalization of the Brookland neighborhood:
http://tinyurl.com/6gnl2o
I worked there as a teen in the mid-late seventies when a neighborhood group invested some dough into the place. Too bad, it was bad that the timing was all wrong. Big, single screen theatres were a money pit. The management was not too good either. I recall that a used bookstore was in business in the lobby in an effort to stave off the cash drain. Cool place for a while. I did have a pic once, long gone though
Here are 2009 and archive photos of the former Newton Theatre: 1, 2, 3
July 28th, 1937 grand opening ad in photo section. It has a photo.
Circa 1978 photo added credit Emil A. Press Slide Collection, Historical Society of Washington,DC