Paramount Theatre

I took a photo this morning of the rendering mentioned in the overview of the stage curtain (from my copy of The Best Remaining Seats) and posted it in the photos.

This reopened as Paramount on October 10th, 1930. Grand opening ad in the photo section.

deilenberger: The photo currently displayed at the head of the Paramount page is the Plainfield Theatre, which did indeed become the Paramount in later years. See the first photo on this page, which shows the Paramount about 1950. Note that the building to the left, with the distinctive crow-stepped gable, is the same building seen in the much earlier photo of the Plainfield Theatre.

When the Plainfield was remodeled in 1928, architect Thomas Lamb added the grand entrance to the right of the original building, and remodeled the original facade to match the style of the addition. The interior was extensively altered as well, of course. I’m sure that very little of the old Plainfield remained once Lamb was done with it, but the shell survived.

This: [img]http://www.plainfieldlibrary.info/OnlineExhibits/LBNF/Images/TheaterC21204.jpg[/img] is the Paramont in Plainfield. The interior was as marvelous as the exterior. It wasn’t Chinese in style – it was Egyptian revival style (like the outside) – with two large seated gold figures (20' tall or so) seated in large recesses on either side of the stage. I imagine the pipe organ pipes were behind them.

It was torn down in the mid ‘60’s as part of the fad of “Urban Renewal” – where the federal government funded the buyout of business districts with the idea of leveling them and having something like a shopping mall take their place.

They did level the entire block, unfortunately including the Paramont.. and the block became a dirt parking lot for the next few decades as businesses around it left for the highway malls, or simply went out of business.

Really loved that theatre – it was one of the few that equaled the other theatres in Asbury Park that the Reade organization destroyed.

My father (80+ years old) who grew up in Plainfield, remembers the Paramount on W. Second very well. Shortly before the Paramount’s demolition, my mom was able to make contact with the appropriate party and get into the Paramount where she purchased some of the theatre wall sconces and a hanging fixture. Though she never used them, she still has them stored and they are spectacular. I was never in the Paramount myself, but just based on those dusty lighting fixtures, the place must have been absolutely spectacular!

I remember the Plainfield Paramount theater very well. Back in 1960 when I was a young girl, sometimes my mother would take me there to see old Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy movies. The theatre was a sea of deep red velvet, yellow-gold sculptures and edgings, and heavily emphasized a by-gone era. I thought it might have once been a place for live acts and first-run movies. How magical it all looked. I remember feeling so sad that entire area was torn down to make way for the “Madison-Park” renewal project, a euphemism for parking lots, then some sort of “mini-park-like” setting in a now-unsafe neighborhood.

In the 1960s the Paramount in Plainfield, NJ was operating as an “art house” showing foreign films. I remember it as having a balcony, and the entire interior, lobbies as well, was a fabulous Chinese rococco fantasy. It was demolished about 10 years later as I remember. I heard that someone had taken photos of the interior for a coffeetable book, but I don’t know if that was ever produced.

Hi, Richard! You may be looking for the Paramount Theatre in Long Branch. It was operated by the Walter Reade Organization, and now houses Siperstein’s Paints. The auditorium is still pretty much intact,however minus the seats, and is used primaily as a warehouse. The lobbies house Siperstein’s retail operation. The owners of Sipersteins have recently announced that they are interested in restoring the Paramount and would welcome outside input.Hope this helps!