Scarsdale Plaza Theatre

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Uploaded on: April 13, 2024

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The original Scarsdale Picture Theatre opened on November 22, 1920, with the exhibition of the D.W. Griffith drama, “The Love Flower”, and continued operating, featuring vaudeville acts and silent films, until closing after the stock market crash of 1929.

In 1931, after a half-million dollar investment by RKO, the theatre was reborn in its permanent location on Garth Road in Eastchester, near the Scarsdale border, as the Scarsdale Theatre. Designed by architects C.W. and George L. Rapp, the Art Deco style theatre seated 1,149 and featured unique wood detailing on its marquee and interior.

The theatre, which had, in 1942, featured a live performance starring Ethel Barrymore and Gloria Swanson, and was allegedly frequented by Paul and Linda McCartney, John Lithgow, and Judy Garland with daughter Liza Minnelli, was closed in 1988.

The theatre reopened for a time in 1996 and 1997, last featuring “Air Bud” before being shuttered for good. Despite the attempts of some locals to preserve the historic theatre, it was razed in 2002 to make way for Scarsdale Commons, a $15 million, 42 unit luxury apartment complex - Notes by Damien Farley

Contributed by Greg Lynch -