Allegheny Theatre
3141 Frankford Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19134
3141 Frankford Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19134
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Stanley-Warner Theatres
Architects: Paul J. Henon, Jr., William H. Hoffman, Louis Magaziner
Firms: Hoffman-Henon Co., Magaziner & Potter
Styles: French Renaissance
Nearby Theaters
The Allegheny Theatre opened in 1912 with Keith vaudeville and was originally designed by the firm of Magaziner & Potter. In 1919 it was taken over by the Stanley Theaters circuit. It was remodeled in 1926 by the firm of Hoffman-Henon Co. It was then presenting vaudeville & movies. On May 23, 1927 a Moeller 3 manual 13 ranks organ was installed. The stage was equipped with eight platform elevators which could be individually set at different heights and the theatre began presenting a stage band policy. By the 1930’s stage presentations were dropped and it became a fulltime movie theatre. The theatre was part of Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. by 1941. and the stage was brought back into use. The theatre, which stood on Frankford Avenue, lasted until its closure on April 9, 1952 with Frank Sinatra in “Meet Danny Wilson” & William Powell in “Treasure of the Lost Canyon” has since been torn down.
A supermarket was built on the site, which was later demolished for a parking lot. By 2013 a Family Dollar store and Dollar Tree operate from the site.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
AFY Yearbook lists this as 2,858 in 1936. Numbers above should be changed. The other Allegheny theatre did not go by that name in 1936.
In the 1941 Philadelphia yellow pages, the Allegheny Theater was listed at 3141 Frankford Avenue.
Here is an architectural sketch from the PAB site:
http://tinyurl.com/ysqrhw
From Boxoffice magazine, January 1938:
PHILADELPHIA-Six Philadelphia motion picture theaters have added vaudeville to their programs with indications that other houses in this area will follow suit, in an attempt to pep up the slump in business.
Those that have already inauagurated the “flesh show” policy are the following Warner houses:
Allegheny, Kensington; Alhambra, South Philadelphia; Franklin Theater, Frankfort; Kent Theater, Kensington and Oxford Theater, Fox Chase. The other house putting on stage shows is the Colonial Theater, South Philadelphia, managed by Charles Bitterfield.
One theater-the North Philadelphia Nixon-Grand-has discontinued stage shows and added instead six game nights in addition to double features. Harry Slatko, manager, is featuring the biggest giveaway attraction in the city-$2,500 each week-with a ten and fifteen cent admission.
A dollar store (Family Dollar) and a furniture warehouse now share the site.
Pioneering movie house operator Joseph Cohen of the Dazzleland announced the new Allegheny Theatre in September of 1911 to the plans of Magaziner & Potter. The Allegheny opened in 1912 and was acquired by the Stanley Circuit in 1919. In 1929, it added Western Electric sound to remain viable.
The Allegheny Theatre ceased operations following the April 19, 1952 expiry of the second of two 20-year leases with a double feature of “Meet Danny Wilson” and “Treasure of Lost Canyon.” The venue was then listed in the classified ads later in 1952 as “former movie building” for sale.