Allegheny Theatre
3141 Frankford Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19134
3141 Frankford Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19134
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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.
A dollar store (Family Dollar) and a furniture warehouse now share the site.
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.
Here is an architectural sketch from the PAB site:
http://tinyurl.com/ysqrhw
In the 1941 Philadelphia yellow pages, the Allegheny Theater was listed at 3141 Frankford Avenue.
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.