Orient Theatre

6149 Woodland Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA 19142

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.

Architects: John Irwin Bright, Charles E. Futcher, Paul J. Henon, Jr., William H. Hoffman

Firms: Hoffman-Henon Co.

Functions: Retail

Styles: Streamline Moderne

Nearby Theaters

ORIENT Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Orient Theatre opened in 1912 and was designed by architect John Irwin Bright. In 1915 it was redesigned by architect Charles E. Futcher. In 1919, the firm of Hoffman-Henon Co. was hired to remodel the Orient Theatre. The theatre could seat 628 and stood on Woodland Avenue near 61st Street in the Elmwood Park district. It was taken over by the Stanley Theaters chain in 1924.

Around the 1930’s or 1940’s, the theatre received a new Art Moderne facelift, including a new façade, with a triangular marquee, with the name “Orient” above each side. By then it was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. The Orient Theatre closed on October 29, 1950 with Esther Williams in “The Duchess of Idaho”.

It became an electrical supply store, which in 2021 was operating as a cell phone store. Possibly only using the lobby?

Contributed by Bryan

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on February 4, 2008 at 3:44 am

Here is a 1945 photo from the Philadelphia Architects & Buildings site. The photo is from the Irvin Glazer collection:
http://tinyurl.com/yr5sjr

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on February 4, 2008 at 3:57 am

Junior Miss, plus I Married a Bandleader.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on February 4, 2008 at 3:58 am

Correction, I Love a Bandleader.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on May 3, 2009 at 4:31 pm

25 July 1953 Box Office stated it was to be converted into a farmers market.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on February 18, 2022 at 1:35 am

Irwin and Leighton launched the Orient Theatre to the 1912 architectural plans of John Irwin Bright. The Stanley Circuit took over the theatre in 1924 later equipping it for sound. Stanley-Warner closed The Orient permanently on October 29, 1950 with “The Duchess of Idaho.” It was one of several theatres listed together as “Former theatres for lease” thereafter.

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