Senate Theater

13-15 North Second Street,
Harrisburg, PA 17101

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Showing 1 - 25 of 57 comments

Ross Care
Ross Care on July 2, 2012 at 7:18 am

That is amazing! Thanks for the link. The Box Office site looks really interesting.

Ross Care
Ross Care on June 22, 2011 at 8:48 am

Found some new color slides of the SENATE I took in 1982. These are some of the best yet. Here’s a link to one I just added: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39527581@N07/5857116736/in/photostream/

Ross Care
Ross Care on June 5, 2011 at 12:16 am

See also: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39527581@N07/sets/72157626759926351/

Ross Care
Ross Care on March 23, 2011 at 10:46 am

“And at a deadly pace"
IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
to the Senate:
View link

Ross Care
Ross Care on March 22, 2011 at 10:07 am

Thanks, John. As I’ve said, as I kid I first discovered movies at the SENATE over many downtown Saturday matinees. The re-issues of the Disney classic features and the first releases of PETER PAN, THE LIVING DESERT, etc.
Also of course great UI sci-fi thrillers, several in 3-D.

So for better or worse, it’s still a part of my consciousness.
:)

I recently discovered a few color slides of the Senate I didn’t know I had. Exteriors, such as the one I just put on FLICKr. I’ll add them from time to time.

Wish I had some of the interior. I do remember it was a kind of salmon pink with large white Art Deco lights on the side walls.

Yes, a great little movie house.

JohnMessick
JohnMessick on March 22, 2011 at 8:12 am

Thanks for sharing the picture Ross….I think as a child I was there for a Disney movie…I am betting it was a beautiful theater inside.

Ross Care
Ross Care on March 21, 2011 at 9:42 pm

Here is a new close-up photo of the Senate entrance doors and electric eye:
View link

Ross Care
Ross Care on November 13, 2010 at 8:59 am

Also see: my album of Pennsylvania, California, and a few other vintage cinemas around the world + some ads & a bit of memorabilia:
View link

Ross Care
Ross Care on November 13, 2010 at 8:54 am

SENATE Theatre; THIS ISLAND EARTH:
View link

Ross Care
Ross Care on November 1, 2010 at 5:39 pm

The VIRGIN QUEEN (Bette Davis, Joan Collins, CinemaScope) at the Senate. Coming ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY:
View link

Ross Care
Ross Care on October 30, 2010 at 10:08 am

PS: This low angle shot clearly shows the large vertical letters that ran up the front of the building. They are not always visible in some of the other photos.

Ross Care
Ross Care on October 30, 2010 at 10:06 am

Organizing my photos for FLICKr I found some pristine color slides of the Senate I didn’t know I had! Here is the first one:
View link

Ross Care
Ross Care on August 19, 2010 at 11:32 pm

Just put another ad for Loews Regent in my FLICKr vintage theater album. I try to add new photos from time to time:
View link

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on August 19, 2010 at 7:26 pm

Thanks for the classic ad.Don’t see them anymore in Friday’s paper.

carolgrau
carolgrau on June 29, 2010 at 3:10 pm

When they built the new city hall where the spot was for yuears,, The spot moved down the street to the corner of Second Street and Walnut Street, It is now out of business,,, Was there for years…I guess you could say it went to the dogs…

carolgrau
carolgrau on June 29, 2010 at 11:02 am

Yes there was,,I nnever went there much great hot dogs,, They got busted once for serving dog food with thier cheese steak meat, so I said no way will I eat there again…

Ross Care
Ross Care on June 29, 2010 at 8:59 am

Wasn’t there a cool little snack place called The Spot across Market Square from the Senate?

carolgrau
carolgrau on June 28, 2010 at 1:27 pm

One of my fellow projectionist James Ira Brown worked the Senate for a long time,He finally retirerd at a not so very old age, can’t remember how old Browny was, but not that olld,, anyway the first weekend he had off and did'nt have to go to work he had a fatal heart attack, Damn shame he never got to collect his first retirement check.. I have a hard time with the demolishion too, of any theatre.. Browny and I used to go to a little sandwich shop down the alley from the Senate, We would go get each other food..

Ross Care
Ross Care on June 27, 2010 at 7:38 am

Interesting. I always wondered what happened to the remains of the Senate. I have some color photos somewhere. Thanks.

I have to admit I have never gotten over that theater’s demolition. The Senate and the Penway were the key theaters where I first discovered movies when I was growing up.

Harrisburg had little regard for it’s vintage theater history. No downtown theaters survived. Then I went through the whole demolition trauma thing – deja vu all over again – when I lived on the second block of N. Queen St. in Lancaster. But there is happened all at once, within a few weeks and, like some recurring nightmare, my apartment was right in the middle of it!

JohnMessick
JohnMessick on June 27, 2010 at 6:03 am

The letters that spelled out SENATE can be found in the front window of Tri State Music on north 3rd street in the city of Harrisburg.

JohnMessick
JohnMessick on June 26, 2010 at 2:49 pm

Great pic(s) Penway

Ross Care
Ross Care on February 21, 2010 at 9:00 am

More Senate recollections:

I remember seeing Abbott & Costello make a personal appearance at the Senate. This was to promote their film of “Jack and the Beanstalk” so it would have been in 1952.

There were spaces for tall rectangular posters along the alley beside the theater. In the alley behind the theater (next to a five-and-dime) there was a big billboard for a movie ad.

The only other big movie poster billboard I remember was on 3rd St. for the Colonial.

carolgrau
carolgrau on February 14, 2010 at 8:09 pm

Had alot of good memories about this place, my Cousin has a body shop on Thompson Street right behind it. I was there one year and it was run down bad, the next time I came to visit it was gone..The Grand will live on in memory.. I always said I was the last one to ever run movies at the Star Art, Harrisburg, Drive-In, Silver Springs Drive-In, Colonial, and a few in Pittsburgh, I was next to last at the Senate, I was hoping in each one the last reel would never end.They did and we went away sadly knowing that was it..