Strand Theatre
315 Market Street,
Sunbury,
PA
17801
315 Market Street,
Sunbury,
PA
17801
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 49 of 49 comments
norelco: The above Boxoffice link features the obituary for Mr. Zimmerman! Amazing that you were there that very night. Please share the ghost story you told with me in a recent email…not sure what theatre it was though. Thanks.
jeffreyt: Sorry for the delayed reply, but my email provider has been blocking my Cinema Treasures notifications for a couple of years and I’ve only just started getting some of them again. The scan of the Boxoffice item about Harry is at this link.
If your or any town is lucky enough to still have a DeAngelis designed theatre, it is worth saving even if the theatre has been altered in a big way or in a small way though small alterations are better and easier to correct!
I’m a big fan of DeAngelis designed theatres so am always interested in anyone’s photos! Thanks.
jeffreyt: I’m interesting in seeing photos @ Thanks!!!!!!
Hey Patsy
This building now houses a graphic arts / design shop.
Movietime and myself have toured this building twice in the last 3 years. The balcony is intact and the booth is still there. The lobby has a drop ceiling and has had partitions put up for offices but the space is still the same. The main auditorium has been gutted though and is used primarily as a warehouse. It probably could be resurrected as a theatre but with 12 screens less than 5 miles away, it would probably be a struggle. (and cost a lot ) I do have recent photos if anyone is interested.
Also, DeAngelis didn’t actually design the theatre. He was responsible for the new lobby and front of the building which was done in 1951. There was some remodeling done in the auditorium (the screen was moved forward) but I think the rest was cosmetic.
Yeah, Patsy I do,, but they were not good ones for awhile,, I mean Mr. Zimmerman died and if I would'nt have been there , who knows.. I guess it was meant to be… But yes it was quite a gem…
norelco: At least you have personal memories compared to the rest of us.
IIt was a very nice Theatre, I worked the booth one night to help them out in a jam, more of an emergency.. But looked around after the show was over and was very impressed…
You are so right Patsy!!!
My hometown had a DeAngelis designed theatre, the Grand/Westfield NY. Sadly, it was demolished so there aren’t many DeAngelis theatres still open or still standing of the 18 DeAngelis designed theatres listed under his name. Maybe there is hope for this one though the Granada in Beaver Falls PA is about to come down on December 30, 2009! What a sad note to end 2009 on!
Could this theatre possibly be resurrected and made into a theatre again or did the electrical supply warehouse folks level the floor, etc.??
Nice looking theatre.
Hey Joe Vogel
Can you tell me where I can see the scans of Boxoffice magazine with these 2 articles ? We have started a Strand Theater website and would possibly like to include these. We are looking for any information and photos so any help would be appreciated.
www.strandsunbury.com
I can’t remember what happened yesterday, so 1970 is another story. I do mremember it though.Years ago I worked for a funeral home so when I was in the union everytime someone passed in the booth I was always the first one the business agent would call. I just happened to be at the Strand that night, but was glad I could help.
norelco, the Internets can help jog your memory of the date. The story of the Strand projectionist who died in the booth appeared in the November 2, 1970, issue of Boxoffice, and it said the event had taken place on Monday, October 9.
The scan of the magazine online is a bit fuzzy, but it looks like it says the unfortunate projectionist’s name was Clermont M. Zimmerman. If my given name were Clermont, I think I’d prefer to be called Harry, too.
I forget the year, but i went to the Strand one night with a date and right after reel 2 the screen went white. After a few minutes I went and told the manager, and offered to help. I said I was a projectionist, he & I wewnt up to the booth to find the projectionist had died. I ran the rest of the show and they did'nt bother to run the 9 oclock show. I don’t recall but I think his name was Harry.was a great little theatre.
The Strand was extensively remodeled by United Paramount Theatres in 1951. The project included the demolition of a building next door to provide space for a greatly expanded facade and lobby. Boxoffice Magazine of March 3, 1951, says that Michael J. DeAngelis was the architect for the remodeling.
I think the last movie I saw here was Star Wars premier in 1977, truth being told after the mall theater (Fox) opened that was it for The Strand. I recall the theater being in disrepair, seats were old and the plaster was falling from the ceiling.
After it closed, the new owners turned it into a concert venue. I think The Plasmatics was the first, say controversial concert. Saw a few acts there up to 1986, at that time it was starting to show disrepair and under the loud concerts, plaster was falling off even more. Sad to say looking back now, it was a shame to see it decline.
There are some vintage shots of The Strand on a couple of videos made by Penn Valley Pictures.
Wondering is anyone has information regarding the disposition of the organ’s pipework. I am the current owner of the console OPUS 5214 from this theatre which has been totally rebuilt and playing a Moller OPUS 6226 pipework in addition to digital voices. Would like to see pictures of the orginial install and location of the pipework if possible – thanks
I just had a “Tour” of the Strand with Movietime and a friend from Sunbury. Phase One Marketing who owns the building have expanded several times including the buildings on either side of the Strand building in October. It was interesting to see what they’d done with the theatre; unfortunately, there isn’t much semblance to the theatre anymore. The balcony is still intact; it is now used as meeting space. The lobby has been partitioned into offices and cubicles; the old manager’s office is now a Men’s Room ! The old Ladies Room is now a pass-thru to the building next door which was The “Steinhaus” years ago. They do have a “Wall of Fame” which has TONS of old photos going back all the way to the early 1900’s. We may get some copies; if so I will post them. If any members of Cinema Treasures are curious and want to see the photos I took, contact me and I’ll see what I can do.
In 1970 the Strand was part of ABC Theaters of Pennsylvania.
Here’s an outside shot from early 1978 (sorry about the quality)
View link
I was involved with the Strand for a period of almost two years in the late 1970’s. What most people know of the Strand is the massive marquee that extended for 120 feet around two sides of the building (try changing that on a January night,hey Jeff) and the 40 foot waterfall chasing neon upright sign with 3 foot tall STRAND letters stacked vertically all adorned in stainless steel trim. This marquee and the expansive lobby with etched plate glass doors were added to the front of the theater in 1952 as a modernization. When built the Strand had only 20 feet of street frontage at the inside corner of the square. The entrance lobby when built was only 15 x 15 feet and the mezzanine served as public space. The auditorium was less than 45 feet wide and 250 feet long, so deep that in the 60’s the screen was moved forward 100 feet. The Strand was theestablished first-run movie venue for 30 miles and did well until Fox Theaters opened a four screen shoe box deal in the new mall across the river and the rest was academic. The Strand was sold to a subrun operation out of Phila. who closed it a year later. I will supply pictures and more historical data later.