The Burland Theatre apparently did not open as a Loew’s house. An article in The New York Times of November 16, 1914, said that David V. Picker had taken a lease on the Burland even before it was built, and had taken over direct operation of the house in June, 1914. The article said that he had lately sold a half interest in the Burland and his other house, the Eighth Avenue Theatre, to H. Whitman Bennett, and that the partners intended to open additional theaters on Broadway, in Brooklyn, and in nearby cities.
Also, the Archer has not been demolished. The front has been remodeled, but you can still see the brick side and rear walls of the theater in Google Street View along the block of Damen north of 35th. There is a stage house, so it probably hosted vaudeville as well as movies in its early years.
Google Maps has put this Henry Newhouse-designed theater in the wrong neighborhood. The actual location of 2010 W. 35th Street is between Damen and Archer Avenues, about two and a half miles mile west of where Google has placed its pin icon.
The Archer Theatre was under construction when this notice was published in the September 3, 1910, issue of The American Contractor: “Theater & 2-Store Building (class 4. 1100 seating cap.): 1 sty. 75x125. $40,000. W. 35th st. & Archer av. Architect Henry L. Newhouse, 4630 Prairie av. Owner Archer Amusement Association, care architect. Plastering let to Chas. Seaberg, 1302 Addison st. Up to second story.”
Surprisingly, this diminutive movie house was designed by a well-known theater architect. Here is the notice about it published in the August 27, 1910, issue of The American contractor: “Theatre (seating 299): Known as Lyric Theatre. 1 sty. 24x100. 1217 Milwaukee av. Architect Henry L. Newhouse, 4630 Prairie av. Owner E. Alberti, care architect. Architect taking figures. Brick & plaster, gravel roof, plaster cornice, struct. iron, Georgia pine & cement floors, marble, mosaic, gas & electric fixtures, nickel plumbing.”
The November 15, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World had a short article about the Riverview Theatre. Judging from the description the magazine gave, the auditorium must have been rather tunnel-like, being 219 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 35 feet high. The projection booth extended above the rear part of the seating, with a throw of 150 feet to the 14x18-foot screen.
The November 15, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World gave the opening date of the Heights Theatre as October 11. The house was fitted with a Hope-Jones unit orchestra.
The November 15, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World said that the Burland Theatre had opened on November 1. In addition to the 2000-seat indoor theater, the project included an adjacent 3000-seat airdome for use during hot weather. The projection booth was situated so that the projectors could be turned around to face the screen of either theater. The house featured films made by Famous Players, All Star, and Kinemacolor.
The Burland had a seven-piece orchestra, but the MPW item made no mention of vaudeville. In fact, it noted that the screen in the indoor auditorium was against the back wall, with a throw of 155 feet. Prices were ten and fifteen cents for evening performances, five cents for weekday matinees, and ten cents for Sunday matinees.
Here’s the notice of this theater’s plans in the January 1, 1913, issue of The American Architect:
“Baltimore.—Another moving-picture and vaudeville theater will be built at 1108 East Preston St. for the Crescent Novelty Company. It will be a 1-story structure of ornamental brick. The plans have been prepared by F. E. Beall, 213 St. Paul St.”
Architect Frederick Beall is noted for the numerous row-house projects he designed during this period.
“Historic Signs of Savannah,” by Justin Gunther (Google Books preview,) says that the Odeon Theatre had been renamed the State by 1950, and was demolished in 1960 to make way for the First Federal Savings Bank building.
“Historic Signs of Savannah,” by Justin Gunther (Google Books preview,) says that the Roxy Theatre was demolished to make way for a Woolworth store that was opened in 1954.
“Historic Signs of Savannah,” by Justin Gunther (Google Books preview,) says that the Avon Theatre was built in 1944. A smaller theater originally called the Folly and later the Band Box was demolished to provide space for its entrance building, and its auditorium was on a lot fronting on State Street. The Avon closed in 1970, and the auditorium has been demolished, but the entrance building, now a restaurant, still sports the Avon’s semicircular marquee.
The architectural firm responsible for the Empire Theatre was Mauran, Russell & Crowell (John Lawrence Mauran, Ernest John Russell, and William DeForrest Crowell.) Quite a few Internet sources give Crowell’s surname as Crowe, but reliable period sources such as Western Architect invariably say Crowell.
A biography of architect John Lawrence Mauran indicates that this theater was designed toward the end of the period when he was a partner in Mauran, Russell & Garden (with Ernest John Russell and Edward G. Garden,) and before the successor firm of Mauran, Russell & Crowell was formed (note correct spelling of William DeForrest Crowell’s surname.) Garden left the firm in 1909, the year this theater would have been designed, and Crowell became a partner in 1911, the year after the theater opened.
The Georgia Historical Society site doesn’t specifically say that the Palace opened in 1910, only that Oliver Hardy remained in Milledgeville and worked at the Palace when his mother left town in 1910, and that the Palace was the town’s first movie theater. Unless there is some other source that provides firm 1910 opening date for the Palace, we have to consider the possibility that the theater might have been in operation for some time before Oliver Hardy became its manager.
In fact it seems very unlikely that Milledgeville would not have gotten its first movie house until 1910. It was a good-sized town by 1900, with over 4000 people, and had actually been Georgia’s capital city from 1804 until 1868.
If the Palace did open as late as 1910, it probably wasn’t Milledgeville’s first movie theater. The September 19, 1908, issue of The Moving Picture World had this item: “Milledgeville, Ga.—F. W. Butts has leased a store in the Elks Building and will install a moving picture show.”
Perhaps Mr. Butts' project never got off the ground, or perhaps his theater’s existence was very brief and has been forgotten by local historians. I’ve been unable to find any other information about the Elks Building except for a Wikipedia article about the Twin Lakes Library System, which says that Milledgeville’s first library opened in the vacant Elks Building in 1938, but it indicates that the building was located on Hancock Street, so Mr. Butts' 1908 project must not have been the Palace Theatre.
Naughtius: The theater at 20th and Farnam is the former Paramount, known as the Astro from 1962 until it closed as a movie theater, and now restored and reopened as the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center.
The architect of the Big Nickel Theatre was John Wilson Siddall. I will upload a photo of the facade as it originally appeared in 1913, from the trade journal Construction.
A one-storey annex of the Telephone Company building now occupies the site of the State Theatre. David B. Owens' book “Conneaut” (Google Books Preview says that the State was closed and demolished in 1966. The address of the original telephone building is 228 State Street, so the adjacent theater’s address would have been approximately 224 State.
An aerial photo on page 67 of Owens' book shows that the State Theatre had a stage house, while the Ohio Theatre at the east end of the block did not. The State was probably the older of the two theaters. Page 74 of the book has both exterior and interior photos of the State Theatre.
The Ohio Theatre has been demolished. The book “Conneaut,” by David B. Owens, says that it was torn down in 1960 and replaced by a drive-in restaurant. Today the site is occupied by a filling station.
Owens' book (Google Books preview) has an undated aerial photo that shows the relationship between the Ohio and the State Theatre down the block. The State had a stage tower, and the Ohio did not, but the auditoriums looked to be about the same size.
I ought to have mentioned that the photo in the book is the same one Don linked to in the first comment. The significant information is that in the caption that reveals the address.
There’s a 1920s photo of Main Street on page 71 of the book “Conneaut,” by David P. Owens, and it shows the Academy Theatre (Google Books preview.) It looks like a small nickelodeon-style house. The photo caption says that the building is still standing and is occupied by Gerdes Pharmacy. The Internet says that Gerdes Pharmacy is at 245 Main Street.
Perhaps someone with a long memory will recognize the photo a lower right on this page of the January 8, 1938, issue of Boxoffice. It illustrates an article about rubber mats for theater entrances, and shows the outer lobby of the Satuit Playhouse.
Mike, unless this house sat dark for a full year after being completed, you’re a year late on the opening date. Architect Edward Paul Lewin wrote a three-page article about the Times Theatre for Boxoffice, which appeared in the issue of April 30, 1938. It has several photos of the theater.
The January 8 issue of Boxoffice the same year had another article about the project, also penned by Lewin, which featured some of his renderings of the design.
The August 27, 1919, issue of The American Architect published an early announcement about the plans for the Victory Theatre, though it placed the site at Suffolk and Chestnut Streets rather than Suffolk and Walnut:
“HOLYOKE, MASS.—An up-to-date theater, seating 2420 people, which can stage vaudeville, moving pictures, a stock company or legitimate plays, is to be erected by the Victory Theater Co., of which Nathan Goldstein of Springfield, Mass., is president. This company has purchased the lot at the corner of Suffolk and Chestnut Sts. and will erect a $350,000 playhouse from the plans of Mowll & Rand, Unity Bldg., Boston. Mass. The building will also include a number of stores.”
Later notices in other publications reduced the cost of the project to $250,000, but Mowll & Rand were still listed as the architects.
The current restoration of the Victory Theatre is designed by the Providence, Rhode Island, firm DBVW Architects (Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels.) Their web site currently features a rendering of how the completed project will look, plus four current photos of the theater.
The Burland Theatre apparently did not open as a Loew’s house. An article in The New York Times of November 16, 1914, said that David V. Picker had taken a lease on the Burland even before it was built, and had taken over direct operation of the house in June, 1914. The article said that he had lately sold a half interest in the Burland and his other house, the Eighth Avenue Theatre, to H. Whitman Bennett, and that the partners intended to open additional theaters on Broadway, in Brooklyn, and in nearby cities.
Also, the Archer has not been demolished. The front has been remodeled, but you can still see the brick side and rear walls of the theater in Google Street View along the block of Damen north of 35th. There is a stage house, so it probably hosted vaudeville as well as movies in its early years.
Google Maps has put this Henry Newhouse-designed theater in the wrong neighborhood. The actual location of 2010 W. 35th Street is between Damen and Archer Avenues, about two and a half miles mile west of where Google has placed its pin icon.
The Archer Theatre was under construction when this notice was published in the September 3, 1910, issue of The American Contractor: “Theater & 2-Store Building (class 4. 1100 seating cap.): 1 sty. 75x125. $40,000. W. 35th st. & Archer av. Architect Henry L. Newhouse, 4630 Prairie av. Owner Archer Amusement Association, care architect. Plastering let to Chas. Seaberg, 1302 Addison st. Up to second story.”
Surprisingly, this diminutive movie house was designed by a well-known theater architect. Here is the notice about it published in the August 27, 1910, issue of The American contractor: “Theatre (seating 299): Known as Lyric Theatre. 1 sty. 24x100. 1217 Milwaukee av. Architect Henry L. Newhouse, 4630 Prairie av. Owner E. Alberti, care architect. Architect taking figures. Brick & plaster, gravel roof, plaster cornice, struct. iron, Georgia pine & cement floors, marble, mosaic, gas & electric fixtures, nickel plumbing.”
The November 15, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World had a short article about the Riverview Theatre. Judging from the description the magazine gave, the auditorium must have been rather tunnel-like, being 219 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 35 feet high. The projection booth extended above the rear part of the seating, with a throw of 150 feet to the 14x18-foot screen.
The November 15, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World gave the opening date of the Heights Theatre as October 11. The house was fitted with a Hope-Jones unit orchestra.
The November 15, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World said that the Burland Theatre had opened on November 1. In addition to the 2000-seat indoor theater, the project included an adjacent 3000-seat airdome for use during hot weather. The projection booth was situated so that the projectors could be turned around to face the screen of either theater. The house featured films made by Famous Players, All Star, and Kinemacolor.
The Burland had a seven-piece orchestra, but the MPW item made no mention of vaudeville. In fact, it noted that the screen in the indoor auditorium was against the back wall, with a throw of 155 feet. Prices were ten and fifteen cents for evening performances, five cents for weekday matinees, and ten cents for Sunday matinees.
Here’s the notice of this theater’s plans in the January 1, 1913, issue of The American Architect:
Architect Frederick Beall is noted for the numerous row-house projects he designed during this period.“Historic Signs of Savannah,” by Justin Gunther (Google Books preview,) says that the Odeon Theatre had been renamed the State by 1950, and was demolished in 1960 to make way for the First Federal Savings Bank building.
“Historic Signs of Savannah,” by Justin Gunther (Google Books preview,) says that the Roxy Theatre was demolished to make way for a Woolworth store that was opened in 1954.
“Historic Signs of Savannah,” by Justin Gunther (Google Books preview,) says that the Avon Theatre was built in 1944. A smaller theater originally called the Folly and later the Band Box was demolished to provide space for its entrance building, and its auditorium was on a lot fronting on State Street. The Avon closed in 1970, and the auditorium has been demolished, but the entrance building, now a restaurant, still sports the Avon’s semicircular marquee.
The architectural firm responsible for the Empire Theatre was Mauran, Russell & Crowell (John Lawrence Mauran, Ernest John Russell, and William DeForrest Crowell.) Quite a few Internet sources give Crowell’s surname as Crowe, but reliable period sources such as Western Architect invariably say Crowell.
A biography of architect John Lawrence Mauran indicates that this theater was designed toward the end of the period when he was a partner in Mauran, Russell & Garden (with Ernest John Russell and Edward G. Garden,) and before the successor firm of Mauran, Russell & Crowell was formed (note correct spelling of William DeForrest Crowell’s surname.) Garden left the firm in 1909, the year this theater would have been designed, and Crowell became a partner in 1911, the year after the theater opened.
The Georgia Historical Society site doesn’t specifically say that the Palace opened in 1910, only that Oliver Hardy remained in Milledgeville and worked at the Palace when his mother left town in 1910, and that the Palace was the town’s first movie theater. Unless there is some other source that provides firm 1910 opening date for the Palace, we have to consider the possibility that the theater might have been in operation for some time before Oliver Hardy became its manager.
In fact it seems very unlikely that Milledgeville would not have gotten its first movie house until 1910. It was a good-sized town by 1900, with over 4000 people, and had actually been Georgia’s capital city from 1804 until 1868.
If the Palace did open as late as 1910, it probably wasn’t Milledgeville’s first movie theater. The September 19, 1908, issue of The Moving Picture World had this item: “Milledgeville, Ga.—F. W. Butts has leased a store in the Elks Building and will install a moving picture show.”
Perhaps Mr. Butts' project never got off the ground, or perhaps his theater’s existence was very brief and has been forgotten by local historians. I’ve been unable to find any other information about the Elks Building except for a Wikipedia article about the Twin Lakes Library System, which says that Milledgeville’s first library opened in the vacant Elks Building in 1938, but it indicates that the building was located on Hancock Street, so Mr. Butts' 1908 project must not have been the Palace Theatre.
Naughtius: The theater at 20th and Farnam is the former Paramount, known as the Astro from 1962 until it closed as a movie theater, and now restored and reopened as the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center.
The architect of the Big Nickel Theatre was John Wilson Siddall. I will upload a photo of the facade as it originally appeared in 1913, from the trade journal Construction.
A one-storey annex of the Telephone Company building now occupies the site of the State Theatre. David B. Owens' book “Conneaut” (Google Books Preview says that the State was closed and demolished in 1966. The address of the original telephone building is 228 State Street, so the adjacent theater’s address would have been approximately 224 State.
An aerial photo on page 67 of Owens' book shows that the State Theatre had a stage house, while the Ohio Theatre at the east end of the block did not. The State was probably the older of the two theaters. Page 74 of the book has both exterior and interior photos of the State Theatre.
The Ohio Theatre has been demolished. The book “Conneaut,” by David B. Owens, says that it was torn down in 1960 and replaced by a drive-in restaurant. Today the site is occupied by a filling station.
Owens' book (Google Books preview) has an undated aerial photo that shows the relationship between the Ohio and the State Theatre down the block. The State had a stage tower, and the Ohio did not, but the auditoriums looked to be about the same size.
I ought to have mentioned that the photo in the book is the same one Don linked to in the first comment. The significant information is that in the caption that reveals the address.
There’s a 1920s photo of Main Street on page 71 of the book “Conneaut,” by David P. Owens, and it shows the Academy Theatre (Google Books preview.) It looks like a small nickelodeon-style house. The photo caption says that the building is still standing and is occupied by Gerdes Pharmacy. The Internet says that Gerdes Pharmacy is at 245 Main Street.
Perhaps someone with a long memory will recognize the photo a lower right on this page of the January 8, 1938, issue of Boxoffice. It illustrates an article about rubber mats for theater entrances, and shows the outer lobby of the Satuit Playhouse.
Here is a fresh link to the 1938 Boxoffice article about glass blocks, which features two photos of the Webster Theatre.
A photo of the lobby of the Beach Cliff Theatre appeared as the frontispiece of the Modern Theatre section of Boxoffice of January 8, 1938.
Mike, unless this house sat dark for a full year after being completed, you’re a year late on the opening date. Architect Edward Paul Lewin wrote a three-page article about the Times Theatre for Boxoffice, which appeared in the issue of April 30, 1938. It has several photos of the theater.
The January 8 issue of Boxoffice the same year had another article about the project, also penned by Lewin, which featured some of his renderings of the design.
The August 27, 1919, issue of The American Architect published an early announcement about the plans for the Victory Theatre, though it placed the site at Suffolk and Chestnut Streets rather than Suffolk and Walnut:
Later notices in other publications reduced the cost of the project to $250,000, but Mowll & Rand were still listed as the architects.The current restoration of the Victory Theatre is designed by the Providence, Rhode Island, firm DBVW Architects (Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels.) Their web site currently features a rendering of how the completed project will look, plus four current photos of the theater.