Boyd Theatre
1908-18 Chestnut Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19103
1908-18 Chestnut Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19103
44 people
favorited this theater
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I continue to have hope for our abandoned palaces:
Brooklyn’s incredible Loew’s Kings has finally commenced its $70MM restoration with a projected completion date of 2014. This will add yet another theater to New York’s collection of, arguably, the largest and best collection of restored palaces in the world. Among them, Radio City, The Hollywood, The New Amsterdam, The Beacon, The St. George, Loew’s Paradise, Loew’s Valencia, The Elmwood, Loews 175th Street, The Apollo, among others. I woud also include the two palaces in Jersey City (Loews Jersey and The RKO Stanley to the list) Still to come? The Staten Island Paramount, Loew’s Canal, The Brooklyn Paramount, RKO Keiths Richmond Hill, Loew’s Shore, The Jackson and others.
New York has criminally also lost some of the most beautiful theaters ever built. Among them the Roxy, The original Ziegfeld, The Center, The Capitol, The Rivoli, Proctors East 59th Street, Loew’s 72nd Street, The Triboro, and on and on. However, due to the sheer volume of palaces built, New York has been able to retain an embarassment of riches.
Philadelphia cannot let the opportunity to retain at least ONE restored palace slip through its fingers. Philadelphia is a City of History, a City of Culture, a City of Architecture. It should (and I believe it is) a City of PRIDE. Save the Boyd! Restore the Boyd!
Below is the story from the NY Post:
LONG LIVE KINGS OF FLATBUSH
Plans to turn Brooklyn’s biggest movie theater — the once-majestic Loews Kings in Flatbush — into “the next Apollo” should become reality by 2014, officials say. Borough President Marty Markowitz is expected to announce during his State of the Borough address tonight that architects and contractors have finally begun site-preparation work on the city’s $70 million plan to restore the 82-year-old historic jewel to its former glory. The theater, which seats 3,195, closed its doors in 1978.
Construction is set to begin next year.
Markowitz â€" who has led a community effort to restore the theater â€" says in prepared remarks that when complete, the site will be “a state-of-the-art, 21st century performance venue” and “the pride of Flatbush and all of Brooklyn.”
Part of the Loews Kings' legacy is its A-list of former employees — among them Barbra Streisand and Sylvester Stallone, who worked as ushers. It’s also where Markowitz attended high-school graduation and took his first date. After decades of failed attempts to rejuvenate the site, the city last year tapped Houston-based ACE Theatrical Group to restore the historic theater to its original French-Renaissance-style, so that ACE could present up to 250 concerts, theatrical performances and community events annually.
I used to love this dumpy old theater. I last went there in 2002, around the time it closed. I saw “Hannibal” there. My girlfriend at the time wouldn’t go with me again because something ran over her foot. It was in a sad way — the carpets and walls looked like they were originals. The moulding and decorative architecture on the walls was badly aged and water damaged. I kept hoping someone would swoop in to preserve this gem, and I foolishly thought that if I continued to patronize the place I might be pumping some money into that end. I would have thought it would have survived, like some of the older theaters in the suburbs or the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C.
The Boyd Theatre’s 82nd birthday is Saturday. Another year being unused. Shame. This could the city’s Tower Theater, if it wasn’t for the taxes, thank you Ed Rendell.
I add to this album of vintage Pa. and Ca.(LA) theaters and memorabilia from time to time:
View link
The owner Live Nation has recently repainted the plywood so it looks better. Friends of the Boyd continue to work so that the Boyd will have a great future! We hope you all of your fans of historic cinemas will also be supportive of our efforts.
It was a good story till the end.
2010 photo was a sad ending compared to the 1968 photo.Lots of interesting stories.
May 21, 1980. I was standing in line at the Sam Eric, waiting to see “THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK”. Ths would be the last time I would get to sit in the balcony. In February 1997, I stood on line to see “THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK the special edition”. It’s third and final release at the Sam Eric, 1982 reissue the second. At the Loews Cherry Hill, always go on a weekday (!), is passing off a movie screen to me the size on the Sam Eric, as IMAX. I wonder how the theater would fare today with all this digital tech, picture and sound. It may sound terrible, but I am so spoiled by my Blu ray, I love digital. I went to the Film Forum in New York to see, BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, a newly stuck 35mm print. In the back of my mind I was thinking how good the blu ray will look.
“Revitalizing Chestnut Street” – where have I heard that before?
Penway14, The Boyd Theatre is still standing, with the Boyd Cinerama marquee and the vertical “Sam Eric 4” marquee. The Aldine/Viking/Cinema 19/Sam’s Place Twin Theatre is also still standing, with a CVS/pharmacy inside the building.
That theatre that was a block over was probally the World Theatre
I really got to know the Boyd when I was college at West Chester, but when I was younger my parents had taken me into Philly to see “Seven Wonders of the World” in Cinerama. I remember looking over the edge of the balcony because the sound was so realistic I thought there was an orchestra down there. I also remember seeing MGM’s “Ben-Hur” and “Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” (in 3-panel Cinerama).
When I was in college I saw Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” there. It was in some odd European wide-screen process but still very impressive on the Boyd’s still wide screen.
veyoung mentions a planned reopening. Is the Boyd building still even there?
I also remember the Viking, a little ways down Chestnet St. from the Boyd. I remember sneaking in from West Chester one evening to see a re-issue of “Raintree County” there.
There was also a small theater about a block over from Chestnut (as I recall). It used to show double features of second-run foreign (and probably other) films, sort of like some of the theaters on old 42nd St. in NYC. I don’t remember the name of it it but I went there a lot after college.
Here is a November 1968 photo from Temple U:
http://tinyurl.com/yg2p3ao
Hal Wheeler, who planned to acquire and reopen the Boyd, passed away this past Monday (25).
View link
Picture of the original Cinerama screen at the Boyd from the Temple University’s Urban Archive: (ridiculously described as a “white backdrop”: View link
Here is hoping in 2010 something will be done with this theater. In Montgomery County, they are having great success.
Jonathan, that’s great! Are there other Philadelphia theaters on slides there, too? If so, please link them to the appropriate pages, and feel free to email me directly (found after clicking my name).
For those who would like to see a gorgeous color slide of the Boyd in Philadelphia in her Cinerama days there one for sale (mislabled) currently on Fleecebay: ClickHere.
THANKS!
/theaters/3358/
It’s listed as Sam’s Place One & Two. In the search area check off previous names.
What is the theater down the street in that picture? The Aldine? I tried searching for it and nothing came up. Is it listed here by another name?
Here is a photo circa 1952:
http://tinyurl.com/nk57fc
Here is a 1935 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/rdrq3x
Here is the photo to which Dennis was referring. Date is 1980. I actually saw that film at the Sam Eric when it was playing there.
http://tinyurl.com/o8tenu
American Classic Images also has an older picture of the Sameric before the other three theatres were added. The film showing was a 70mm presentation (Either a “Star Wars” and “Indy” film if I remember.) And they had the fabric banner around the bottom of the marquee stating it was a 70mm 6 track Dolby stereo sound presentation. Even though I have a picture of the “Boyd” from earlier, I am still thinking of ordering a copy of this one. And the sign board above the marquee only advertises the one film – naturally.