The Shoregate Shopping Center was opened theatre-less in 1954. In November of 1963, this project was announced as a $125,000 900-seat venue for the Broumas Theatre Circuit which was designing new shopping center theaters primarily in Ohio, Viriginia, and Maryland. It was said to be the final phase of Shoregate’s expansion. It was to be the 45th theatre for the circuit which had plans for new roadshow theatres in Youngstown, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. Broumas would end up in bankruptcy in early 1967.
The Staunton Drive-In Theatre launched August 22, 1952 with “The Cimmaron Kid.” The theatre became part of the Broumas Theatre Circuit in 1965 and 1966. It closed after its 25-year lease lapsed closing in style on October 16, 1977 with a double feature of Robert Vaughn in “Starship Invasions” and Giacomo Rossi Stuart in “The War Between The Planets.”
The Orpheum Theatre was created within the Royal Hotel (later the Royal Apartments) property in 1916 by candy store operator and former Olympic Theatre operator, Pete L. Mikalarias. It launched December 14, 1916 with Mary Pickford in “Less Then the Dust.” In May of 1929, Mikalarias, installed Vitaphone to bring the theatre in the talking picture era.
In 1938, Mikalarias sold the theatre to Notopoulos Theatres which hired John G Broumas to managed the venue. The Orpheum was later acquired by Publix Theatres. Publix dropped the theatre in December of 1964.
Broumas created his Broumas Theatre Circuit based in Maryland and returned to the Orpheum acquiring it in 1965. He would give the theatre a final refresh complete with new front, new marquee and lots of cherry paneling covering up the past at its relaunch on July 21, 1965 with “The Yellow Rolls Royce.” But Broumas would go bankrupt just a year thereafter and things did not improve at the Orpheum after the Circuit’s departure.
The Orpheum closed on April 27, 1969 with Dean Martin in “The Wrecking Crew.” Promised showings of Jerry Lewis in “Hook, Line and Sinker” were cancelled. And, sadly, the wrecking crew did appear once again as the theatre was demolished on June 14, 1969.
General Cinema announced this triplex in 1977 when Lima’s American mall received a 21-store addition by DeBartolo Corp. headed by a Service Merchandise store. Cinema I-II-III opened in 1978.
The Eastgate Shopping Center opened in 1975 as a two-phase complex anchored by a Rink’s discount department store. Frontier Theatres I & II signed on at the outset and launched March 12, 1976 with “Barry Lyndon” and “Lucky Lady.” Later it was renamed for the Eastgate Shopping Center.
The former General Cinema became the long-running Northwood Cinema Grill in 1998 reopening with “There’s Something About Mary” and “What Dreams May Come.” The twin screener closed on March 16, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened June 19th for two weeks closing until September 4, 2020 for what turned out to be its final run. The Cinema Grill closed on October 29, 2020 with “The War With Grandpa” and a Halloween repertory run of “Hocus Pocus.” Plans to reopen at Thanksgiving with “The Croods 2” were scrapped and then the operators announced on December 29, 2020 that the closure would be permanent. It was one of many theatres closed permanently during the pandemic.
The AMC Classic Hickory Point was closed on March 16, 2020 along with its other locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theatre reopened on August 27, 2020 before being closed due to Illinois guidelines on November 20, 2020. That became the venue’s final day when AMC announced the permanent closure of the Hickory Point location in December of 2020.
Thanks, Joe. Another note: in September 1919, the Lyric Theatre installed a $10,000 Seeburg-Hope-Jones pipe organ. The Lyric hired Ellen Heartsick as the new organist.
When Manos bought the theatre, they indeed simply closed the Grand and demolished the building a block away for the Blair Theatre at 213-215 Allegheny. From 1937 to 1957, the building appears to have been leased for 20 years as a home furnishing and appliance store.
Chingos indeed returned to the location giving the Grand Theatre an encore after 20 years to reopen it with widescreen projection on October 2, 1957 with “Bail Out at 43,000 Feet” and “Kiss Before Dying.” The grand re-opening page is in photos.
According to the trade press and local paper, A. Edward Campbell opened the new Lyric Theatre on December 14, 1948 with a film and festivities to African American audiences likely on a 15-year lease. The booth had two Motiograph Model AA projectors, Motiongraph Mirrorphnic sound with Altec Lansing speakers, and Radiant Perfold screen. It also had a cry room. The theatre’s entertainment included second-run double features, first-run and second-run African American films including Sack Amusement titles, and live musical acts. It closed at the end of its 15-year lease awaiting its 21st Century redevelopment.
The new Lyric Theatre launched here on October 22, 1906 with Keith vaudeville. It was built on the site of Louis Plack’s Theatre which had opened in February of 1888 by was destroyed by fire just one year after its launch on March 5, 1889. Unfortunately, the Lyric had even less success. A fire gutted the structure after just its fourth month of operation on February 24, 1907. The theatre’s foundation and possibly a bit more was used by the Silverman Brothers and Plack who rebuilt the theatre for a third time. They sold the project to Wilmer & Vincent - which may have changed the site’s luck for the better - which (re-)opened it as the Orpheum Theatre on March 9, 1908 again with Keith vaudeville.
Motion pictures were where the money was in the 1920s and on September 12, 1927, the Orpheum gave way to the Embassy Theatre with first-run First National Picture films. The opening title was “The Stolen Bride” with Billie Dove. The Warner Bros. Circuit took on the Strand creating the Warner Theatre there and that ended the Embassy’s movie run. It stumbled into the Depression with an assortment of live plays and burlesque.
Louis J. Alleman took on the venue renaming it as the Penn Theatre on October 17, 1933 and going back to its Orpheum roots with nine acts of “first class” live vaudeville. It would also stage lower tier burley shows. The theatre gradually began to reduce vaudeville and burlesque moving more to second-run, double-feature showing of motion pictures. In 1938, A. Notopoulous and Publix Theatres purchased the property ending its movie run on September 30, 1942. It was then used for sporadic political speeches, rallies and War Bond drives during World War II. After the War, it appears to have gone dark. Demolition of the Penn Theatre for parking took place August and September of 1951.
Anast N. Notopoulos took on the Gamble-Paramount two blocks from here in 1919 closing it July 23, 1919 for a major refresh. He gave it an entirely new interior and exterior look and renamed it the New Victora Theatre opening on November 15, 1919 for what turned out to be a temporary stay of just over a year.
It turned out Notopoulous would have bigger ideas for the Victoria. Creating a steel interior theatre costing $1 million by local architect Walter Frieling, a new, New Victoria would open at this location at 11th Avenue and 16th St.. Meanwhile, the Gamble/short-term New Victoria Theatre would be renamed from the Victoria to the Capitol Theatre opening now with a Greek architectural theme on March 17, 1921. But the New Victoria fell well behind schedule.
While work continued on the New Victoria, the building’s Victoria Danceland dance hall opened four months prior to the theatre’s grand opening. The new Victoria’s giant sunburst sign had a grand launch all to itself prior to the theater’s opening in June of 1922. The well-placed Palace Confectioner and the Victoria Cigar Store also opened in June prior to the theater’s launch. One of the State’s largest pool halls, the Victoria Pool Hall, also opened in the entertainment mecca with 35 Brunswick pool tables in the basement of the theatre building in July of 1922.
The New Victoria, itself, finally opened on July 20, 1922 with Owen Moore starring in “Reported Missing.” In 1923, the Victoria became a publicly-held entity called the Victoria Theatre Corporation likely trying to recoup its over one million dollar and behind-schedule investment. That company went bankrupt quickly in 1924 and was disbanded in 1925. Wilmer & Vincent Circuit took over the bankrupt property giving it a major refresh and relaunching September 19, 1925 as the renamed State Theatre. The State opened with Harold Lloyd in “The Freshman” and music from the $35,000 Marr & Colton organ with J.F. Keith at the console. The State installed sound and then widescreen to stay competitive lasting to the Victoria/State venue’s 50th Anniversary. But at the end of its 50-year lease, the theatre closed in 1971 and was demolished a year later.
The Gamble Brothers, Robert and Andy, had an early regional circuit of silent film houses in Central Pennsylvania including Huntingdon and the Grand in Altoona. In 1912, Architect Julian Millard of Altoona drew the plans of a new Moorish styled theatre for the Gambles. It opened as a 700-seat theatre and was designed to be added to so that it, in the future, could be a skyscraper. The facility featured a Wurlitzer automatic orchestra which purportedly was the larges musical instrument every installed outside of the pipe organ in Wanamaker’s Department Store in Philadelphia. With an admission price of just a nickel, the Gambles hoped that quantity would pay for the building.
The new Gamble Theatre launched March 8, 1913 with motion pictures and live music. But in 1918, the Gamble Brothers sold their theatres and went into the auto industry before Andy came back into the movie business a decade later. The Gamble became the Gamble-Paramount operated by Publix circuit.
Anast N. Notopoulos took on the Gamble-Paramount in 1919 closing it July 23, 1919 for a major refresh. He gave it an entirely new interior and exterior look and renamed it the New Victora Theatre opening on November 15, 1919 for what turned out to be a temporary stay of just over a year. The new Victoria’s opening film was Douglas Fairbanks starring in “The Knickerbocker Buckaroo.” It now had a gold fibre screen surrounded by purple velvet. It received a horseshoe-shaped balcony that was in the original plans but never executed.
But Notopoulous would have bigger ideas for the Victoria. Creating a steel interior and new look by local architect Walter Frieling a new, New Victoria would return there and, later, be taken over by Wilmer & Vincent and converted to the long-running State Theatre.) Meanwhile, the Gamble/short-term New Victoria Theatre would become the Capitol Theatre opening now with a Greek architectural theme by Sholler & Hersh and the film, “Behold My Wife,” on March 17, 1921. The Capitol installed sound and then widescreen to stay competitive . The theatre appears to have closed June 28, 1963 with “The Nutty Professor.”
The Strand launched with Pauline Frederick in “The Moment Before” on May 29, 1916. Warner Brothers Circuit took on the venue after a refresh with Vitaphone sound and the Richard Barthelmess film, “The Dawn Patrol” on August 15th, 1930. On March 10, 1933, Warner Brothers dropped the theatre.
The Silverman Brothers took over the venue briefly as Silverman Brothers' Warner Theatre on March 19, 1933. On November 9, 1933, the Silvermans changed back to the Strand Theatre moniker with Paul Lukas starring in “Captured.” The Strand closed on October 10, 1954 with a double-feature of “Three Forbidden Stories” and “The 39 Steps.”
The Pastime Theatre launched at 1504-6 11th Avenue on June 5, 1907 with “refined” motion pictures and vaudeville by the Silverman Brothers. Operating on a ten-year lease, the theatre closed on May 1, 1917.
The Juniata Theatre opened on October 8, 1912. It had a variety of operators in the 1910s including common ownership with the Pastime Theatre beginning in 1915. The Juniata added sound in 1929. It suffered the October 30, 1945 fire which gutted the facility with a reopening there in 1946.
CMX Cinemas closed this along with all of its locations on March 16, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later CMX declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy trying to renegotiate as many leases as possible. It was unable to do so with this location and closed it permanently. The venue awaited a new operator.
CMX Cinemas closed this along with all of its locations on March 16, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later CMX declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy trying to renegotiate as many leases as possible.
The Chateau became one of many theatre closed permanently during the pandemic. The theater occupied suites 106 and 107 which were leased individually in August 2020 ending the theater’s run.
The Shoregate Shopping Center was opened theatre-less in 1954. In November of 1963, this project was announced as a $125,000 900-seat venue for the Broumas Theatre Circuit which was designing new shopping center theaters primarily in Ohio, Viriginia, and Maryland. It was said to be the final phase of Shoregate’s expansion. It was to be the 45th theatre for the circuit which had plans for new roadshow theatres in Youngstown, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. Broumas would end up in bankruptcy in early 1967.
The Staunton Drive-In Theatre launched August 22, 1952 with “The Cimmaron Kid.” The theatre became part of the Broumas Theatre Circuit in 1965 and 1966. It closed after its 25-year lease lapsed closing in style on October 16, 1977 with a double feature of Robert Vaughn in “Starship Invasions” and Giacomo Rossi Stuart in “The War Between The Planets.”
The Orpheum Theatre was created within the Royal Hotel (later the Royal Apartments) property in 1916 by candy store operator and former Olympic Theatre operator, Pete L. Mikalarias. It launched December 14, 1916 with Mary Pickford in “Less Then the Dust.” In May of 1929, Mikalarias, installed Vitaphone to bring the theatre in the talking picture era.
In 1938, Mikalarias sold the theatre to Notopoulos Theatres which hired John G Broumas to managed the venue. The Orpheum was later acquired by Publix Theatres. Publix dropped the theatre in December of 1964.
Broumas created his Broumas Theatre Circuit based in Maryland and returned to the Orpheum acquiring it in 1965. He would give the theatre a final refresh complete with new front, new marquee and lots of cherry paneling covering up the past at its relaunch on July 21, 1965 with “The Yellow Rolls Royce.” But Broumas would go bankrupt just a year thereafter and things did not improve at the Orpheum after the Circuit’s departure.
The Orpheum closed on April 27, 1969 with Dean Martin in “The Wrecking Crew.” Promised showings of Jerry Lewis in “Hook, Line and Sinker” were cancelled. And, sadly, the wrecking crew did appear once again as the theatre was demolished on June 14, 1969.
General Cinema announced this triplex in 1977 when Lima’s American mall received a 21-store addition by DeBartolo Corp. headed by a Service Merchandise store. Cinema I-II-III opened in 1978.
The Eastgate Shopping Center opened in 1975 as a two-phase complex anchored by a Rink’s discount department store. Frontier Theatres I & II signed on at the outset and launched March 12, 1976 with “Barry Lyndon” and “Lucky Lady.” Later it was renamed for the Eastgate Shopping Center.
The former General Cinema became the long-running Northwood Cinema Grill in 1998 reopening with “There’s Something About Mary” and “What Dreams May Come.” The twin screener closed on March 16, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened June 19th for two weeks closing until September 4, 2020 for what turned out to be its final run. The Cinema Grill closed on October 29, 2020 with “The War With Grandpa” and a Halloween repertory run of “Hocus Pocus.” Plans to reopen at Thanksgiving with “The Croods 2” were scrapped and then the operators announced on December 29, 2020 that the closure would be permanent. It was one of many theatres closed permanently during the pandemic.
The AMC Classic Hickory Point was closed on March 16, 2020 along with its other locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theatre reopened on August 27, 2020 before being closed due to Illinois guidelines on November 20, 2020. That became the venue’s final day when AMC announced the permanent closure of the Hickory Point location in December of 2020.
The Blair Theatre launches with Sonja Henie in “Thin Ice” on December 23, 1937.
Thanks, Joe. Another note: in September 1919, the Lyric Theatre installed a $10,000 Seeburg-Hope-Jones pipe organ. The Lyric hired Ellen Heartsick as the new organist.
When Manos bought the theatre, they indeed simply closed the Grand and demolished the building a block away for the Blair Theatre at 213-215 Allegheny. From 1937 to 1957, the building appears to have been leased for 20 years as a home furnishing and appliance store.
Chingos indeed returned to the location giving the Grand Theatre an encore after 20 years to reopen it with widescreen projection on October 2, 1957 with “Bail Out at 43,000 Feet” and “Kiss Before Dying.” The grand re-opening page is in photos.
According to the trade press and local paper, A. Edward Campbell opened the new Lyric Theatre on December 14, 1948 with a film and festivities to African American audiences likely on a 15-year lease. The booth had two Motiograph Model AA projectors, Motiongraph Mirrorphnic sound with Altec Lansing speakers, and Radiant Perfold screen. It also had a cry room. The theatre’s entertainment included second-run double features, first-run and second-run African American films including Sack Amusement titles, and live musical acts. It closed at the end of its 15-year lease awaiting its 21st Century redevelopment.
The new Lyric Theatre launched here on October 22, 1906 with Keith vaudeville. It was built on the site of Louis Plack’s Theatre which had opened in February of 1888 by was destroyed by fire just one year after its launch on March 5, 1889. Unfortunately, the Lyric had even less success. A fire gutted the structure after just its fourth month of operation on February 24, 1907. The theatre’s foundation and possibly a bit more was used by the Silverman Brothers and Plack who rebuilt the theatre for a third time. They sold the project to Wilmer & Vincent - which may have changed the site’s luck for the better - which (re-)opened it as the Orpheum Theatre on March 9, 1908 again with Keith vaudeville.
Motion pictures were where the money was in the 1920s and on September 12, 1927, the Orpheum gave way to the Embassy Theatre with first-run First National Picture films. The opening title was “The Stolen Bride” with Billie Dove. The Warner Bros. Circuit took on the Strand creating the Warner Theatre there and that ended the Embassy’s movie run. It stumbled into the Depression with an assortment of live plays and burlesque.
Louis J. Alleman took on the venue renaming it as the Penn Theatre on October 17, 1933 and going back to its Orpheum roots with nine acts of “first class” live vaudeville. It would also stage lower tier burley shows. The theatre gradually began to reduce vaudeville and burlesque moving more to second-run, double-feature showing of motion pictures. In 1938, A. Notopoulous and Publix Theatres purchased the property ending its movie run on September 30, 1942. It was then used for sporadic political speeches, rallies and War Bond drives during World War II. After the War, it appears to have gone dark. Demolition of the Penn Theatre for parking took place August and September of 1951.
Anast N. Notopoulos took on the Gamble-Paramount two blocks from here in 1919 closing it July 23, 1919 for a major refresh. He gave it an entirely new interior and exterior look and renamed it the New Victora Theatre opening on November 15, 1919 for what turned out to be a temporary stay of just over a year.
It turned out Notopoulous would have bigger ideas for the Victoria. Creating a steel interior theatre costing $1 million by local architect Walter Frieling, a new, New Victoria would open at this location at 11th Avenue and 16th St.. Meanwhile, the Gamble/short-term New Victoria Theatre would be renamed from the Victoria to the Capitol Theatre opening now with a Greek architectural theme on March 17, 1921. But the New Victoria fell well behind schedule.
While work continued on the New Victoria, the building’s Victoria Danceland dance hall opened four months prior to the theatre’s grand opening. The new Victoria’s giant sunburst sign had a grand launch all to itself prior to the theater’s opening in June of 1922. The well-placed Palace Confectioner and the Victoria Cigar Store also opened in June prior to the theater’s launch. One of the State’s largest pool halls, the Victoria Pool Hall, also opened in the entertainment mecca with 35 Brunswick pool tables in the basement of the theatre building in July of 1922.
The New Victoria, itself, finally opened on July 20, 1922 with Owen Moore starring in “Reported Missing.” In 1923, the Victoria became a publicly-held entity called the Victoria Theatre Corporation likely trying to recoup its over one million dollar and behind-schedule investment. That company went bankrupt quickly in 1924 and was disbanded in 1925. Wilmer & Vincent Circuit took over the bankrupt property giving it a major refresh and relaunching September 19, 1925 as the renamed State Theatre. The State opened with Harold Lloyd in “The Freshman” and music from the $35,000 Marr & Colton organ with J.F. Keith at the console. The State installed sound and then widescreen to stay competitive lasting to the Victoria/State venue’s 50th Anniversary. But at the end of its 50-year lease, the theatre closed in 1971 and was demolished a year later.
The Gamble Brothers, Robert and Andy, had an early regional circuit of silent film houses in Central Pennsylvania including Huntingdon and the Grand in Altoona. In 1912, Architect Julian Millard of Altoona drew the plans of a new Moorish styled theatre for the Gambles. It opened as a 700-seat theatre and was designed to be added to so that it, in the future, could be a skyscraper. The facility featured a Wurlitzer automatic orchestra which purportedly was the larges musical instrument every installed outside of the pipe organ in Wanamaker’s Department Store in Philadelphia. With an admission price of just a nickel, the Gambles hoped that quantity would pay for the building.
The new Gamble Theatre launched March 8, 1913 with motion pictures and live music. But in 1918, the Gamble Brothers sold their theatres and went into the auto industry before Andy came back into the movie business a decade later. The Gamble became the Gamble-Paramount operated by Publix circuit.
Anast N. Notopoulos took on the Gamble-Paramount in 1919 closing it July 23, 1919 for a major refresh. He gave it an entirely new interior and exterior look and renamed it the New Victora Theatre opening on November 15, 1919 for what turned out to be a temporary stay of just over a year. The new Victoria’s opening film was Douglas Fairbanks starring in “The Knickerbocker Buckaroo.” It now had a gold fibre screen surrounded by purple velvet. It received a horseshoe-shaped balcony that was in the original plans but never executed.
But Notopoulous would have bigger ideas for the Victoria. Creating a steel interior and new look by local architect Walter Frieling a new, New Victoria would return there and, later, be taken over by Wilmer & Vincent and converted to the long-running State Theatre.) Meanwhile, the Gamble/short-term New Victoria Theatre would become the Capitol Theatre opening now with a Greek architectural theme by Sholler & Hersh and the film, “Behold My Wife,” on March 17, 1921. The Capitol installed sound and then widescreen to stay competitive . The theatre appears to have closed June 28, 1963 with “The Nutty Professor.”
Anast N. Notopoulos launched the New Olympic Theatre on June 3, 1915 with Betty Nansen in “A Woman’s Resurrection.”
The Strand launched with Pauline Frederick in “The Moment Before” on May 29, 1916. Warner Brothers Circuit took on the venue after a refresh with Vitaphone sound and the Richard Barthelmess film, “The Dawn Patrol” on August 15th, 1930. On March 10, 1933, Warner Brothers dropped the theatre.
The Silverman Brothers took over the venue briefly as Silverman Brothers' Warner Theatre on March 19, 1933. On November 9, 1933, the Silvermans changed back to the Strand Theatre moniker with Paul Lukas starring in “Captured.” The Strand closed on October 10, 1954 with a double-feature of “Three Forbidden Stories” and “The 39 Steps.”
The Pastime Theatre launched at 1504-6 11th Avenue on June 5, 1907 with “refined” motion pictures and vaudeville by the Silverman Brothers. Operating on a ten-year lease, the theatre closed on May 1, 1917.
The Juniata Theatre opened on October 8, 1912. It had a variety of operators in the 1910s including common ownership with the Pastime Theatre beginning in 1915. The Juniata added sound in 1929. It suffered the October 30, 1945 fire which gutted the facility with a reopening there in 1946.
CMX Cinemas closed this along with all of its locations on March 16, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later CMX declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy trying to renegotiate as many leases as possible. It was unable to do so with this location and closed it permanently. The venue awaited a new operator.
CMX Cinemas closed this along with all of its locations on March 16, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later CMX declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy trying to renegotiate as many leases as possible.
The Chateau became one of many theatre closed permanently during the pandemic. The theater occupied suites 106 and 107 which were leased individually in August 2020 ending the theater’s run.
Taken over by CMX Cinemas Circuit in October of 2017, this goes by the name of CMX CinéBistro CityPlace Doral
CMX Cinemas took on the location in October of 2017 when it bought out Cobb locations and operating it as CMX Countryside
CMX Cinemas Circuit took on the location in October of 2017 operating it as the CMX Downtown In The Gardens
Taken over by CMX Cinemas Circuit in October of 2017, this one goes by CMX CinéBistro Siesta Key.
Also, the link referenced in the May 6, 2017 is no longer active
Taken over by CMX Cinemas Circuit in October of 2017, this one goes by CMX Tyrone 10.
Also, the link referenced in the May 6, 2017 is no longer active / pictures removed
Taken over by CMX Theatres in October of 2017, this one goes by the name of the CMX Miami Lakes 17