Added this photo back in February, but here is the proper date and photo credit. Better scanned version of it too.
Globe marquee on the far left.
“The Man With Nine Lives” starring Boris Karloff.
the Apple maps are not reliable.
Copy & paste the address into Google and click on the map it gives you.
It will pull up an April 2019 Street View of the Regency Cinema at that location then.
Circa 1986 photo added credit El Paso County Historical Society.
Below additional history accompanied it on their Facebook page.
As early as 1921, there was talk among the businessmen of the growing Five Points area about the need for a movie theater, “but only a high-class house, showing the best of first-run pictures would pay, it was pointed out, as people would rather drive downtown than see poor pictures.”
Nineteen years later, on March 28, 1940, the Pershing opened in the heart of Five Points. A large supplement to the El Paso Times featured numerous display ads by local merchants welcoming the theater to the neighborhood. These included all those you might expect from the area, but also a notable ad taken out by C.C. Dues and W.H.M. Watson of the Crawford Theater across from San Jacinto Plaza. They wished manager Will Winch “a pleasant history and a bright future.” But they also took the opportunity to mention that their theater would be showing Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase and Legion of Lost Fliers.
The theater was designed by a couple of Dallas architects at a cost of $75,000. One of the Pershing’s major features was the marquee, which was made of porcelain enamel, featured 300 flashing lights and was called “the last word in this field.” It had terraza stone in the floor of the lobby and thickly padded carpets in the aisles and the stairway to the balcony. The theater accommodated 450 downstairs and another 250 in the balcony and had a parking lot for 68 cars.
Over the next four decades, the Pershing became known as El Paso’s family theater. All of Disney’s films premiered there.
But by the 1980s, the Pershing had seen better days. The Pershing was the last single-screen high-class movie theater built in El Paso before the rise of the malls and their multi-screen theaters forever changed the business.
In 1984, a church called La Puerta Gospel Church asked the city plan commission about holding services in the theater. But a city ordinance prevented bars and churches from being too close to one another. That’s the Pershing Inn right next door, which has been there since 1949. And just down the street are Lupe’s and the Italian Kitchen, which both serve liquor. The request was denied.
On June 8, 1986, the Pershing closed after 46 years with a showing of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. It reopened later that year as a second-run theater, then became a dollar theater in 1988.
In January 1989, photographer Marty Snortum bought the building. After extensive work, he made office space available to graphic designers, a filmmaker and other artists.
Update courtesy Ted Okuda. “June 14, 1956: A circus parade heads south on State Street, past the Shangri-La restaurant (222 N. State), on its way to the United Artists Theater (45 W. Randolph) to promote the opening of the movie TRAPEZE (starring Burt Lancaster, Gina Lollobrigida and Tony Curtis)”
In the book “Ripon” By Amanda Gesiorski, Naomi Jahn, Christian Krueger; Edited by Andrew Prellwitz and David Sakrison, on page 87 it says the Grand Opera House burned down in 1906.
Additional history courtesy If you grew up on the southside of Monroe, La Facebook page.
“Ronald Siegle opened a movie theater in this building in 1930, but closed the theater in 1932 and went bankrupt the following year. The 450-seat reopened in 1934 as the Rialto and later became part of a small chain of movie theaters operated my West Monroe resident Joseph M. Heard. Like other movie theaters in Louisiana the Rialto was racially segregated until the mid-1960’s. Only whites were permitted to enter through the main lobby and sit in seats on the main floor of the theater. African-Americans were required to enter through the side door that led directly to the balcony. The ticket booth that remains inside the building, has separate windows for the main lobby and the aide stairs to the balcony.”
July 1, 1940 photo credit John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration.
Thank you Ken Roe for all that you do. It is much appreciated.
Added this photo back in February, but here is the proper date and photo credit. Better scanned version of it too. Globe marquee on the far left. “The Man With Nine Lives” starring Boris Karloff.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-of-pedestrian-and-street-traffic-in-times-square-new-news-photo/553039689
Update, May 1, 1940 photo credit Andreas Feininger/Getty Images.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-of-pedestrian-and-street-traffic-in-times-square-new-news-photo/553039689
the Apple maps are not reliable. Copy & paste the address into Google and click on the map it gives you. It will pull up an April 2019 Street View of the Regency Cinema at that location then.
For ghamilton above, who mentioned the Mosque Theatre.
http://scottymoore.net/richmond.html?fbclid=IwAR3fKqrD0yb4G1l1FHypYuJIlUSoM_eztIKoc8lF403u_7JkFFSmKuTLFLs
Oak Park commission OKs Lake Theatre digital marquee:
https://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/8-30-2019/Oak-Park-commission-OKs-Lake-Theatre-digital-marquee/
2011 article with re-use of the frieze from the theatre.
http://www.elpasoinc.com/lifestyle/local_features/room-with-a-view/article_729bc800-1f6d-11e1-89cd-001a4bcf6878.html?fbclid=IwAR0FG4L4Zvjb4DJXyks6Tt0_HkdOCNCMf9-E4IyE1eFnfPjZYS85KBo_1bI
Circa 1986 photo added credit El Paso County Historical Society. Below additional history accompanied it on their Facebook page.
As early as 1921, there was talk among the businessmen of the growing Five Points area about the need for a movie theater, “but only a high-class house, showing the best of first-run pictures would pay, it was pointed out, as people would rather drive downtown than see poor pictures.”
Nineteen years later, on March 28, 1940, the Pershing opened in the heart of Five Points. A large supplement to the El Paso Times featured numerous display ads by local merchants welcoming the theater to the neighborhood. These included all those you might expect from the area, but also a notable ad taken out by C.C. Dues and W.H.M. Watson of the Crawford Theater across from San Jacinto Plaza. They wished manager Will Winch “a pleasant history and a bright future.” But they also took the opportunity to mention that their theater would be showing Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase and Legion of Lost Fliers.
The theater was designed by a couple of Dallas architects at a cost of $75,000. One of the Pershing’s major features was the marquee, which was made of porcelain enamel, featured 300 flashing lights and was called “the last word in this field.” It had terraza stone in the floor of the lobby and thickly padded carpets in the aisles and the stairway to the balcony. The theater accommodated 450 downstairs and another 250 in the balcony and had a parking lot for 68 cars.
Over the next four decades, the Pershing became known as El Paso’s family theater. All of Disney’s films premiered there.
But by the 1980s, the Pershing had seen better days. The Pershing was the last single-screen high-class movie theater built in El Paso before the rise of the malls and their multi-screen theaters forever changed the business.
In 1984, a church called La Puerta Gospel Church asked the city plan commission about holding services in the theater. But a city ordinance prevented bars and churches from being too close to one another. That’s the Pershing Inn right next door, which has been there since 1949. And just down the street are Lupe’s and the Italian Kitchen, which both serve liquor. The request was denied.
On June 8, 1986, the Pershing closed after 46 years with a showing of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. It reopened later that year as a second-run theater, then became a dollar theater in 1988.
In January 1989, photographer Marty Snortum bought the building. After extensive work, he made office space available to graphic designers, a filmmaker and other artists.
Evening Star, Washington, D.C.
Update courtesy Ted Okuda. “June 14, 1956: A circus parade heads south on State Street, past the Shangri-La restaurant (222 N. State), on its way to the United Artists Theater (45 W. Randolph) to promote the opening of the movie TRAPEZE (starring Burt Lancaster, Gina Lollobrigida and Tony Curtis)”
In the book “Ripon” By Amanda Gesiorski, Naomi Jahn, Christian Krueger; Edited by Andrew Prellwitz and David Sakrison, on page 87 it says the Grand Opera House burned down in 1906.
8/9/1967 Loews Theatre fire, courtesy of The Tennessean.
May `63 fire newspaper image added credit Denver Public Library North Denver Collection.
Here is what appears to be the official website.
https://www.dolby.com/us/en/professionals/content-creation/screening-rooms/vine-screening-room.html
1957 photo added.
November 1981 (3rd from top) and 1961 (bottom row left) photos in this link.
http://gabrielamericanrealty.com/vintageoleanpage.html
1954 photo added source unknown.
Golffanatc, your photo has been added crediting Sangamon Valley Archives.
Golffanatc, your photo has been added crediting Sangamon Valley Archives.
Additional history courtesy If you grew up on the southside of Monroe, La Facebook page.
“Ronald Siegle opened a movie theater in this building in 1930, but closed the theater in 1932 and went bankrupt the following year. The 450-seat reopened in 1934 as the Rialto and later became part of a small chain of movie theaters operated my West Monroe resident Joseph M. Heard. Like other movie theaters in Louisiana the Rialto was racially segregated until the mid-1960’s. Only whites were permitted to enter through the main lobby and sit in seats on the main floor of the theater. African-Americans were required to enter through the side door that led directly to the balcony. The ticket booth that remains inside the building, has separate windows for the main lobby and the aide stairs to the balcony.”
February 21, 1969 photo added credit Walter Leporati. Courtesy 70s/80s New York City Facebook page.
Late `50s photo added courtesy Old Canada Series Facebook page.
1974 photo added credit Chris Protopapas. Courtesy 70s/80s New York City Facebook page.