The Capitol Theater at 139 Common St. in Lawrence, near the intersection of Jackson St. opened in 1928 and operated until 1956. It was advertised as “The first Theater in the world built for talking pictures.”
Thanks NYozoner. The family had initally given me a location for it a few hundred yards west of there but you helped pinpoint it.
Here’s more on the history of the place
My guess is yes, it is Lowell. The building looks to match the one in the postcard of Lowell from 1913 though the marquee had obviously changed by the ‘40s. Great shot, thanks.
The photo that Lost Memory posted was not the Joy Drive-In in Minden, it was the Joy Drive-In in Shreveport on Greenwood Rd where the main Post Office is located now. That is the one that is referred to in the post above by Don Lewis and Billy Smith. It was owned I believe by Edgar Hand and Joy Houck.
I will have more on the Joy Drive-In in Minden later.
I was going by the place last night and noticed it all lit up. The Electrical Distrubutor place is now gone and the building is now operated as a gym to teach Karate, Mixed Martial Arts, Self Defence and Kun Khmer (Cambodian) Kick Boxing. I walked through it a little and they have a full size boxing ring in the area where the fron to the stage would be. After the theater moved out years ago they built a floor/cieling from the balcony to the rear wall. I was told there are still remnants of the balcony upstairs and was invited to tour the place some time during the day if I go back. Maybe this weekend.
here are a couple of shots from 1928 (one actually) I recently got that show the the B&L built bridge along side the Central Bridge and the depot in the rear of the Opera house. You can also see the front of the Empire theater to the right.
Hi Ruth,
I don’t have much that isn’t available in the photo books of Lowell and what I got out of the directories in the library there. I’d love to see that photo and possibly add it to the galleries crediting you if you’re willing. Did I get the proper corner?
you can contact me through http://scottymoore.net/contact.htm
All I know of Hathway’s in Lowell is what I listed. If its the same hathaway as the other cities then he didn’t build it in Lowell, he bought it and renamed it. The next time I go back to the libraries there I’ll see what else they have on it since I didn’t really look in any detail.
Here, though, is a 1906 obit in the Sun about a policeman who worked the beat at Hathaway's View link
Hi Robert,
From what I know of the name Hathaway, according to the city directories it was located up the block and around the corner from Rogers Pool, on Shattuck at the corner of Market (or Market at the corner of Shattuck). I’m betting it was where the parking lot to the Athenian Corner is now.
It started sometime before 1896 as the Savoy until 1902, then the Casto Theatre from 1903 to 1905, Hathaway’s Theatre from 1906 to 1912 and finally the Playhouse Theatre from 1913 to 1918.
It’s a strange name, but evidently a popular organization. There wee also Odd Fellow buildings in both Lawrence and Haverhill.
This was the one in Lawrence, near the Opera House there. http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/122772181
http://scottymoore.net/charlotte.html
http://scottymoore.net/spartanburg.html
only what’s visible in this photo http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/123134944
awesome
The Capitol Theater at 139 Common St. in Lawrence, near the intersection of Jackson St. opened in 1928 and operated until 1956. It was advertised as “The first Theater in the world built for talking pictures.”
see http://www.pbase.com/jroy/capitol for pix
Thanks NYozoner. The family had initally given me a location for it a few hundred yards west of there but you helped pinpoint it.
Here’s more on the history of the place
http://scottymoore.net/minden.html
My guess is yes, it is Lowell. The building looks to match the one in the postcard of Lowell from 1913 though the marquee had obviously changed by the ‘40s. Great shot, thanks.
The photo that Lost Memory posted was not the Joy Drive-In in Minden, it was the Joy Drive-In in Shreveport on Greenwood Rd where the main Post Office is located now. That is the one that is referred to in the post above by Don Lewis and Billy Smith. It was owned I believe by Edgar Hand and Joy Houck.
I will have more on the Joy Drive-In in Minden later.
Thanks Don, there’s that and others here
Theater Row
I was going by the place last night and noticed it all lit up. The Electrical Distrubutor place is now gone and the building is now operated as a gym to teach Karate, Mixed Martial Arts, Self Defence and Kun Khmer (Cambodian) Kick Boxing. I walked through it a little and they have a full size boxing ring in the area where the fron to the stage would be. After the theater moved out years ago they built a floor/cieling from the balcony to the rear wall. I was told there are still remnants of the balcony upstairs and was invited to tour the place some time during the day if I go back. Maybe this weekend.
here is a very high res photo from 1905
http://www.shorpy.com/node/8145?size=_original
here are a couple of shots from 1928 (one actually) I recently got that show the the B&L built bridge along side the Central Bridge and the depot in the rear of the Opera house. You can also see the front of the Empire theater to the right.
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/124331297
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/124331298
I’ve added Hathaway’s as the Playhouse Theater
/theaters/32544/
Here you’ll find the picture that Ruth had and some others
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/low_casto
Thanks Ruth
here are some photos
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/low_casto
Hi Ruth,
I don’t have much that isn’t available in the photo books of Lowell and what I got out of the directories in the library there. I’d love to see that photo and possibly add it to the galleries crediting you if you’re willing. Did I get the proper corner?
you can contact me through http://scottymoore.net/contact.htm
All I know of Hathway’s in Lowell is what I listed. If its the same hathaway as the other cities then he didn’t build it in Lowell, he bought it and renamed it. The next time I go back to the libraries there I’ll see what else they have on it since I didn’t really look in any detail.
Here, though, is a 1906 obit in the Sun about a policeman who worked the beat at Hathaway's
View link
Hi Robert,
From what I know of the name Hathaway, according to the city directories it was located up the block and around the corner from Rogers Pool, on Shattuck at the corner of Market (or Market at the corner of Shattuck). I’m betting it was where the parking lot to the Athenian Corner is now.
It started sometime before 1896 as the Savoy until 1902, then the Casto Theatre from 1903 to 1905, Hathaway’s Theatre from 1906 to 1912 and finally the Playhouse Theatre from 1913 to 1918.
I’ve added one from 1941 couresty Ron Salters
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/123593223
I’ve added a couple of shots from 1941 and 1949 courtesy Ron Salters
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/123593124
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/123593102
Here is a shot from 1941 courtesy Ron Salters
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/123593267
Here is a the photo courtesy Ron Salters
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/123593268
Here is the photo courtesy Ron Salters that he mentioned above.
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/123593260
The Jane Powell movie he mentions on the Marquee is “Nancy goes to Rio”
here is a contemporary aerial view of the site
http://www.pbase.com/image/123361037
It’s a strange name, but evidently a popular organization. There wee also Odd Fellow buildings in both Lawrence and Haverhill.
This was the one in Lawrence, near the Opera House there. http://www.pbase.com/jroy/image/122772181
I can’t honestly say. I found nothing in the city directories that listed a Bijou Theater in Lowell.