Beach 4 Theatre

Another great former Hunts theater ruined by the Frank family.

Old postcard:
http://www.cardcow.com/product.php?productid=29717

Upcoming film festival at this theater:
http://www.njstatefilmfestival.com/2005.htm

Another old postcard:
http://i24.ebayimg.com/01/i/01/e3/2b/68_1.JPG

looks to be earlier than the cardcow one.

http://www.capemayeldredgehouse.com/photos/theatre.jpg

Recent marquee photo

Another recent photo:
http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/movieTheatres/BeachCinemaCapeMayNJ.jpg

Another recent photo showing the retail stores in the building:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/386136827/1386152859063162537BbPrsl

This is another recent photo.

A preservation alert was posted as a news item by ggreg today. The information here is very thin. Does anyone know the exact date (or year) this opened and how many seats it held? Was there a balcony or a rear loge section?

As an update to this theater's page, I would like to add the following history I just recently obtained.
This theater was designed by noted architecht William H. Lee of Philadelphia. Lee specialized in designing theaters.
The theater was built by William C. Hunt and family. Mr. Hunt opened one of the first "Nickelodeons" in the United States in Camden, NJ. He went on to build an empire in the movie theater business. Sadly,the Cape May theater is one of the last of the Hunt theaters still remaining.
Also noteworthy is the fact that this theater was one of the first, if not THE first theater in the country to be designed and built with retail stores attached. This style is still duplicated today on a much larger scale, in many shopping malls.
When it opened in 1950, it featured stereophonic sound with cinema-scope. It had a large lobby, a seating capacity of 860, and contained three hand painted murals incorporated at Mr. Hunt's direction.
The first movie shown in this theater was "Father of the Bride" starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor.

It's not even close to being the first theatre with stores attached; see my comment here.

So what's the latest verdict on this theater? How did things go on Monday, December 11, 2006 when rulings on its future fate were made? Hopefully it's a case of no news is good news...

12/13/06:
http://tinyurl.com/ybh5w2

On Wednesday, December 20, 2006, the official announcements will be made which casino applicants in Pennsylvania will be granted licenses, after which I expect Pennsylvania's new casinos to come to be rushed up in a hurry. While clearly sad for Pennsylvania, I continue to hope it will bode well for South Jersey in that it will get to be down to earth and shorelike again as opposed to being so gambler traffic oriented. With Atlantic City having been the only place in the entire tri-state region where people could gamble at casinos up until now, all of South Jersey was forced to align with this traffic, so much so that the trend reached as far south as Cape May, no relief in sight. And it seems rather obvious that the plan to tear down the Beach Theatre plus its accompanying stores to provide a parking lot for new condominiums being proposed for there -- fully out of sync with Cape May's longstanding historical tradition -- is but yet another continuation of that trend, albeit just at a time when I think South Jersey market conditions are about to change dramatically. For how much are these proposed Cape May condominiums geared towards a shore loving crowd as opposed to one that's only casino-related? And will that market for such a new development still exist when Pennsylvania absorbs away much of the casino-going traffic? Right now little thought seems to be being given to that, while nonetheless neighboring Pennsylvania is about to be building casinos of its own soon. And I do believe much of South Jersey's casino related traffic will be alleviated as a result of that, enabling Cape May to return to catering to those it did previously. And certainly the Beach Theatre, if it gets saved and restored properly, will be in perfect alignment with that. The proposed condominiums, on the other hand, I could foresee becoming none other than a big boondoggle. My theory at least. So in looking ahead based on that, I think the Beach Theatre should be spared the wrecking ball and the condominium proposal scrapped.

I hope this theater survives, but the opening of casinos in PA has no relationship to the viability of this cinema.

Oh now Howard you don't know that! By the way, for those of you reading this who don't know who Mr. Haas is, he is the Chairman of the Friends of the Boyd -- the Boyd Theatre being Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's last standing movie palace. Had it not been for Mr. Haas' gallant actions roughly five years ago (Mr. Haas being a leading Philadelphia attorney), the Boyd Theatre would've been torn down when it, too, faced the wrecking ball. So if he could save the Beach Theatre from demolition the same way he did the Boyd, that certainly would be wonderful!

Meantime, regarding what I stated, only time will tell on that. All of us know that soon after Atlantic City went the way of casinoization it cast a shadow over all of South Jersey, it being the only place around where people could go gambling on the east coast. But with casino gambling now to be coming to Pennsylvania, I do expect that to alleviate the gambling traffic in South Jersey somewhat, allowing it to heal a bit. Or at least I sure hope so. For it did appear -- especially with the proposal to tear down the Beach Theatre, Cape May's only movie theater, to replace it with a parking lot for an all new condominium there -- was the ill-effects of Atlantic City's casino industry monopoly reaching as far south as Cape May. For casino industry type traffic is such that it has little interest in or sympathy for things historic, the quality of the natural shore environment and so on. I know this firsthand, because I lived and worked in Ocean City (10 miles to Atlantic City's south) between 1986 and 1987 when it became one of Atlantic City's first casualties casino-traffic-wise. Prior to that, Ocean City, too, had been a South Jersey seaside resort rich in historic architecture. But given its too-closeness to Atlantic City, unlike Cape May, which was at a safer distance, it didn't stand a chance. But with Atlantic City's ongoing casino monopoly, it seems clear -- to me, at least -- that its destructiveness most recently was starting to overtake Cape May, much much farther to its south, as well. So it's to say that Pennsylvania's new casinos to come have arrived just in the nick of time. It's likely not to be good for Pennsylvania, but I do think it might help South Jersey to heal somewhat. Howard Haas says no to this. But he doesn't know that for sure. No one does. For only time will tell on this. That and that alone. And I just hope my theory is right, that's all. For like Mr. Haas, I want to see the Beach Theatre survive the wrecking ball as well. Both of us are in unity with this.

I'm interested in using this building for an interior design thesis project. I'd be happy to share my work if it would benefit anybody when it is complete next year. In the mean time I was wondering if anybody knew where I might obtain architectural plans for the building or who might be a good person to contact. If I could be of any service in the struggle to preserve the theater, I'd love to help.

All of South Jersey right now is in a funny way, so it's hard to say what the best angle is for saving Cape May's Beach Theatre, or if it even can be saved at all, given that. And the funny way that South Jersey is currently in has been going on for a long time now.

The basic wisdom that God so much as gave geese tells us that Cape May's Beach Theatre should be saved, given how it was designed by William Harold Lee no less. But good luck trying to find that basic wisdom in South Jersey these days. Ocean City to Cape May's north is now even heavily fining people for feeding the seagulls, though I don't know if that insanity has reached as far south as Cape May yet.

As for finding William Harold Lee architectural plans regarding any theater he designed, that is no easy undertaking, let alone finding those specific to the Beach Theater. They might not and probably don't exist at this point. I know the folks who restored his Majestic Theatre in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania have his architectural plans pertaining to that. But that's a real exception given how it's a theater President Eisenhower attended regularly, plus it's in a town where all historic records are carefully kept. Cape May is known for its history, too, but, any architectural records kept would've been for its older structures, whereby only now can Cape May's Beach Theatre be looked upon as historic. But maybe with enough intense searching the architectural plans for it will turn up somewhere. So I wish you the best of luck with that.

If anyone has further history (or personal stories or memories) of the Beach Theatre and is interested in saving the theatre, please contact me: steve@beachtheatre.org

Also, if anyone has ANY pictures of the Beach Theatre (inside/outside), could you email them to me? Black & white or color. Any and all decades. Thanks. I would like to post them on the www.beachtheatre.org website. Email to: steve@beachtheatre.org

This place is like my second home. I've been going to Cape May since I was literally born. I slept in dressers in Cape May because I was too small to sleep in the bed. The point is, that I've been going to that theater all my life, and the stores around it, and half of the memories I have wouldn't exist without the theater. Dates, family gatherings, bunches of friends, you name it, my summers where spent infront of that little mall strip with the theater, the ice cream store, ZeBop, and the Sunglass Hut. I live there, I got to know the people who work there, and I couldn't even dream about going there in the summers without it being there, like always, like my safehaven. I will do WHATEVER I can to try to stop this. I'll write letter upon letter to the Mayor, I will host fundraisers, make websites, videos, pictures, whatever I need to do to help stop this. I can't let my memories get crushed by a wrecking ball.

You're off to a really great start with what I feel is a really great slogan. So congrats on that! But in looking ahead I've been saying for the longest time now that we need a Marshall Plan for the U.S. while I feel restoring the Beach Theatre the right way would fit in very well with that. If we somehow can get that momentum of a Marshall Plan going.

Meantime, my own personal exposure to Cape May has been very minimal. But the best memory I have of it ties in with that song, "On the Way to Cape May." In the summer of 1971, while staying with my family in Ocean City, on one particular day we followed the "Gull Route" down to Cape May, and the experience was every bit as dreamlike as in that song. There were no development booms going on back then, everything was in perfect balance seaside town after seaside town after seaside town. No poverty, no despair, nothing ugly. Just all this littoral beauty and celebratory sense of freedom every mile of the way. The great state of New Jersey with its greatest seaside resorts in the world. But I'd dread to see what that run looks like now. As I say, we need some sort of a Marshall Plan for the U.S., and desperately. For without that I hesitate to say, "Oh yes, the Beach Theatre could easily be brought back to what it once had been if not even better." I would certainly root for anyone who would try to. But short of that needed Marshall Plan? Schwew!

Hi Steve,
I'm a summer resident of Cape May and am very much interested in anything you are involved in to help save The Beach Theater. For some reason my email did not send to your Beach Theater site. It would be great if you could contact me via this website. Thanks

You can read about the plan to save the Beach Theatre via an interview I did with the Cape May County Herald last week: http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/articles/2969/1/Beach-Theatre-Restoration-Plans-Revealed

There may be some inital non-profit fund raising needed, so "ggreg", we might need your help. Should have more defintive plan very shortly. My email address was checked and is working. steve@beachtheatre.org

Here is link to postcard photo of Beach Theatre in the 1960's:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124307623@N01/411507417/

Here is story about the status of the Beach Theatre that is running on CapeMay.com:
http://www.capemay.com/Editorial/march07/beachtheatre.html

According to the Frank Theater web site, the theater is scheduled to re-open on May 25,2007. So much for their greed and wanting to have the theater demolished.

As far as the theater reopening, it is slated to reopen Memorial Weekend through a lease agreement with a nonprofit group attempting to save the theater. The theater remains in a very precarious position. The Frank family presented a demolition proposal to the city of Cape May's Historic Preservation Commission on May 15,saying that the theater is not profitable and in need of repair.
The commission rejected the demolition by a very slim margin(4-3).
The Beach Theater Organization has set up a website with the latest information and a fund drive. It has great photos and information and is worth checking out.

That website is www.beachtheater.org

correction on website address: www.beachtheatre.org or www.beachtheatre.net

This is a recent (July 2007) night view of the Beach Theater.

Thank you for that nice photograph!

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20070830_CAPE_MAY_-_Preservationists_in_this_Jersey_Shore_town__where_Victoriana_has_long_reigned_as_the_architectural_sensibility__are_mounting_a_surprising_fight_to_save_a_1950s-era_movie_theater_.html

fight for the Beach
By Jacqueline L. Urgo
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

GERALD S. WILLIAMS/Inquirer
Jerry Gaffney hopes his committee can save the Beach Theater from destruction.
CAPE MAY - Preservationists in this Jersey Shore town, where Victoriana has long reigned as the architectural sensibility, are mounting a surprising fight to save a 1950s-era movie theater.
Beach Theatre - built in a Neocolonial Revival style that merged a flashy red neon marquee with Early American lanterns and wainscoting - is as much a part of the colorful fabric of this resort as the 600 Victorian houses that line its narrow streets, according to those looking to save the structure.

"People love this theater. It's been here for years and it's a big part of this town, both for the people who live here and for visitors," said Jerry Gaffney, a member of the board of directors of the Beach Theatre Foundation Inc., a nonprofit group that has collected about 1,300 signatures on a petition seeking to preserve and restore the theater.

The group's vision for the property, which is just across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, is to create an art-house style theater that would show varied genres of films - including animated, indie and foreign - on its four screens. The dozen or so retail stores and eateries that surround the theater, which was built in 1950, also would be upgraded.

But Frank Investments, a Florida-based entertainment and real estate development company, earlier this year obtained permits to demolish the 860-seat theater and adjacent stores to build an upscale condominium and shopping complex.

Gaffney said preservationists might be able to stave off the development - at least for a year - if the Cape May City Council approved a $100,000 payment to Frank Investments.

The payment would give the foundation control of the theater for a year; in that time, the foundation would try to come up with $12 million to buy the property or find an investor who would agree not to tear down the structure.

A public hearing and City Council vote are scheduled for Sept. 4 at 1 p.m.

Bruce C. Frank, president of Frank Investments, has said that if his company moves forward with the project, it will be "posh, in the Ritz-Carlton style," providing something that "is missing in Cape May."

"People want luxury. They want high end," Frank told the New York Times earlier this month.

Since the 1970s, the town, which in its entirety is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has followed strict architectural-preservation codes within its downtown district. Home and business owners are required to adhere to historically accurate paint colors, exterior trims, doors and fences.

What has evolved is an enclave of Victorian architecture known nationwide for its numerous bed-and-breakfast inns.

There are signs, however, that Frank may be right about an appetite for the high life.

When a group of investors spent $22 million five years ago to remake the closed Congress Hall into an upscale establishment charging as much as $950 a night for a room, longtime Cape May residents said it wouldn't fly.

But now Versace-clad New Yorkers and Philadelphians sporting Hermes luggage arrive by the luxury SUV-load for stays booked months in advance. The hotel's 106 rooms and suites have consistently been booked solid during prime vacation times since the facility reopened in 2002.

"I think since they redid Congress Hall, you really can feel a change in the air when you walk around the [Washington Street pedestrian] mall," said Terry Wilkins, 48, of North Cape May, whose family has been in the area since the 1860s.

"People are much more urbane, better dressed than they used to be," Wilkins said. "But I think, in a way, it's eroding the small-town feel that Cape May always had. I don't think a lot of people like the word upscale when they hear it used in relation to Cape May."

Some people simply like Cape May the way it is. A few years ago, officials proposed a parking garage to alleviate congestion, but it didn't get far.

"We don't need a parking garage," said Fred Jones, 77, who has lived in the area his entire life. "Imagine what that would look like here. Talk about ruining the character of the place."

Those fighting for Cape May's lone movie house also talk about the town's unique character.

"It's a David and Goliath situation when it comes to the idea of preservation vs. condos," said Lelah Eppenbach, executive director of the Beach Theatre Foundation. "But it's a defining moment for the town, and I think that people are in favor of saving the theater. There's a lot of potential there, and I think people realize you can upgrade the space without completely demolishing the theater and building condos."



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I had the chance to visit this theater about five years ago while staying a few days in Wildwood Crest, but the friend I was with said "I didn't come to the beach to go to the movies!" Very short-sighted. I'm thinking of dropping her as a friend.

Based on the recent photo that Lost Memory provided us a link for (see above), if this beautiful theater cannot be described as upscale, most particularly when you look at William Harold Lee's masterful architectural work, which appears to be being meticulously maintained, I think somebody is very mixed up with what they regard as "upscale." This theater is upscale. The alternative which is being proposed is just somebody who obviously isn't very well educated not thinking straight. It's like saying, "Let's take the Mona Lisa down from the wall to put up something more 'upscale'."

Cape May approves loan for the Beach Theatre! See story:
http://www.nbc40.net/view_story.php?id=2987&q=beach%20theater

Wonderful!
in case link breaks, here is above story:
BEACH THEATER MAY HAVE A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Corin Wilson - 9/7/07 04:46 pm

CAPE MAY--A loan has been approved to help save Cape May's beach theater.

At a special meeting Friday in Cape May, a check was presented to the Beach Theater Foundation for $100,000 to help keep the 60-year–old movie house open.

Officials say this money will hopefully secure the theater's future in the city, "This will enable them to sign their lease agreement and take possession of the theater for 12 to 18 months with the hope of permanent acquisition," said Councilman David Kurkowski.

The theater will be open to the public and fundraising efforts to help keep the theater open will be ongoing for the next 12 to 18 months.

Great news. I will be glad to see the theatre thaken away from the Frank's They ruin everything.

My 1967 FDY lists the Hunts Theaters at that time as follows: Cape May - Beach, Liberty. Stone Harbor - Harbor, Park. Wildwood - Blaker, Casino, Ocean, Shore, Regent, Starlight Ballroom, Strand.

I grew up in South Jersey and undoubtedly saw films in at least some of these theaters, without paying much attention to the theater's actual identity. I have no idea how many of these are still standing.

In ggreg's post of Dec. 8th, 2006 he posted that "When it opened in 1950, it featured stereophonic sound with CinemaScope." The theatre opened on June 29th. 1950. The first released feature film from 20th. Century Fox using the CinemaScope process was "The Robe" in Sept. 1953. From looking at the picture of the stage area of the theatre it had to had been remodeled to fit a large CinemaScope screen for that size of theatre.

Here is a more recent view of the Beach Theater.

The website for the Beach Theatre is www.beachtheatre.org If you click on W. C. Hunt you will see an article that I wrote on this pioneer showman who was responsible for the building of the Beach Theatre. All of the Hunt Theatres were featured in a Theatre Historical Society of America, Marquee, Vol. 36 No.1 published in 2004.

Here is another postcard:
http://tinyurl.com/3cckjy

Just added to Preservation New Jersey's 10 most endangered historic sites 2008 list:
http://preservationnj.org/ten_most/ten_most_property_detail.asp?COUNTY=Cape%20May%20County&PropID=148

I saw this article in todays Star Ledger. They want to tear it down for condo's. Give me a break.

Boy, that effort to try to resuscitate it didn't last long, did it? But with Corzine's being the current governor of New Jersey I'm not at all surprised. For you see how he's going after the state's parks now, the big "get in, make a bundle, get out while you still can" kind of thing, leaving the citizens of the state to only remember what once was once he's gone. Condos have their place. But geeze, in highly historic Cape May? What could possibly be a bigger deathknell for the state over than that? In light of that I sure hope the Beach 4 can find some way to survive. It's a beautiful theater, going by all recent photos I've seen of it, masterfully designed by W.H.Lee no less. But with Hurricane Jon Corzine pending, who knows?

What will happen after the one year lease is up? Will the foundation get more time to try and save this theare? As a non-profit, they should be allowed ample time to try and secure the funding neede to purchase and save this theatre.

Who knows? With soooo much corruption going on in that state now, to be able to accurately predict anything a week or even three days from now is a total gamble. I don't want to say it's an ongoing case of business as usual, because that would mean it's a case of predictability that could then be overcome on that basis. That is, if you know exactly where the mines are planted the sky's the limit on how far you can go without getting blasted away. But in this case, the position of the underground planted mines are constantly shifting, and it's not like they're glow-in-the-dark jellyfish so that you can keep a constant track of where they are next as you enter into the Atlantic Ocean for a midnight swim, even with your head a little tipsy from the Cape May nightclub you were in moments before. That was the old South Jersey. This is the new, what more can I say?

June 27, 2008 online article in National Trust magazine:
http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/story-of-the-week/theater-by-the-sea.html

Here is a September 2008 photo.

According to the theater site, they are also presenting live performances. That should be added as a function.

Absolutely. Here is an article about a musical at the Beach 4.

Thanks, the "Live" will get added to functions, likely within a day or two.

The year given for this photo is 1981.

if you type exactly in search exactly
Boxoffice March 5, 1955

and type 101 in page for Philadelphia's Viking Theatre spread it says architect Lee won a national architectural award for the Beach

A 2009 photo is here.

This is another August 2009 photo.

closed for good

Although the demolition permit has been issued, there is still an effort going on to save the theater. Here are two recent articles:
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/55771-cape+may+planning+board+deems+beach+theatre+key+historic+building

http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/55849-frank+theatres+dispute+preservationist039s+claims

And another:
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/55909-theatre+foundation+not+giving+even+if+demolition+takes+place

the harbor 5 will be next, sad but after being used by this company this summer im not shocked

A glimpse of the interior of the Beach Theatre appeared as the frontispiece to the Modern Theatre section of Boxoffice, November 4, 1950.