Greenwood Theater

Can be made Closed/Demolished; no trace of a theater in this block. There's a newish-looking residential duplex numbered 1056 that is probably occupying the theater site.

The Greenwood was a luxurious neighborhood house located on Greenwood Avenue several blocks from the Gaiety/Olden. It ran continuously until about 1980 (I will check) when it was shuttered and left to deteriorate until it became unstable. It was razed and replaced by a small condo complex.
The theater featured a small balcony and the building itself was set back about 25 feet from Greenwood Avenue. The cross street is Cuyler Avenue. I removed a seat and the "Greenwood" mat from the foyer during the demolition (c. 1990). I attempted to save the signage but the front wall collapsed unexpectedly onto the marquee during demolition.

Listed in the 1970 Film Daily Yearbook (FDY) as part of Frank Theatres, Inc. Also listed as operating in the 1944 FDY.

Listed on page 1072 of the 1936 Trenton City Directory under "Theatres and Moving Picture Houses". Address is given as 1060 Greenwood Avenue.

I remember showing "Five Easy Pieces" at the Greenwood in late November, 1971. We show Italian language films on Tuesday nights, and the joint was packed! The Main projectionist's were Artur Fenton & John Friel. They trained me to replace Mr. Fenton who was very old. The small booth sat in front of the split balcony. It was about a 9x9' room. The equipment consisted of a pair of Super Simplex 33mm projectors, Strong Cinearc (Peerless Magnarcs - not McAuley)Simplex XL sound heads & XL magnetic penthouses. We showed "My fair Lady" and the stereo worked! They could bring back older movies in the days before vcr's. The theatre had been tatsefully modernized in the early sixties, I believe by Henry-Levy, not "THE FRANKS". The carpets were red,black, & yellow in small, squre geomectric shapes. The marquee was flat above the entrance doors. the a small roof with light bulbs hung over the marquee & entrance. It said Greenwood on the front, with individual bulbs. The screen was curved and the curtains worked. The lobby was narrow because the rest rooms were on either side. As you entered the auditorium, the narrow balcony steps were to the left, torwards the screen not the back wall. You would go up the steps with a wooden railing and find a small hall or walk way behind the booth. There were seats on both sides. The balcony curved out a little on each side of the booth. The was almost zero keystone angle on the 31' wide screen? That number is stuck in my head , but it might be wrong. In 1973, "THE FRANKS" leased thre Greenwood & the Circus Drive-in to some fly-by-night-guy. I worked for the guy a few times and he was showing XXX. The place was getting run down.

I made some typos on the above post. I showed Five Easy Pieces in 1970, not 71. Also 35mm film not 33.sorry

1979 Photo