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Home » Theater Guide » Location » United States » Pennsylvania » Phoenixville » Colonial Theatre

  This theater is featured in our companion book, Cinema Treasures. Find out more…

Colonial Theatre

Phoenixville, PA
227 Bridge Street
, Phoenixville, PA 19460 United States
(map)
610.917.1228
Status: Open
Screens: Single Screen
Style: Unknown
Function: Live Performances, Movies (Classic), Movies (Independent), Special Events
Seats: 650
Chain: Independent
Architect: Unknown
Firm: Unknown
Add a photo for this theater!
Opened in 1903, this theater initially began as a legitimate and vaudeville house before turning to movies later.

The Colonial Theatre is famous for being featured in the 1958 sci-fi low budget classic "The Blob" starring a very young Steve McQueen. The theater also makes a cameo appearance in 1978's "Grease".

The Colonial Theatre made a comeback in the 1980's through owner Jim Breneman who was a pipe organ restorer. He installed a very elaborate Kimball organ and began hosting concerts and silent films, along with the occasional live act until his death in 1992 which brought everything to a grinding halt.

First run features failed and the theater was scheduled for the wrecking ball, until a community group was formed and the theater was saved. The Colonial Theatre has been restored and renovated and reopened in 1999, showing art house, independent, and classic films as well as hosting live entertainment and special events, such as the annual "Blobfest" festival, a homage to the film that the theater was featured in.

The movie screen is a generous 27 feet wide for 'scope films. A pipe organ is being installed in the theater.

Related Websites

The Colonial Theatre (Official)
Contributed by Ted Wilby

YOUR COMMENTS

 
I have to admit this theatre is a Class Act offering. I attended a screening of Paramount Pictures "The Blob" (1958) which utilized the theatre for one of its sequences. Well, that screening and the "Blobfest" events of the day (17 July 2004) were quite an enjoyable experience - a sort of a time warp that took me back 46 years. The theatre is coming along nicely and the staff was top notch. Phoenixville, Bridge Street, The Colonial - will see you again soon for another serving of nostalgia and theatre excellence.
posted by on Jul 24, 2004 at 3:29pm
Saw a movie here in November. Great local support from the community. Cinema Treasures book on sale in the lobby. Thanks to the book for pointing out some great architectural details.
posted by TC on Jan 21, 2005 at 1:57pm
You can buy a print of the theater at this link:
http://www.georgerothacker.com/ga1.detail.11.html
posted by TC on Feb 10, 2005 at 11:23am
Thumbnails at this link, don't expand without paid subscription:
http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/image_gallery.cfm/101030
posted by TC on Mar 15, 2005 at 11:30am
Nice photo album:
http://www.robbender.com/gallery/colonial
posted by TC on May 13, 2005 at 10:59am
Photos/information on a previous Blobfest:
http://www.williamgirdler.com/blobfest.html
posted by TC on Jun 7, 2005 at 1:43pm
A nice large photo of the Colonial Theater can be seen here.
posted by Lost Memory on Oct 11, 2005 at 9:47am
The Blob was one of my favorites. I saw the carbon arc lamps that appeared in the film on ebay fo .99.They said that they were going to throw them in the dumpster if nobody bid on them. We made the trip from South Jersey to Phoenixville, Pa. We met Ted, the projectionist. He gave us the grand tour & treated us like royalty. He said that they had to get the back room behind the booth cleaned out because they were turning it into a screening room.
I posted some before & after photos of the famous Peerless Magnarc's below.
Then:
http://doctorgrooveband.com/blob-orig-arc.JPG
http://doctorgrooveband.com/blob-door-1958.JPG
Now:
http://doctorgrooveband.com/blob-door-2006.JPG
http://doctorgrooveband.com/blob-pt-2006.JPG
http://doctorgrooveband.com/blob-pt-2006-2.JPG
posted by Crazy Bob on Sep 14, 2006 at 9:00am
This is a 2006 photo of the Colonial Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Oct 7, 2006 at 3:31pm
Here is another recent photo of the Colonial Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Oct 24, 2006 at 4:32pm

Best Programming
When's the last time you saw a picture show from a balcony? Flawless, finicky projection on a giant screen in a classic but newly and intelligently refurbished theater built in 1903 make the Colonial Theater far and away the preeminent local moviegoing experience. Excellently (if somewhat obviously) programmed, their Classic Sundays repertory screenings offer legendary films as they were meant to be experienced. The theater anchors the burgeoning Phoenixville community by booking first-run features of note and hosting live events on its vaudeville-era stage the rest of the time.

from today's Philadelphia Weekly article:
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=13454


posted by HowardBHaas on Nov 22, 2006 at 4:59am
Blobfest at the Colonial Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Jul 14, 2007 at 3:44pm
I don't get the fascination. It's an OK sci-fi movie, but I wouldn't want to see it a dozen times.
posted by ken mc on Jul 14, 2007 at 3:58pm
alot of people like alot of things. Just because you might not get it or want to see it a dozen times- its not a bad thing that people want to.

posted by hdtv267 on Jul 14, 2007 at 5:04pm
No, I agree. To each his own, of course.
posted by ken mc on Jul 14, 2007 at 6:00pm
This is a recent close-up view of the Colonial Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Nov 4, 2007 at 8:11pm
Here is a nice recent photo of the Colonial Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Dec 2, 2007 at 7:47pm
A 2008 night view of the Colonial Theater can be seen here.

posted by Lost Memory on Mar 13, 2008 at 9:51am
Nice set of photos:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=colonial&w=68965138%40N00
posted by HowardBHaas on Jul 3, 2008 at 4:29pm
This is a July 2008 photo.

posted by Lost Memory on Jul 16, 2008 at 4:27pm
Another July 2008 photo can be seen here.

posted by Lost Memory on Sep 27, 2008 at 5:29pm
Hi, HowardBaas.

The Somerville Theatre's big main screen and the Brattle Theatre, in Cambridge, MA, are the only two movie theatres in our area that have balconies. When West Side Story has played in both of these theatres, I've made it a point to sit in the balcony, because that's the coolest part of the movie theatre from which to view a film like that.

The Wang Theatre, in Boston, used to have motion picture mondays, and WSS came there afew times. The balcony was cool there, too.
posted by MPol on Sep 27, 2008 at 7:06pm
Here is a December 2008 photo.

posted by Lost Memory on Dec 13, 2008 at 6:42pm
This is another night view.

posted by Lost Memory on Jan 30, 2009 at 12:26pm
Colonial Theater photo

posted by Lost Memory on Feb 17, 2009 at 7:28pm
1983 photo of the Colonial Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c38%2c3%2c-1&catpagesize=10&ProductID=33193
posted by Chuck1231 on Apr 17, 2009 at 3:33pm
A 2009 photo is here.

posted by Lost Memory on Jun 11, 2009 at 9:03am
Theatre Historical Society of America visits here 7/08/09.
posted by Valencia on Jul 3, 2009 at 8:33pm
Blobfest 2009 at the Colonial Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Jul 13, 2009 at 5:25pm
Vintage photo showing a curtain:
http://www.cafepress.com/historictheatre.339345991
posted by HowardBHaas on Jul 15, 2009 at 6:25am
Howard, the notecards that the above comment you made has some great theatres on them.
posted by Chuck1231 on Jul 15, 2009 at 8:04pm
Here is another 2009 photo.

posted by Lost Memory on Aug 5, 2009 at 6:58pm
Anybody know what happened to the 4/32 Kimball previously installed at the Colonial? I have a recording by Clark Wilson of the final concert before the organ's removal in 1995.
posted by spectrum on Sep 7, 2009 at 6:11am
I have the old Peerless carbon arc lamps that appeared in The Blob stored in my garage. I made a short video of us picking them up & meeting Ted The Fiddler.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnGGcvQngz0
posted by Crazy Bob on Sep 28, 2009 at 3:01pm
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