Ambassador Theater

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ponce de Leon Avenue

, San Juan, Puerto Rico

(map)

Status:	Open
Screens:	Single Screen
Style:	Art Moderne

Function:	Live Theater
Seats:	500
Chain:	Unknown

Architect:	Unknown
Firm:	Unknown

Built during the 1940's the Ambassador specialized in B-movies. During its early years, it was the place where kids went to see "Abbott and Costello" movies.

During the 60's and 70's it changed to exploitation fare. The Ambassador was the place to see women in prison films, AIP and Hammer horror flicks and even the infamous "Ilsa" movies.

For a teenager growing up in the 70's, the Ambassador was the place to see the "R" rated movies they wouldn't allow us to see in other theaters.

Ocassionally the Ambassador would show more mainstream movies, but this was not generally the case.

The Ambassador closed down in the early 1980's and it became a venue for local theater plays. But this only lasted a couple of years and the theater finally closed down for good.

During the late 80's, the marquee was blown away by Hurricane Hugo. Today, the Ambassador is in the midst of being renovated by the government in the hopes of restoring a "theatre row" along Ponce de Leon Avenue. You can see the ticket stand, and the candy counter is still there along with memories of many wonderful Saturday afternoons.

Contributed by Jose Mendez

YOUR COMMENTS

The Ambassador is currently being renovated and will be a part of the government's efforts to create a theater row on Ponce De Leon Avenue.

posted by josem on Jul 23, 2004 at 12:20pm

hey josem where exactly is the ambasador? i dont remember it.

posted by LOS on Dec 3, 2004 at 4:01am

It's on Ponce De Leon Avenue near the Autoridad de Energia building...close to where the old Santurce Woolworth's used to be. Owner Luis Vigoreaux recently gave a press conference in which he showed the renovated Ambassador theater to the local news media.
In that conference he unveiled an old photo of the Ambassador theater when it was still called "The Venus".

posted by josem on Dec 10, 2004 at 11:21am

The Ambassador is open once again as a live theater venue.

posted by josem on Mar 17, 2005 at 5:15am

The Ambassador actually holds 500 people, 300 in its first level and another 200 in the second level. "¿Quién mató a Héctor Lavoe?" (Who killed Hector Lavoe?), a play about the assasination of the legendary Puerto Rican Salsero, will be the first to play in the newly restored Ambassador.

posted by Jose Otero Buenaga on Jul 11, 2005 at 8:54am

pic... http://www.geocities.com/skankypepe/AmbassadoryPuertoRico.html?1124736875511

enjoy

posted by Jose Otero Buenaga on Aug 22, 2005 at 8:55am

I was in San Juan in October and saw the Ambassador from the outside and it looked great. The marquee was announcimg the salsa star Gilberto Santa Rosa. Has anyone of the above contributors been inside? In the earlyit 60's Cobian/Commonwealth renpvated it and opened as the "New" Ambassador with a George Chakiris movie == The Empire of the Sun or something like that == with I believe, Yul Brynner and Christopher Plummer co-starring. Happy New Year, Andres.

posted by andreco on Dec 28, 2005 at 2:38pm

Here is another photo of the Ambassador Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Sep 26, 2006 at 4:07am

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davsot/4230234104/

posted by Davsot on Dec 31, 2009 at 12:05pm

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