Grand Theater

The Grand Theatre seated 949 people.

This theater started out as the Snyder Avenue Baptist Church. The Church was converted to a theater in 1911 and the theater opened in 1912. This theater was converted to a store in the 60's. The architect listed for the Grand theater was William H. Lee.

The theatre went through a remodel in 1937 by William H. Lee, after the remodel seating was listed at 850. The theatre closed in 1962.

The GRAND is now a tool store...they removed the siding, etc and the original black and white painted wall shows now! It reads, "GRAND THEATER...Matinee--Talkies". I took tons of pics of the wall, now I just have to get time to upload them!

The Synder Avenue Baptist Church was converted into a moviehouse in 1911. The listing above that Hoffman-Henon were the architects is mistaken. Silent films were joined by vaudeville. . Another renovation, by architect W.H. Lee, took place in the 1930's. The Grand had 850 seats. A retail store took over by the 1960's.

Current exterior photos by Anthony DiFlorio III are linked below.

Sign proclaims Grand Theatre Talkies Matinee Daily:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/527723102/

Another photo shows corner view, and a sign proclaims Grand Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/527723852/

There are more Grand signs visible, too, elswhere on the building.

The Synder Avenue Baptist Church was converted into a moviehouse in 1911. The listing above that Hoffman-Henon were the architects is mistaken. Silent films were joined by vaudeville. . Another renovation, by architect W.H. Lee, took place in the 1930's. The Grand had 850 seats. A retail store took over by the 1960's.

Current exterior photos by Anthony DiFlorio III are linked below.

Sign proclaims Grand Theatre Talkies Matinee Daily:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/527723102/

Another photo shows corner view, and a sign proclaims Grand Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/527723852/

There are more Grand signs visible, too, elswhere on the building.

Anthony DiFlorio III (who supplied the above photos!) received the below email, and has told me I can post it here:

What a memory! But you must know the Grand is/was at Seventh and Snyder Avenue not Sixth Street. It once was a Baptist Church but as the neighborhood changed before WWI it became a hall and eventually a movie house. It was three-four blocks from where I lived, near Ninth and Wolf Streets. I seldom went to the Grand for one good reason. The fare was nineteen cents because it was air-conditioned! It was tough enough for me to get eleven cents for the Colonial movie house, nineteen cents was beyond my reach. But just to experience the air-conditioning, I very slowly accumulated nineteen pennies and entered the frigid world and saw Spencer Tracy and Bartholmew -what ever the rest of his name- was in some fishing drama. How I accumulated nineteen pennies is another story. Thanks for the memory.
Umberto LaPaglia

Some exterior photos here:
http://tinyurl.com/9rmspy