Broadway Theater

The Broadway Theatre seated 2037 people and it was located at 2014-28 S. Broad Street.

Walgreen's is now located at the site.

The official address of The Broadway Theatre was: 2042 S. Broad Street, not 2014-28 S. Broad Street. Ths theatre opened in 1913 and was demolished in 1971. The Walgreen's is located several feet to the south, at 2014-24 S. Broad St., which, along with the Broadway Theatre site, is on the same block. (W. Snyder Ave-S. Broad St.-W. Passyunk Ave.-S. 15th St.)

The last I lived in South Philly, there was a Gino's fastfood restaurant on the Broadway site. I didnt know there is now a Walgreen's!

http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/5826
Link to pictures of the Broadway Theatre. From the Philladelphia Historical Buildings sites the Official address for the theatre was at 2042 South Broad Street and the official seating capacity was 2183

The theater did not close in 1959 as listed above. I grew up in the Phila area. I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey (great steophonic sound) there in 1968. The theater closed in the early 70's. The last film to play there was a double feature and one of the movies was Charlotte's Web. It was demolished and became a Gino's hamburger joint. When Gino's went out of business it became a Popeye's Fried Chicken.

The Broadway Theater was South Philadelphia's largest theatre. It opened as a Keith Vaudeville house and movies
(Stanley Photoplays) were added later, when eventually it became a full time movie house by the 1940's. The architect was A.E. Westover.

The Broadway was opened by the Mastbaum family (Stanley Co. of America) and a a vaudeville contract with the B.F. Keith Vaudeville connection (A.K.A. RKO Theatres). This theatre closed as a RKO Stanley Warner Theatre. (RKO Stanley Warner Theatres is known today as Loews Cineplex Theatres and Regal Entertainment Group, via RKO Century Warner Theatres and Sameric Theatres)

Philadelphia also had two other theatres that went by the name of Broadway Theatre: Broadway Theatre (1907-1911) 716 S. Broad St. which was a Nickelodeon, and also the Broadway Theatre at Broad and Race (1913-1914}.

Here is a link to a thumbnail of the Broadway Theatre.
http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/5826

Large photo of the Broadway Theatre.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/Chuck1231/Pennsylvania%20Theatres/BroadwayTheatrePhiladelphiaPa.jpg

An Austin organ Opus 795 Size 3/16 was installed in the Broadway Theater in 1918 at a cost of $8,500.

And yet a another Philadelphia theater called the Broadway: one located in the 100 block of West York Street. Built around 1914; operating as the New Broadway with an adults-only policy in 1963, gone from the newspaper listings by the end of the '60s, briefly reopened with mainstream films as the Ruby in the '80s.

In the small world department, I was the manager of the McDonalds at this location in 1981. Here are two photos of the theater in 1949:
http://tinyurl.com/f3th7
http://tinyurl.com/efxbv

Here is a November 1956 item from Boxoffice magazine:

PHILADELPHIA-Stanley Warner's Broadway Theater in South Philadelphia threw a big Halloween party Saturday October 27. Gift certificates were awarded winners of several age groups for best costume. Free masks were given to every child attending the special matinee. The promotion was arranged by manager Dominic Lucente, "the mayor of South Philadelphia".