Pickwick Theatre

Most large theatres have domed roofs, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the auditorium inside was atmospheric. I've been unable to find much information about the Pickwick, which was designed by architect W.J. MacEvoy and originally had 1,913 seats. It first opened on November 21, 1929. For several years in the early 1930s, it was part of the RKO Circuit. The Pickwick was converted to a bowling alley in 1959.

According to my friend Barry Goodkin, the Pickwick was an atmospheric, and probably the only theatre of that type in the state of Connecticut. It was built by a New Jersey-based circuit, Bratter & Pollak, which sold all of its theatres to RKO in 1930. Three years later, RKO defaulted on the mortgage payments and all of the theatres reverted to B&P, which by that time had started another chain that eventually became part of the New England theatre division of Warner Brothers.

My goodness...this is a theatre in Greenwich CT that we're talking about and it was atmospheric! The fine folks of Greenwich should be able to raise enough funds to restore THIS ONE in THIS TOWN even though it has been CONVERTED into office space! Wonderful idea, town fathers!

A Wurlitzer theater organ opus 2074 style 200 was installed in the Pickwick Theater on 9/30/1929.

Would love to see some photos of this theatre!

Patsy....Roger Katz has photos of this theater on Cinematour.

Thanks as I just viewed them...not an older theatre as I thought might be the case. I was in Greenwich a few years ago and don't recall seeing this, but then again I would have been looking for an old marquee, etc.

I meant to post this in the spring but forgot. I found this theater and it's quite huge and angled away from the road. It was for sale through CBRE and you can see through the upstairs windows at the rafters. I doubt if I called them up, that I could get a tour of the place without honestly wanting to buy it, but maybe they can answer questions regarding any architectural imprints still left?

Was this theatre operated by Pickwick (subsidiary of Greyhound) Bus Lines? In New York, Chicago, and San Francsico Pickwick operated bus station/hotel/theatre combos.
Shown here is an architectural drawing of a Pickwick complex that was never built in Tulsa-
http://opac.tulsalibrary.org/search/tberyl+ford+collection/tberyl+ford+collection/1,1,20147,B/l856~b2127409&FF=tberyl+ford+collection&19167,,20147,1,0

Don't think so. But while perusing through the Greenwich City Directory, it was Pickwick Bowling Alley for about 25 or 28 years, way longer than it was a theatre!

From the latest Stamford Advocate - http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-vaudeville1dec24,0,2672263.story?page=2

"Pickwick Theatre, which opened in 1929 with 1,915 seats, a Wurlitzer organ and a Spanish courtyard-style interior, was closed by 1959 and turned into a bowling alley."

The Greenwich Historical Society emailed me this on it being an Atmospheric.

"Unfortunately we can neither confirm nor deny that this was an
Atmospheric Theatre. There may still be building permits in Greenwich's Town Hall that may prove your point. Here is the link, and if you look to the right, you will see "archives", but I suggest you try calling first. www.greenwichct.org/PublicWorks/PublicWorks.asp

Unfortunately, we have very little information on that wonderful
structure and information being as fragile as it is (and was) never was donated to the archives. You may want to try the local historian at Greenwich Library: www.greenwichlibrary.org