Collingswood Theatre

Recent exterior photo:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/79013887tdyjbH

Listed in the 1951 FDY with 1197 seats.

We moved to Collingswood in the summer of 1969. The theater had allready been closed for some time. However, i grew up with kids who used to go there and they remember it well. I'm told the last movie to be shown was "Pinohcio". I remember though in the early 70's The Collingswood was being used as a Billiards and Pooltable storage facillity. They had these dredful paper painted signs over the doors advertising what they were. The old marquee stayed up till the late 70's give or take. I know the seats were taken out early probably so it could be used as a warehouse. Who know's?
I was in the lobby section of the old theater back in May. Team Collingswood the mayor and the commisioners rented it out as their campaign headquarters. In that section, the ceiling is still original along with the floor the original front doors are still there along with the original glass poster cases still mounted on the walls as you walk in.
As you walk towards what would have been the theater section you come to "The Great Wall of Sheetrock". However, there's a fountain in what would have been the center of the lobby butted up to the new sheetrock. Actually, the sheetrock is butted up to it and one can only thank God, that fountain has'nt seen the wrong end of a sledge hammer!
The rest rooms still appear to be pretty much original and that was as far as one could get.
The election's over but i must say "had the current administration been in power back in the late 60's or early 70's this GEM would STILL be a funtioning well known theater used for plays,concerts and probably movies". Who know's, maybe with a little luck since the town of Collingswood has done an awsome turnaround maybe the right invester will come along and do whats right for this theater!

A Moller organ, opus 3016, was installed in this theater in 1920.

"For elegant movie viewing, we would sometimes visit that wonderful movie palace, the Collingswood Theater, which was my son's favorite baseball card shop not too long ago. Standing out in my memory of the Collingswood are its red velvet curtains. Against this regal backdrop, the one film I remember seeing there was William Castle's "Homicidal." "

Imdb lists Homicidal as a 1961 release
extracted from http://www.eticomm.net/~kelta/sjmemory.html

Some color photos of the Collingswood Theatre's artwork and front of the building itself.
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/4/colling4.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/4/colling2.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/4/coling3.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/4/colling1.jpg

United States Pipe Organ Company rebuilt and enlarged the 1920 Moller organ in 1929 as their opus 161. I am the current owner of the console from the 1929 rebuild. Does anyone know what happened to the rest of the organ?

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982

Collingswood Theatre (added 1982 - Building - #82003269)
843 Haddon Ave., Collingswood
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Wonsetler,Charles, Supowitz,David
Architectural Style: Mission/Spanish Revival
Area of Significance: Performing Arts, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Commerce/Trade
Current Sub-function: Business

TerryN,I recently spoke to one of the guy's who back in the early 1970's helped with removing the balcony section in preperation for the theatre's new use as a photography studio. Again, this was early 70's. I had asked if he remembered seeing the old organ during the demolition and he said from what he could remember "there was just pieces of it (organ)laying there". He said most likly those "pieces" ended up in the dumpster with the rest of the balcony.

I actually live in this theater! I moved into my apartment in 2004, and I love it here. My apartment stretches across the top front of the building (the ornate marble that says "Collingswood") and the other two apartment go towards the back of the building.
I have a trap door in my living room floor that houses the wires of the now-defunct marquee.
I always catch people looking up or taking pictures, probably having no idea that it is now an apartment and someone lives up here! My landlord was a photographer in the 60's and 70's and converted the actual theater portion of the building into a photography studio. It is now a business.

There was a local Collingswood guy who used to rent that apt. beck in the early 80's. We all would hang up there from time to time. Boy, if those walls cold talk!!! LOL

Here is a recent photo.

Up until fairly recently, the Phila Orchestra used to record in the auditorium of the building. My father-in-law plays with the Orchestra and said that the theater was well-known for its acoustics. About 10 years ago or so, Michael Crawford (Broadway's original Phantom) recorded portions of a record there. It's cited in the liner notes.

I really miss the great old historic marquee of The Collingswood with it's "photoplays"...
I wonder where it ended up and wonder if it's still intact somewhere?