Riviera Theatre
31-33 Chenango Street,
Binghamton,
NY
13901
31-33 Chenango Street,
Binghamton,
NY
13901
6 people
favorited this theater
Opened as the Stone Opera House on 11th October 1892 with “Fadette”, the theatre was designed by architects Sanford O. Lacey and E.H. Bartoo in what has been described as a Richardsonian Romanesque style. Seating is located on three levels, orchestra and horseshoe-shaped balconies.
Over the years it was used for drama, musical comedy, opera, vaudeville, burlesque and minstrel shows. Stars such as Richard Mansfield, Mrs Fiske, Sarah Bernhardt, Henry Irving, Maude Adams, Ethel and John Barrymore, Eddie Foy, George M. Cohen and Edward G. Robinson trod the boards here.
From 1930 it became a full time movie theatre known as the Riviera Theatre which continued until it closed in 1978.
The marquee was removed, but the first-floor store fronts were restored in the mid-1980’s. In 1987 there were plans put forward to convert the theatre into two 300 seat theatres within the building.
Any further information on this theatre and its current status would be appreciated.
Contributed by
KenRoe
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Recent comments (view all 40 comments)
No problem. Actually, some of the other fixtures were removed and purchased by a local dealer. The rest still sit in the theater.
The Stone Opera House is listed under Binghamton in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The Mgr. was J. Clark. No seating capacity is listed. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to $1. The theater had both gas and electric illumination and was on the ground floor. There were 6 – 8 members of the house orchestra. The proscenium opening was 35 feet wide X 34 feet high, and the stage was 42 feet deep. The theater had “a big scene room”. There were 3 daily newspapers and 3 weeklies. Hotels for show folk were the Bennett, Arlington, Exchange, Crandall and Lewis. The 1897 population was 45,000. There was also a Bijou Theatre in Binghamton with 800 seats. It had a smaller stage.
The shared marquee pretty good idea.Never seen that before.
There is a book available at Amazon.com, titled “BINGHAMTON (NY) (IMAGES OF AMERICA), by Ed Aswad and Suzanne M. Meredith.
The website allows you to search for specific items concerning this book. Search for the small box on the left hand side of the page
Type in “STONE OPERA HOUSE” It’s on Page 92 of the book.
There are 2 photos of the Theater. One shows it back in the 1890’s. Notice that there is NO building to it’s left, where the Strand Theater is now.
The second photo will take your breath away!!!
It’s shows one of the most beautiful, opulent stages that I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! Must be from the 1890’s or very early 1900’s?
I could cry when I see how it looks now and how grand and luxurious it once was.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments?
I’m a former resident of Broome County. The old Riviera and Capitol
Theaters were ruined by greed and total, useless neglect.
Regarding the above comment that says these theatres “were ruined by greed and neglect.” First, I have been in the movie theatre business since 1973. As a teenager I went to the Riviera to see “Patton” in 1970. I was born in Binghamton, but was not raised there. That said, several of the movie theatres I have had a chance to work in or even manage are like many of the theatres listed in Cinema Treasures. I love these theatres and it breaks my heart to see them end up this way. But one must keep the following in mind and understand it; These theatres were built as businesses by businessmen. They were not built to be temples to the motion picture that would last for
ever. They were to be great places to see a movie that would attract customers! For decades, they did attract a lot of customers. But then in the 1950s along came TV. In the 1960s, people decided they would rather live in the suburbs instead of downtown. So, since they didn’t live in town anymore, they stopped coming to the movies downtown. They went to newer theatres that were being built in the suburbs where they lived. And so the audience for these great movie palaces dried up. But it wasn’t just the theatres that fell on hard times. Look at the other store fronts in downtown areas. I was in Binghamton in June of 2009 and went to see the site of the Strand and Riviera. It was depressing to see these once great theatres left to wither away. But there were also many storefronts nearby that were vacant. In fact, it looked like the restaurant that was in the lobby of the Strand Theatre was closed for good. Movie theatres operate today on an average profit margin of about 3%. That includes selling popcorn and a soda for $10! At a 3% profit, you can’t say “greed” is why these theatres closed. They closed just like most businesses do. When the customers go away, so do the businesses. It’s a shame, too. I’d love to run one of these old theatres as a movie theatre today. But in today’s world where the public wants a choice of 12 or 20 movies to see at one location, it would be nearly impossible. Sorry to be so long winded, but I had to respond to the earlier post. It wasn’t or isn’t greed. It’s just the evolution of society. Sometimes that evolution is pretty. Sometimes it’s not. Regarding these wonderful old theatres, it’s not.
Note to ALL & in particular “Bobc007”: it is certainly correct to point out that it was not “greed” on the part of the original theatre businesses that has allowed this “demolition by neglect” to occur. However, I still think that today if these theatres were still in any kind of decent, renewable shape movies could still be shown & a fair business could be run with proper promotion & management. The responsibility for the “demolition by neglect” rests with the absentee landlords who owned but did not make any attempt to maintain these old buildings —– allowing roofs & windows & back doors to deteriorate to where the elements constantly tore in & subjected the buildings to interior destruction as well as pidgeons with their helpful contributions & also intrusions by homeless people & others for shelter or mischief. (Landlords are not forced into this kind of neglect … they are responsible for it!!! Fran Robinson, who is EIGHTY YEARS OLD & STILL owns The Cameo Theatre on Robinson Street, goes into the theatre once a week still to keep an eye on things & tries to mantain the building.) If you look at the interior photos of both the Riviera & the Strand ….. available on-line at http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/ ….. , they are obviously way beyond any imaginable repair or restoration. That is sad …. but unavoidable now. I wish it were not so but there it is … The businesses closed & the multiplexes moved in & built their complexes with the gradual loss of the old theatre owners' business viability. (It was Cinema National which I believe ran most of the theatres throughout the Triple Cities at the end … with the exception of a couple of independents … having inherited that mantle from The Carrols Corporation & Comerford Theatres of Scranton, Pa before them.) So again … you are correct that it was not greed on the part of the theatres … but sad nonetheless & as I always say, “How I miss our old theatres!” [ … and by the way Bob, I too am a Bond Fan !!! and for your understanding, I am 61 years old & have have lived in the Binghamton area all my life & knew all our theatres well ,,, even to having an opportunity one fine evening in 1977 of spending two hours with the projectionist in his booth at The Crest Theatre to talk to him & learned in the process all about the busy job a projectionist had in that era showing a “six-reeler] Jim Macumber
Some recent work was done on the theater, as evidenced by some tools and supplies left sitting there. However, the roof still has a gaping hole and weather threatens to really damage what is left of the place. Two projectors are still in place and the third is in a closet off the projection booth. Another small room holds what I believe was an editor, but it is under caved-in roof pieces. Small bits of film are still visible in the rubble.
A note to Jim Macumber, I’ll write more at a later time. It’s always nice to meet a Bond fan. I’ve been to the Crest many times. In fact the first movie I saw there was the 007 movie, The Man With The Golden Gun. As I mentioned in my earlier posting, I believe the economics of a big movie palace being run today as only a movie theatre would be a huge hurdle. But make no mistake, I would love to see it happen. There are some exceptions, of course. One is the Uptown Theatre in Washington DC. I had the honor to work there as a projectionist during the early 1980s. It’s still open and doing a healthy business. I have produced a short documentary about the Uptown that you can see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwPO7JPdKCY
To Bobc007 — thanks for the link to your documentary on The Uptown Theatre in Washington DC … I really enjoyed it. Looks like an impressive theatre. Jim Macumber
Great looking Marquee.And thanks for the pictures.Guys.