Dutchess Theatre
371 Main Street,
Poughkeepsie,
NY
12601
371 Main Street,
Poughkeepsie,
NY
12601
1 person
favorited this theater
The Dutchess Theatre opened in July 1912, and was operated as a vaudeville/movie(photoplays) theatre. It was operated by Peter J. Tennis and his brothers, who also operated the Colonia Theatre in Norwich, NY.
Contributed by
RobertR, Roger Tennis
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Finally found it! Cinematour doesn’t list this. I go once a year to the Chance and went last night and toured the place, kind of. It’s a nice theater, or must have been. I emailed them at their website email because they have not history of the venue listed which is stupid. They have to know what building they occupy. Anyway, you walk upstairs and to the right balcony and that’s “The Loft.” You can fit about 150 people comfortably by the stage and there’s couches in the back. The left balcony has the bar area and it’s pretty plain. There are tin ceilings. It’s air conditioned. Downstairs is called Club Crannell and you can fit about 250 people comfortably. There’s a tin ceiling and then black lowered office ceiling tiles. That’s what I call them. It’s dark and really hot. You can access the main auditorium, The Chance, from Club Crannell and there’s not lighting in this really long hallway. There’s a bar in the back, the balcony is overhead and roped off for both entrances. I didn’t have a chance to ask security, but there weren’t seats up there. They probably do projection and lights up there. The ceilings aren’t too ornate but they are beautiful and simple. There are these elegant cylindrical lights about 3 feet in diameter and about 4 feet long around the ceiling but I don’t know the type of light they are called. The stage was kind of small, maybe 40 feet across and the dance area was not too big. It definitely is a small theater from the outside.
Status should be open and function should be nightclub.
The management emailed me back with the correct other website that includes their history with a timeline. http://www.thechancecomplex.com/history/
hey folks i was wondering if anybody has any old stories or better yet pictures of the old “"Dutchess theatre”“ i was in there a couple of nights ago to see my frind’s band play there and iwas talking to one of the security guards whom i’ve known for anumber of years and we got talking about the history of the building, apparently a few years back they were doing some renevating to the building deep down under the current street in the basement and they dug up parts of the original stone sidewalk that must’ve went around the building and also a set of doors still intact, that led to somewhere in the basemnt,,also one of the other gentleman got talking and swears that the place is haunted, him and another gentlemen were down in the lower floors one night and saw what they think was a ghost of a man wearing glasses and having the old time waxed curly moustache of the older era, with the age of that building and alll the performers who went through it at that time, it would'nt surprise me that their ghosts are still hanging around there , again if anybody has any old stories or pictures of the place i’d love to see them i love reading about old buildings like that,, it definetly is a part of Poughkeepsie history,,,
I researched the place – Mike Chiriati and Larry Plover, the owners of Frivolous Sal’s Last Chance Saloon (The Last Chance), used to tell me that I spent more time there than they did. We believed it was haunted so I set out to prove it. Never found a death only an attempted murder. But I have volumes of stuff on this place including a still photo from 1912 of it from a film that I learned that the FDR Museum had. I loved this place but have not been back except once since it changed over to The Chance. Too young for me now – but it’s still a great building!
Should be listed as the Chance Theater, 845-471-1966, http://www.thechancetheater.com/
for Heidi DD from two posts above:
How can we contact you?? I am the producer of a show that has been filming episodes at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie.
On Saturday 09/18/2010 a full crew of paranormal investigators spent 7 hours exploring The Chance. They found some incredible proof of “haunted” spirits. I’m talking A LOT of proof!!
We would love to speak with you and possibly include you as part of this… you have volumes of stuff? … perhaps you can help piece together the past with what the investigators found?
also anybody else here with any information or that would want to take part please email to
any help is welcome
thank you!!
To: IconGate – I emailed you today, if you don’t get it, please let me know. Heidi DD
To: Heidi DD – yes, received your email and did reply.
Hi Heidi DD, I am writing a book about Hudson Valley Legends and plan on including a chapter about the Old Dutchess Theatre. I would love to hear from you if you would like to share some of the information you have on its history. My email is listed below.
If anyone has any information about the Old Dutchess Theatre, or any other legends within the Hudson Valley, please contact me at