Ditmas Theatre
280 State Street,
Perth Amboy,
NJ
08861
280 State Street,
Perth Amboy,
NJ
08861
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Opened on February 23, 1914, the Ditmas Theatre destroyed by fire on April 1, 1951
Any further information on this theatre would be appreciated
Contributed by
KenRoe
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
Still listed in my 1951 FDY.
Apparently the Ditmas Theatre burnt down in the late 1940’s. Could be that the owners didn’t notify the listers on F.D.Y. straight away.
Here is a memoir from a local resident who confirms that the Ditmas burned down in 1948:
View link
My father Joe Pusillo was a projectionist for years at many of the downtown Perth Amboy theatres, including the Majestic and Royal. He mentioned the Ditmas to me, as I recall he worked there briefly after returning from WWII. As a side note, I was the last projectionist to work at the Royal when it closed in August 1988.
This information comes from a book titled “Perth Amboy, NJ By Joan Seguine-Levine”:
The Ditmas on State Street next to School No. 1, adjacent to the building occupied by the Perth Amboy Evening News, opened on February 23, 1914. It had an organ and organist for musical accompaniments to silent films.
The Ditmas was destroyed by fire on April 1, 1951. It was sold to the Perth Amboy Parking Authority to be used for the State Street parking facilities.
My grandfather, Carl DeMarco, was an organist at the Ditmas back in the teens and 20’s as far as I know. He noted it as his occupation on his WWI draft registration card, although he referred to it as the “Miller-Ditmas Theater”. He also played other instruments at various theaters, and later opened a music store in Perth Amboy. Thank you, Lost Memory, for the information on the book. It was nice to see a picture of the actual theater. Here is a link to the draft card on Ancestry.com View link
An exterior view of the Ditmas Theatre can be found near the bottom of the page of this 1942 trade journal: boxofficemagazine
The January 1, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World featured a brief article about the Ditmas Theatre (an exterior view of which is therewith produced.)
The August 30, 1913, issue of The American Contractor said that the Ditmas Theatre had been designed by the local architectural firm of J. N. Pierson & Son. The theater was to be a combination moving picture and vaudeville house. Construction bids were being taken.