Coyle Theater
311 McKean Avenue,
Charleroi,
PA
15022
311 McKean Avenue,
Charleroi,
PA
15022
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WE in mid mon valley has lost so much that it for great to have a movie theatre in the valley would great thing for are young people
we must get a movie thater back to the mid mon valley
now
If you move the curser on down the street their is a good google streetview of the theatre, it is on the left side of the street.
I am interested in learning more about the Mid-Mon Valley Cultural Trust but am having difficulty finding contact information, etc. If anyone can direct me, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
Here is a night shot from 1984:
http://tinyurl.com/y5ba6r3
A 2009 photo can be seen here.
This is a nice close-up shot from 2008.
The COYLE and STATE were both managed by Lou Gadetti until the first (1981) closing. I talked to him shortly before his death. I was asking if he knew anything about the Charleroi STAR, LYRIC, or STRAND. He thought the STAR was on Washington. I know one of them was in the extant building at the alley between McKean and Fallowfield on 5th. It is triple wide, now three separate storerooms. My comment above on COYLE air conditioning should read 1937.
Here is a recent photo.
1979 Photo
It appears that work to restore the theater has begun, The Mon Valley Cultural Trust bought the theater in October 2002 they plan on having movies as well as live theater.
The trust agreed to pay all back taxes & $25,000 for the Coyle.
The trust comprises members from Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Monessen and Monongahela.
The Coyle Theater opened in 1895. It originally hosted vaudeville shows and then “talkies.”
Closed in May 1999, the last major movie shown at the theater was the greatest grossing film of all time – “Titanic.”
I am excited to see some work being done on the Coyle. It makes my heart feel good. It was such a grand place and in todays day and age, we need places like the Coyle to bring back the excitement of cinema and its classic elegance. I prefer to go to a place like the Coyle where each thing you do contributes to the experience unlike the other theatres of today.
This architect Victor Rigaumont is the same person as Victor A.Rigaumont. The Coyle should be moved to the Victor A. list.
I have many great memories of the Coyle from my high school days at Mon Valley Catholic. It was great when they reopened the balcony in the late 1980’s. How can I get involved with the group that’s trying to restore it?
The architect was Victor Rigaumont, The builder of the current 1927-28 version (see above picture) was my father, Walter S. Rockwell (b. 1886). The owners were Robert Swan Coyle and sister Carrie B. Coyle. No chains involved. There were 999 seats, 1000 would have required aisles 2X wide, thus impossible. In 1939 an elaborate gas tube lighting of the marquee was added (more than half gone now). Also carrier air conditioning was added. This theater is 50% wider than the old 1891 creation. Robert Roy Rockwell ,
Great history & photo at this link:
View link
I thought about buying this theatre when it was for sale about six or seven years ago. It was a lot of theatre for the money but it also needed big bucks worth of improvements. The air conditioning leaked, and the men’s room looked like something from medieval times. It had already been closed for over a year when I looked at it so I was leary that everything would need to be upgraded to present codes. I remember it being larger than six hundred seats but can’t find my notes to refer to. It did have a nice size balcony. I remember the owner telling me they filled the house once with a “pay per view wrestling program”. Ah! the pre-satallite dish days.
Anyway, glad to see someone is trying to get it open again.