Broadway Theatre
131 Broadway,
Newburgh,
NY
12550
131 Broadway,
Newburgh,
NY
12550
3 people
favorited this theater
First opened in 1914, for many years, the Broadway Theatre was one of the two top theatres in Newburgh, dividing up all of the new releases with the Ritz Theatre, which was in the same block and also managed by United Paramount Theatres. Unlike the Ritz Theatre, the Broadway Theatre had no stage facilities and might have been a conversion of original retail space. It had a flat orchestra floor and a small balcony with better sight lines.
The Broadway Theatre was eventually destroyed in a fire on September 1, 1965, but more information is needed about its history prior to that.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
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Recent comments (view all 14 comments)
This theatre is described in the caption as the Broadway in Newburgh, but I don’t think that it is. It also doesn’t match any of the other theatres listed at CT for Newburgh, so I don’t know what to conclude. Does it ring any bells with Newburgh historians?
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Warren is correct. The building in the photo he linked to might or might not be in Newburgh, but it certainly isn’t the Broadway Theatre. Not only was the Broadway, as restored after the 1943 fire, an Art Moderne building, but it was demolished following the second fire in 1965, so couldn’t have been there to be photographed in 1986.
It’s possible that the building in the photo was not a theater at all. The entrance was awfully narrow for a theater, plus it looks like the side walls had large, factory-style windows in them. It might have originally been a printing plant or some such thing. Whatever its original use, it certainly looks to have been built in the 19th century. The small, moderne marquee and the poster cases at the entrance suggest that it might have been used later as a dance hall, as those frequently had such features.
As for the Broadway Theatre, according to the book “Newburgh: The Heart of the City,” by Patricia A. Favata, the Broadway originally opened on February 28, 1914. The 1965 fire which ended its career took place on September 1.
Here is a 1975 article about the park that was supposed to replace the theater:
http://tinyurl.com/3stw4m6
Patricia Favata’s book says that the damage to the theater from the 1943 fire that destroyed the building next door was primarily water damage. Apparently, the fire burned so hot that the fire department had to keep pouring water on the theater’s roof to prevent it from combusting. The 1943 fire took place on January 22.
The long delay in the restoration and reopening of the theater was probably due to the wartime shortages of materials, and the difficulty in getting permits. As Newburgh was then plentifully supplied with theaters, restoring the Broadway would not have been given a high priority by the Federal officials in charge of such matters.
Google Books has a larger version of the Life fire picture here.
The building in the photo Warren linked to on April 15, 2009, has finally been identified. In a comment on the Bon Ton Theatre page, Bob Wilson says that it was the old Armory building, at Broadway and Johnston Street. It was not a theater.
Why doesn’t Google Maps provide street views for the city of Newburgh?
Ad from Newburgh News, April 29, 1929, in connection with the opening of Lady of the Pavements with Lupe Vélez, directed by D. W. Griffith.
Does anyone know if the Newburgh News is avaiable on microfilm and/or the internet? I would assume that the Newburgh Public Library has it, although I wouldn’t bet on that since so many libraries are under-funded these days.
Many years of advertising for the Broadway and other Newburgh theatres can be found here: google