Hamilton Theatre
2630 S. Broad Street,
Trenton,
NJ
08610
2630 S. Broad Street,
Trenton,
NJ
08610
1 person
favorited this theater
The Hamilton Theatre first opened circa 1946-47 under the management of the RKO circuit, though photographs show no mention of RKO in the exterior signs. With William I. Hohauser as architect, the theatre was of Neo-Colonial design. The entrance resembled that of a Colonial mansion, and was set back from the street by a landscaped lawn and shrubbery. The single-floor auditorium was almost stark in its simplicity. The walls were painted buff and blue, with dark red wainscot at the base. Six wall plaques of the official American eagle seal of the USA were the only adornments.
At opening, the Hamilton Theatre was reported serving a neighborhood of 10,000 people. Performances of the double-feature programs were held once nightly, with matinees added on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Admission at all times was 40 cents for adults and 25 cents for children.
More information is needed about the Hamilton’s history and the current status of the site.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Rick, thanks for the correction of Maddock Avenue. “Murdock Avenue” was reported in Theatre Catalog annual, but I could not find it on a map of Huntington Township and figured that someone would eventually correct it if wrong…I find the FDYBs unreliable for theatres built after WWII. Some never got listed. In the FDYB of 1957, the Hamilton is listed in the holdings of RKO theatres, but is not mentioned in the so-called “complete” list of New Jersey theatres arranged alphbetically by location.
Listed as an Art Theater in the 1961 Film Daily Yearbook. Listed under Trenton.
There is a photo on the church site:
http://tinyurl.com/b38ake
Thanks, Ken! The church seems to have preserved the “neo-Colonial” exterior. Here are new links to previously posted vintage images:
View link
View link
1986 Photo
Here is another 1986 photo.
April, 2010 pic. at: View link
Apparently one needs to be a member of Face Book to view that photo.
The Hamilton opened on Christmas Day 1946 with a double feature of “Canyon Passage” and “Bamboo Blonde.” At the opening it was a joint venture of the RKO and Walter Reade chains. Newspaper story reproduction here. The blogger who posted the article says that the theater only operated for a short time but doesn’t say exactly how short.
My dad was a projectionist at the Hamilton. It opened just after WWII, and was only open for about 2.5 years. It was a victim of the post-WWII television boom, and never made it. It was an identical twin of the Brunswick Theater, both designed to be neighborhood theaters. However, the era of neighborhood theaters was ending just as they opened.