Hamilton Theatre
2630 S. Broad Street,
Trenton,
NJ
08610
2630 S. Broad Street,
Trenton,
NJ
08610
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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.
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.
Apparently one needs to be a member of Face Book to view that photo.
April, 2010 pic. at: View link
Here is another 1986 photo.
1986 Photo
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
There is a photo on the church site:
http://tinyurl.com/b38ake
Listed as an Art Theater in the 1961 Film Daily Yearbook. Listed under Trenton.
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.
RickB;This address maps as a suburb of Trenton, NJ. I can’t find any listing for the Hamilton Theatre in Film Daily Yearbooks that I have for 1941, 1943 or 1950.
Looks like this is now a church, the True Servant Worship and Praise Center. Address is 2630 South Broad Street and the correct name of the side street is Maddock Avenue. The building looks almost the same as the picture although it seems closer to the street; perhaps the road was widened at some point (it’s four lanes now), taking out some of the lawn. Or maybe I need new glasses.
A poster on the Brunswick Theater page says that this theater was a copy of the Brunswick (or vice versa), although the seating capacities shown are different. He also says that this was used as a carpet store at one time.
Here are several images taken when the Hamilton first opened:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/hamilton1.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/hamilton2.jpg