Biograph Theatre
214 E. Fayette Street,
Syracuse,
NY
13202
214 E. Fayette Street,
Syracuse,
NY
13202
1 person
favorited this theater
The Eckel Theatre opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1913. It would later be operated by RKO, then Schine Theatres before becoming a Cinerama theatre.
It was later renamed Biograph Theatre. It was demolished and the site became a parking lot for the church next door.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
George Raaflaub was chief projectionist at the Eckel for many years. When I first started as a projectionist I hung around the booth with George and he’d let me run those magnificent Norelcos.
Here is a 1949 ad from the Post-Standard:
http://tinyurl.com/397tn7
Thanks for jogging my memory—it was indeed George Raaflaub. I met him and his wife in Redfield NY where I went fishing with my parents who knew him. The Raaflaub’s had a camp near there and we met at the Ben Lewis house (Falvey’s) for food and drinks. Those were good times.
Does anyone know the exact location of the Eckel? It seems to have been on the same block as the Biograph — was that a separate theater, or was the Biograph its final name?
The Biograph was the Eckel’s final name. I believe a fire did it in.
Thanks, Joe. Unfortunately, I never got to go inside; I arrived in Syracuse just as it was being torn down.
There’s a picture of the demolition here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carljohnson/7559441/
Another one gone.
The October 30, 1912, issue of The American Architect said that the proposed theater on Fayette Street in Syracuse would be operated under a long term lease by the Eckel Company. Plans for the project, by architect C. Merritt Curtis, were almost complete.
My father, Bill Meany was the Projectionish along with George Raaflaub. My father worked there for many many years until he died in 1966. Does anyone remember him? I saw many movies from the projection booth, Ben Hur, My Fair Lady…. I do remember cinerama too
Sadly this sort of thing happens…I am a frequent visitor to The Palace and thank heaven that it is still open and operating at its full glory!