Keystone Theatre
1026 W. Lehigh Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19133
1026 W. Lehigh Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19133
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The Keystone closed permanently after a double feature of “Elephant Walk” and “The Black Glove” supported by fight highlights of the Marciano-Charles boxing match on July 5, 1954. It was used as a house of worship until being auction in 1958. The auction winner had the building razed in 1959.
This was the theatre that we went as kids. When they were tearing it down, my sister and I were walking home from school and there was a worker named Johnny from the Cleveland Wrecking Co. who let us walk the theatre and take what we wanted. I took the old dial up phone that was in one of the offices. I was only 12 at the time. I took two placards that said 10 cents and a penny tax to get in. What I didn’t know until I looked on this site that on opening day of this theatre my grandmother performed there. She is billed as “Cotter & Boulden”. What a wonderful surprise. My grandmother Ada Boulden played the banjo and her second husband played the piano. I never knew her. I still have the telephone. It sits on my bookcase.
The October 22nd, 1911 grand opening ad can be found in the photo section. It opened on the 23rd.
This photo, dated May 5, 1959, shows the Keystone just before demolition.
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ys3dvh