Keith's Theater
261 Main Street,
Buffalo,
NY
14203
261 Main Street,
Buffalo,
NY
14203
1 person
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This theater opened in 1911, on lower Main Street. Modeled after the Royal Theatre in London, Ontario, it had a $15,000 organ. Entrance was on Main Street, the exit on Washington Street.
It was known at various times, as Keith’s Theater, Keith’s Columbia Theater, and Keith’s Italian Theater. With the first run theaters a short ways up Main Street, the Keith’s Theater always showed second and third run films.
General conditions deteriorated through the 1940’s and 1950’s, the end coming in 1960, when a fire swept the theater, also damaging the Little Hippodrome Theater next door.
A few years later, the burned out structure was razed for downtown redevelopment.
Contributed by
Alan Lapp
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
This theater was at one time the Columbia and a Link Theatre Organ was installed in a Columbia Theatre in Buffalo in 1924.
“Gee Dad, it was a Link!”
Are we sure that the seating capacity is accurate? 428 seats for a Keith’s vaudeville theatre in a major city like Buffalo seems rather small, don’t you think?
I also found a Link organ on a theater organ list for a Columbia Theater in Buffalo. Now I’m not sure if it was installed in the Keiths Columbia Theater or this Columbia Theater. The name given on the list is just Columbia Theater. I already posted the information to the other Columbia Theater page. So, which theater had the Link organ?
Lost Memory-that’s why I wrote “a” Columbia Theater. I wasn’t sure. It’s the missing LINK! Sorry I had to add that.
We have two theaters with a common “Link”. They share the same city and the same organ. LOL
I wish that the organ list would give addresses. That would remove alot of the guess work. Maybe we should flip a coin.
The 1911 newspaper description of this organ was a “2600 pipe $15,000 Organ”, also described
as an “Orchestral Organ” which could produce simulated noises.
Phone number 1960: WAshington 4588
Two underpaid immigrants pushed said organ back and forth between theatres for each performance.
2,600 pipes back and forth?