Paramount Theatre
142 Federal Plaza West,
Youngstown,
OH
44503
142 Federal Plaza West,
Youngstown,
OH
44503
13 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 136 comments found
I recall Richard’s attempts, but unfortunately the city was no help to him when he applied for grants. Also saddly he couldn’t find enough volunteers to help him even clean up the theater.
I would like to document his efforts but need more exact dates since I haven’t the time to wade through hundreds of newspapers for 1984. I did run a quick Google but it was no help, and before I impose on our public library I hope someone can furnish me with dates. Our newspaper doesn’t index its articles so it isn’t any help.
In 1984 Mr. Richard Blackwell led a valiant charge to restore the theater but did not have enough $. Two events were held to my memory: A film on the history of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube, a concert by Black Oak Arkansas.
There are many photos of the Paramount as it stands today, but precious few of the theater in its prime, so I found a photo of the main floor in the theaters prime. Hopefully someone else can uncover more photos like this one.
Soon the status of the Paramount might change once the bulk of the building is demolished but let the folks tell their story in their own words:
New plans for the Paramount.
http://paramountproject.org/mission.htm
The plans include movies so once the project is completed the status can be changed to “Open” and “Single Screen”.
I noticed the pipes stacked at the back too. The console is also there up on the stage, so I suspect that was just the deconstruction crew moving them. The organ lofts are plainly visible on each side of the front seating area.
While doing research on another local theater, I came across an ad for the Liberty Cafateria in 1921 when the Paramount was still known as the Liberty, and according to the ad, the Liberty Cafateria was located in the basemant of the theater, and judging by the menu it served upscale food, and even had its own orchestra.
Because this restraunt was in the theater, I’ve placed a copy of the ad i the photos section for this theater.
First a question. In the photos of the Paramount stage the pipe organ is situated up against the back wall as are the pipes. Now I know that the organ itself can be placed anywhere … down in the orchestra pit being an example, and having the pipes behind the screen would make it an ideal spot, but was the organ there from the beginning, or was it just moved there later on. If so, there must not have been much room left what with the large sound equipment that was also behind the screen.
Next, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the folks at Cinematreasures who have contributed to my better understanding of theaters, you’re great folks.
Thanks for the information, Wolfgirl. Much appreciated.
The problem we have is that over the years there were a number of downtown theaters that came and went with no fanfare that we could locate other than ads on the theater pages of the Vindicator. These were in many cases theaters that ran films and did vaudville but didn’t last long, and only a very small number of them got any textual publicity.
Again, back to the Regent, it did have a nice marquee, and next to it was a radio repair shop. In the early 1960’s I worked at a store a few doors up from the Regent which by that time as I said was showing Spanish films.
It was torn down under urban renewal in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s.
It wad located on East Federal between Walnut and Watt Streets. I was only in there once to see a picture. During its last years it was running Spanish pictures and the theater wsn’t in the best of shape, but for a small theater it had a large projection booth that was in good condition and well equipped.
As to seating capacity, I have no idea and wouldn’t want to speculate, but was most likely under 1000.
Hey Wolfgirl—I noticed a photo of the old Regent Theater on your photo page.
Any idea when it closed for good? Or its seating capacity? I could swear I saw a 1964 ad for the Regent in an old Vindicator clipping on the Palace’s C./T. page. Although I remember seeing movies at many of the downtown houses (the Palace, the State, the Warner, the Paramount) prior to ‘64 when I was very young, I have absolutely zero recollection of the Regent. Considering how (relatively) small downtown Youngstown is, it seems downright bizarre that I wouldn’t have at least seen the facade at one time or another.
BTW, “September Storm” was released in 1960, and since it was not a roadshow, I imagined it showed at the Paramount on a first run basis in that year.
Thank you Matt for the link to your photographs. Amazing and heart breaking. The shot of the projectors made clear how steep the projection angle was.
PS to the 3-D. Using my relationship to the Palace in Hubbard I got into the projection booth, and had the projectionist explain to me the selsyn motors to sync the projectors, the polarizers, and the special numbers printed on the edge of the film to keep the reels in sync if there were a splice. I was amazed at the triple size reels of film (6000 ft) allowing over an hour of film on one reel.
I saw my first 3-D movie at the Paramount, a badly scripted “September Storm” from Fox. It was remarkable in that so much of it was shot underwater which must have been terribly difficult because it was a two camera setup with CinemaScope lens. The picture was perhaps the first to be 3-D, CinemaScope, color (meaning polarized glasses) and stereo sound. Pretty impressive for the release date!
It’s very sad to see the Paramount in this condition. I imagine it’s now totally gone. Thank you for all the pictures. As I recall the projection angle was so steep the top of screen was tilted back. The photo of the booth with the projectors on the platform show the mounts cranked all the way up.
I recently photographed the interior of the Liberty/Paramount Theatre.
The Paramount Theatre
It’s sad in a way that this thetre is lost to the city, but the same can be said of other local theaters. As well as being a theater buff I’m also into old time radio (1930 to 1950) and the same thing can be said for that, but be that as it is, we as a city were very short sighted and as a result, save for Powers Auditorium and Stambaugh Auditorium which I recently learned does have the capacity to show films which it rarely ever does all we have left are fond memories and those old newspaper ads that remind us that Youngstown had a rich theater history that brought here many of the truely greats in legitamate theater history … great symphony orchestras … and all the major first run films.
1901 thru 1940 were Youngstown’s golden years when it came to our legitamate theater experience. How many cities the size of Youngstown could boast of having so many of the truely greats make personal appearences here?
Wolfgirl, The Vindicator pages you have posted for various Youngstown theatres are wonderful!!!
Thanks!
Great find Joe and I thank you.
Announcing the opening of the Liberty
Article (Sadly the pictures are of poor quality. Had to link to this article to get the article on the Liberty article.)
View link
Feb. 10. 1918 Opening ad
View link
Here is a direct link to the photo I linked to above.
Here is an early photo of the Liberty Theatre featured in an ad for the South Amboy Terra Cotta Co., in the June, 1918, issue of The Architectural Forum.
On the upper right hand corner of the first link is a picture of the Dome theater.
Mr. Deibel also owned the Dome Theater that was located just across the street from the Liberty.
Dome Theater
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