Commodore Theatre
4228 Walnut Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19104
4228 Walnut Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19104
2 people
favorited this theater
The Commodore Theatre opened on September 22, 1928 on the corner of 43rd Street and Walnut Street in West Philadelphia. Designed by the architectural firm Ballinger Company, in association with Hoffman & Henon in a Spanish Revival/Moorish style. The auditorium block runs parallel to Walnut Street. The Commodore Theatre was equipped with a 10 rank Wurlitzer theatre organ.
It was operated by Stanley-Warner in the 1940’s. Closed as a movie theatre in the late-1950’s, it was given a new lease of life in the early 1960’s when it became a live theatre, changing its name to 43rd Street Theatre. Theatre use failed after a couple of seasons and the building lay empty and unused for a while.
It was converted into church use, and since 1973 has served as a mosque.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
The Wurlitzer organ was an opus 1916 style 1903M. The console is being used in a church. More information is here.
I remember that building very well from my college days. I used to live at 44th and Walnut, so I would walk by that old barn every day. The marquee on the roof was kind of a giveaway. Funny to see pictures of that neighborhood after 25 years.
I posted that two months ago. Too bad you didn’t see it sooner.
3 June 1950 Box Office stated that Gloria Swanson would be hostess at a “Sunset Boulevard” screening at Commodore Theatre on June 19.
Here is a 1952 photo from phillyhistory.org:
http://tinyurl.com/o6flq4
Why isn’t the photo link pointing to the phillyhistory.org website?
It looks like the theater was a church in 1964, from this Temple U. photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yhft7ru
Here is another 1964 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yfjurao
Here is another Temple photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yfr85dc
If this is the right theatre it opened as the 42nd St. in 1915 and the Wurlitzer was instaalled in 1916 that LM mentioned.