Ritz Theatre
222 Wyoming Avenue,
Scranton,
PA
18503
222 Wyoming Avenue,
Scranton,
PA
18503
1 person
favorited this theater
Built by vaudeville theatre magnate Sylvester Poli, the Poli Theatre opened in 1907 and was built for a then monumental sum of $250,000. A large vaudeville house, the Poli Theatre seated more than 2,000 patrons.
The Poli Theatre was later acquired by the Union Theater Company in 1924.
By the late-1920’s, the theatre began showing movies only and was renamed Ritz Theatre. In 1930, it was remodeled and renamed again as the Comerford Theatre.
The theatre lasted for decades and in its last years was a dollar house struggling against a local UA multiplex.
In the early-2000’s the Ritz Theatre, with its nearly 100 years of service closed — perhaps forever.
In 2008, the Ritz Theatre reopened as a dinner theater and restaurant, with a piano bar and club with live performances. However this was a short lived venture, which has now closed.
Contributed by
Cinema Treasures
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Recent comments (view all 22 comments)
This link could be used for the Related Websites: Blues Street
Here is another photo of the Blues Street building.
Hey!! (feeling excited)
Will it also show some of the other great, golden oldie-but-goody classic films, such as the major film hits of the 1960’s?
I lived in South Side Scranton form 1964 to 1969 and walked downtown many times to see movies at the Comerford.[ and the other two downtown theaters the Strand and the Center] Years later in the late 70s or early 80s I went back to Scranton to visit and went downtown to go to the movies there and the theater was open but they were just using the old balcony as the movie theater.If I remember correctly the first floor had been converted into some kind of shops etc. It was good to see the old balcony area again and it brought back alot of memories. I had my daughter with me and tought it was really neat that she was going to the movies some place where I had gone as a kid.[even though it was just the balcony]I don’t remember what movie we saw but it was a normal movie that kids could watch, not somthing X rated.I had forgotten untill I read other enteries on this site that the name had been changed to the Ritz.I don’t have family in Scranton amymore and haven’t been there for years,so I don’t know if it’s still open or not.
1983 photo of the Ritz theatre.
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1986 photo of the Ritz theatre.
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Nice photos Chuck1231.
Testimony in a 1911 lawsuit involving the Poli Theatre at Scranton reveals that the architect of the house was Albert E. Westover. The testimony was published in volume 80 of the legal journal Atlantic Reporter.
Auditorium pictured in 1938 at top left of this page: Boxoffice
New photos of The Beautiful Ritz Building….For Sale….and space for lease, call Teresa Ripley at 570-843-6110