Plaza Theatre

106 S. Walnut Street,
Milford, DE 19963

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Schine Circuit Inc.

Architects: Paul J. Henon, Jr., William H. Hoffman

Firms: Hoffman-Henon Co.

Previous Names: New Plaza Theatre

Nearby Theaters

Plaza Theatre - Milford Delaware with Wurlizter Organ in Foreground

The Plaza Theatre was opened on February 22, 1922. By 1929 it had been renamed New Plaza Theatre and was equipped with a Robert Morton theatre organ. By 1941 it was operated by the Schine Circuit. By 1943, it was known as the Plaza Theatre, and was destroyed by a fire on September 23, 1946.

It was replaced by a new theatre designed by architects John Eberson and Drew Eberson which opened on June 4, 1948 as the Milford Theatre (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures).

Contributed by Ken Roe

Recent comments (view all 3 comments)

DHazzard
DHazzard on September 22, 2013 at 1:28 pm

The Plaza burned shortly after closing on Friday, September 22, 1946 in a spectacular blaze fought by dozens of firefighters from many nearby communities. Schines replaced it with a luxurious 1,600 seat theater that opened on June 1, 1948 and was considered to be their crown jewel.

muviebuf
muviebuf on January 27, 2017 at 8:31 pm

William Warren opened the first theatre in Milford Delaware called Warren’s Palace Theatre in Milford Delaware in 1918 on the west side of downtown Milford just north of the Mispillion River. A competitor opened Nixon’s Palace Theatre in Milford in 1922.

Not to be outdone William Warren opened the Plaza around 1923. The Plaza was the largest building in Milford. In the early 1940’s the Plaza became part of the Schine Circuit and was labelled by the Schine Circuit as “The New Plaza Theatre” although the townfolks always referred to it simply as The Plaza Theatre.

The Plaza burned on September 23, 1946. Capitalizing on the Plaza fire the Armory building was quickly converted into the Shore Theate. The Shore Theatre opened on October 28, 1946. The Schine circuit responded by commissioning the Ebersons to reconfigure what remained of the Plaza combined with a new build which was christened The Milford Theatre (which opened in June 1948).

Jesus Love Temple
Jesus Love Temple on April 6, 2018 at 7:09 am

See what it looks like now: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1273022190717.2038368.1384782593&type=1&l=b36ec522d6

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1092398595240.2014809.1384782593&type=1&l=fea5c908e6

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1082526148435.2013343.1384782593&type=1&l=5272f63f83

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