Colonial Theatre
227 Bridge Street,
Phoenixville,
PA
19460
227 Bridge Street,
Phoenixville,
PA
19460
8 people
favorited this theater
Opened in 1903, this theater initially began as a legitimate and vaudeville house before turning to movies later.
The Colonial Theatre is famous for being featured in the 1958 sci-fi low budget classic “The Blob” starring a very young Steve McQueen. The theater also makes a cameo appearance in 1978’s “Grease”.
The Colonial Theatre made a comeback in the 1980’s through owner Jim Breneman who was a pipe organ restorer. He installed a very elaborate Kimball organ and began hosting concerts and silent films, along with the occasional live act until his death in 1992 which brought everything to a grinding halt.
First run features failed and the theater was scheduled for the wrecking ball, until a community group was formed and the theater was saved. The Colonial Theatre has been restored and renovated and reopened in 1999, showing art house, independent, and classic films as well as hosting live entertainment and special events, such as the annual “Blobfest” festival, a homage to the film that the theater was featured in.
The movie screen is a generous 27 feet wide for ‘scope films. The installation of a Wurlitzer pipe organ was completed in 2010.
Contributed by
Ted Wilby
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Recent comments (view all 40 comments)
Howard, the notecards that the above comment you made has some great theatres on them.
Here is another 2009 photo.
Anybody know what happened to the 4/32 Kimball previously installed at the Colonial? I have a recording by Clark Wilson of the final concert before the organ’s removal in 1995.
I have the old Peerless carbon arc lamps that appeared in The Blob stored in my garage. I made a short video of us picking them up & meeting Ted The Fiddler.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnGGcvQngz0
Night Phot of the Colonial courtesy Nick’s Classic American Theatres.
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Photo of the Colonial Theatre courtesy Nick’s Classic American Theatres.
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Last night’s Oscar telecast had a montage of horror films. Included was a scene from the 1958 movie “The Blob” showing moviegoers fleeing the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA. In recent years, the community nonprofit organization that rescued the Colonial restored its facade to how it looked in 1958. I’m told the partygoers at the Oscar telecast last night at the Colonial were overjoyed to see the footage broadcast worldwide.
2007 photo of the Colonial Theatre.
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What a real neat find.Great stories.
So glad to read all of the nice comments about my favorite local movie house where I’m a member and volunteer. We are starting up tours of the theatre on every first Sunday of the month and we’ve started a Facebook page, Flickr page and Twitter account to keep fans up-to-date on what is going on with the theatre.
http://www.facebook.com/thecolonialtheatre?v=info
http://twitter.com/colonialtheatre
http://www.flickr.com/groups/colonialtheatre