Loew's Rochester Theater

130 S. Clinton Avenue,
Rochester, NY 14604

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The Rochester Theater opened in 1927 as part of the Schine’s chain, but soon became part of the Loew’s Inc. empire. With over 3,500 seats it was advertised as the largest theater in America between New York and Chicago. The auditorium featured bronze light fixtures, murals, leather upholstery for the box seats, and an enormous Marr & Colton organ.

The Loew’s Rochester Theater was to be renovated as part of a downtown redevelopment, but a local firm bought it and demolished it in 1964 to make way for their new headquarters.

Contributed by Carl

Recent comments (view all 41 comments)

dhroc
dhroc on January 1, 2010 at 4:59 pm

Chuck-
I have photographs of the Pittsford theatres somewhere. I’ll try to find them and upload them. No promises; it’s been awhile!
I think ‘Return of the Jedi’ and ‘Mr. Mom’ were playing when the pics were taken.
I remember Hoyt’s Cine well. Nice theatres. I believe they tied for 1st place with Loews Ridge Road as ther best theatres in Rochester in the Democrat and Chronicle…way back when.

Ziggy
Ziggy on April 23, 2010 at 10:28 am

View link

A link to a photo of the Loew’s Rochester marquee in 1930.

Ziggy
Ziggy on April 23, 2010 at 10:36 am

I should credit Brad Smith, who posted this photo on his photostream, along with a lot of other wonderful theatre photographs.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on April 23, 2010 at 10:57 am

Great 1930 photo and slideshow posted by ziggy.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on October 27, 2010 at 7:18 pm

Both marquee shots are great.Those were the days.

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 16, 2011 at 1:22 pm

The “local firm” that bought the Loew’s Rochester site, and erected their world headquarters thereon, was Xerox! The Xerox Tower now stands where I saw “Ivanhoe” back in the early ‘60s when I was in college. The theater was very ornate, as I dimly recall, with a red and gold scheme; it was a center-aisle design, less popular than the more traditional center-section, side-aisle plan. As for its being “the ugliest” and “most unfortunate looking,” don’t you wish we had it back??? I know I do!! (Somehow, Xerox just ain’t got the ol’ magic for me….)

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 19, 2011 at 8:07 am

As Ossie Wieggel’s photos prove, Loew’s Rochester was NOT a center-aisle design. I stand corrected! See http://tinyurl.com/6kcruqj
I must have been thinking of another theater!
tlsloews, copy of what?

martymia2009
martymia2009 on June 18, 2011 at 12:43 pm

I remember walking into the Theatre when I was 12 to see Quo Vadis & my mouth dropped open at the beauty it projected to me opn the inside. Big,beautiful, and a wonderful place to see a Movie but the way downtown Rochester is now it wouldn’t be open for a year!!!!

dhroc
dhroc on August 22, 2011 at 4:14 pm

In the 1930 photo you can see the Unitarian Universalist church in the background. That church is on the same side of Clinton Ave. as Xerox. I’m wondering if it actually was Xerox that is now on the theatre site.

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