Olympia Theatre
1849 Westminster Street at Olneyville Square,
Providence,
RI
02909
1849 Westminster Street at Olneyville Square,
Providence,
RI
02909
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A balconied neighborhood theatre in the Olneyville section of Providence, probably built in the post World War I years. It survived into the 1950’s and had installed CinemaScope before closing and being razed that same decade to make way for a low-income residence building.
Any recollections or photos of this theatre would be appreciated.
Contributed by
Gerald A. DeLuca
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Recent comments (view all 14 comments)
Other Olneyville Square theatres were the Edisonia/Pastime/Gem, the Dimerina, and the Royal.
The 1949 Film Daily Yearbook lists the seating capacity of the Olympia as 1383.
Is this site now the “Olney Towers” high rise?
“Is this site now the "Olney Towers” high rise?“
Yes, it is.
From Temples of Illusion by Roger Brett, about Jacob Conn’s building of the Olympia Theatre:
“Shortly after leasing the Weybosset Street house [Gaiety] and changing its name to Conn’s City Theater, he built Conn’s Olympia Theater in Olneyville Square. This edifice included an office block and in it he installed a radio station, WCOT. All this he accomplished in 1926 and 1927. By now he considered Olneyville to be his personal fief, his base of power…”
Here is a set of some recently found photos of the Olympia dating to 1926, around the time of its opening and during a presentation of a Valentino film following the death of the star. They are the first photos of the Olympia that I have ever seen. Thanks to theatre owner Jacob Conn’s great-granddaughter Laura Frommer.
OLYMPIA SET
CinemaScope capability comes to Olympia. Item in Boxoffice magazine, January 15, 1955:
“E. M. Loew’s Olympia, Olneyville neighborhood house, will soon reopen, completely redecorated and equipped with CinemaScope.”
This newspaper ad appeared the day of the theatre’s opening, September 5, 1926. The first films shown were the silents The Grand Duchess and the Waiter, with Florence Vidor and Adolphe Menjou, and The Runaway, with Clara Bow and Warner Baxter. Admission prices ranged from 10 cents to 25 cents. Reference is made to the theatre’s organ. A photo of owner-builder Jacob Conn appears in the ad.
This newspaper ad from September 19, 1926, a few weeks after the Olympia first opened, promotes a film with Rudolph Valentino, who had recently died.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE on the opening of the Olympia in September 1926 with photo of owner, Captain Jacob Conn.