Naylor Theatre
2834 Alabama Avenue SE,
Washington,
DC
20020
2834 Alabama Avenue SE,
Washington,
DC
20020
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Going to the Naylor Theatre was a regular Saturday morning ritual for me in about 1955-1956. I lived nearby in the 2900 block of Denver Street (also attended nearby Stanton Elementary). In the morning it was a few hours of watching cartoons and whatever on television, and then in the late morning or early afternoon a movie or two (double features were common back then) at the Naylor. The movies were kid-friendly, and if I recall correctly, largely of the sci-fi or B-movie genre. And cheap.
The Sears closed and subsequently was demolished and replaced by a Safeway in the 90s.
I remember seeing MARY POPPINS here the day it opened. Movies always opened on Wednesdays back then and my mom kept me out of school (4 o'clock matinee!) to avoid the weekend crowds. You walked down a long hallway as the theatre was behind the street. They had a nursery for toddlers while their parents watched the movie. And beautiful swag curtains across the screen. We used to go to the Coral (where I saw A HARD DAY’S NIGHT & PSYCHO & THE CHILDREN’S HOUR) and the Hillcrest (HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS… but this wasn’t a palace like the others!). How pathetic that these architectural marvels are all gone. And what does it say about our culture. Or lack thereof! There was a huge Sears across the street from the Naylor.
The riots were miles from the Alabama-Naylor neighborhood. Barry was years away from being mayor in 1970 and the Hillcrest area has continued to be middle class and a sought after place to live. It’s the one area of E of the river that has retained some white population.
Here is a 1984 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dav2ro
Here and here are photos from February 2008 of the former Naylor Theatre.
The NAYLOR enjoyed a few good semi-exclusive runs during the early 1960’s, including Walt Disney’s MARY POPPINS. It was located in the most upscale section of SE Washington, DC. But the aftermath of the Martin Luther King riots and looting, combined with the unchecked decades-long crime spree which was pervasive in SE Washington; and cokhhead mayor Marian Berry [D] with his mal-administration, these took out ALL the theaters in SE including the Highland, Anacostia, Coral, Congress, Penn, Avenue Grand, Senator, and more. Unchecked crime isn’t good for movie theaters. The Senator bravely reopened as a Black enterprise for awhile until high crime and arson killed it. The Burn Baby Burn mentality of the era heaped praise not arrests on criminals. Black enterprise? Who cares? Burn it anyway!
The address for the Naylor Theatre is 2834 Alabama Avenue SE, Washington, DC.
The Naylor Theatre seated 990 people.