Ritz Theatre
50 Clinton Street,
Binghamton,
NY
50 Clinton Street,
Binghamton,
NY
1 person
favorited this theater
Binghamton’s Ritz opened on Clinton Street in the 20’s. At the end it was a very plain black-box theatre. Entering in through two small doors under the overhanging three-sided marquee, the small lobby with restrooms and a small box office/concession combo gave way to the auditorium. The booth was accessed via spiral staircase in the manager’s office. The auditorium was separated from the lobby not by doors but by curtains.
One interesting thing about the Ritz was that in the dirt basement, there were two large wheels with handles on the walls opposite each other. When you turned these wheels in tandem, the pitch of the wooden auditorium floor would change. Apparently, the theatre was used for dances and bingo games (as well as movies) back in the 40’s and 50’s.
Loews acquired this theater with the purchase of USA Cinemas in 1988. It transferred to an independent owner in 1991. Under the weight of heavy snow, the auditorium collapsed one morning about two hours before the first show of “Nightmare Before Christmas” was to begin. Nobody was in the building, and it was demolished shortly thereafter.
Contributed by
Joe Masher
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
The address for this Ritz theater was 50 Clinton St.
“One interesting thing about the Ritz was that in the dirt basement, there were two large wheels with handles on the walls opposite each other. When you turned these wheels in tandem, the pitch of the wooden auditorium floor would change.” Interesting footnote and may have been the only theatre in the country with this unique feature!
When I was in high school in the late 80’s/early 90’s, the Ritz was managed by a classmate of mine who let us in for free. it wasn’t in the best of shape then, and its collapse a coulpe of years later wasn’t a total shock.
I did extensive research on theatres in Binghamton in the late ‘70s; the Ritz opened in 1910, not the '20s. At the time it closed it was the oldest operating theatre in town (although very few people were aware of this). The last time I was in it (1989) there was a leak in the roof and a visible stain on the ceiling from it.
1987 Photo
Jack Sharkey(Joseph Paul Zukauckas)Heavyweight Champion of Th World was my fathers first cousin and my Grandparents were his aunt and uncle.The Ritz theater building was built in 1900.The building in the early 1900’s contained many apartments where immigrants lived.My Grandfather and his two brothers one of which was Jacks father came over in 1902 from Kanus Lithuania.This building was Jacks last Binghamton home before he left for the navy and history in 1918.What a terrible waste to destroy a building that held so much local history and more importantly memories of so many.The building was lost for what A beautiful new black topped road,fake antique streetlamps,and best of all empty lots.Antique row??Give me a break.I have seen buildings with much less history saved because of mostly who it was that wanted them saved.Anyone with any info.on the Ritz building from the early 1900’s please feel free to contact me.I do know it was built in 1900 but when did the Ritz go in?Was ther always a business in the front of the building?Anything would be greatly appreciated.Thanks so much!! Tom Zikuski
I was the assistant manager at the Ritz in the late 80’s when it was Cinema National. Working at the single screen movie houses in the 80’s was a blast. I worked at all of the Cinema National theatres here in Binghamton. Changing the marquee on those sub-zero thursday nights was a bit of a drag… On a warmer note, the projection booth was unbearably hot in the summer. The basement was amazing. I still have some well preserved 3 cent tickets from the early 1900’s that I found in the basement. I am pretty sure that is my 1975 Monte Carlo in the photo that “Lost Memory” posted. Steve M.
Ritz building was built in 1900 according to official records.Ther wer always apartments in the building.The Ritz building and the 3 or 4 next to all look small but that isn’t the case.The buildings all drop 3 stories in the rear and all always held apartments.Most all of the buildings next to the Ritz all held small business in the front on street level.Does anyone know if there was a business where the Ritz was located during the aprox.20 years before the Ritz opened?Thanks very much!! Tom Z
As per my post above, IIRC my research in the late ‘70s, using business directories at the Broome Library, showed the Ritz in operation from 1910 on.
O.K.