Meriden Cinema 1 & 2
77 State Street,
Meriden,
CT
06450
77 State Street,
Meriden,
CT
06450
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This wasn’t a classic ANYTHING. But I am listing it here for historical reference. The Cinema 1 & 2 was a cookie-cutter mini cinema, featuring narrow auditoriums. Built 1968-70 as part of a now-abandoned urban redevelopment failure, the Meriden Mall.
There is nothing which made this place memorable or architecturally significant. Walls were of cinderblock painted dark blue. There was blue lighting on the screen before each film. Walls of the entranceways to the auditorium were covered with purple carpeting. And… that’s about it.
Contributed by
Bob Whitworth
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
I found a listing for a Meriden Cinema 1 & 2 that was located at 77 State St. Is this the same theater?
lostmemory I believe your addres is correct, that is what I show also. The only other listing for a twin in Meriden is the Meriden Twin Theatre at 535 South Broad Street.
Thanks Charles. I mapped both Pratt St and State St and found that they pretty much run parallel to each other. I assume that the mall is located between those two streets and I understand why Pratt St was used as an address when the theater was added. I would use the 77 State St address for this theater.
I assume you are getting the 77 State St. address from CinemaTour. I used it there because that is the address I found in the newspaper and/or city directory listings for the Meriden Mall Cinema 1 & 2 during my research.
That is one of the websites that I found this address on. Is the correct name for this theater Meriden Cinema 1 & 2 or Meriden Mall Cinema 1 & 2. The two websites that I found this theater listed on use the word “Mall” in the title.
Since I do much research myself I have aquired a rather large database of U.S. theatres over the years. The address for this theatre is shown as 77 State Street. Very good work gentlemen.
In the “for what it’s worth department,” I actually was able to see this theater under construction. As a kid back in 1969/70, I used to routinely wander through construction sites, and hardly ever got yelled at or told to leave. I remember the construction crew using snap lines to mark the placements of the auditorium seats. I think the first film I saw in this was either “Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein” or “The Godfather.” The theater is NOT missed, and neither is the atrocious mall in which the theater was located.