Oriental Theater
121 Hinds Street,
Rochester,
PA
15074
121 Hinds Street,
Rochester,
PA
15074
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 37 comments found
Just found a local newspaper which states the theatre opened on 4 September 1931.
Opened in 1930 and closed about 1973.
clarkw: your previous comments have really peaked my interest!!!! i have been slowly doing research on the “oriental”, and have kinda hit a dead end so to speak, i have been trying, without much success, for the past couple years to be able to search through the old photos at graule’s, just hoping to maybe find some lost pic of the theater. and i was thinking how cool it would be to have a set of blueprints!!!!! i would really like to get in contact with you, if you could shot me and email, my address is , i would be eternally grateful!!
I have just reviewed the link posted on October 24, 2010 and can’t believe my eyes! This theatre was beautiful! The folks of Rochester PA have truly lost a DeAngelis masterpiece!
clarkw: This is a remarkable post and one that truly got my attention! To think Mr. DeAngelis had all of his theatre blueprints at his home! It saddens me to think that local theatre folks didn’t look him up at the time! I truly hope that his irreplaceable archive is somewhere safe and sound. If over time you have any other follow-up to this story, please post! Thanks!
I’m certainly late here, but a gent that I had met back in the late ‘80s was in direct touch with Mr. DeAngelis at the time, whose wife had just died. Michael DeAngelis was in his upper 80s and said that he still had all of the blueprints for his theatres at his home. He was living in (I believe) Rochester, NY. I tried to get some local theatre/organ folks up there to look him up at the time but nothing came of it. That was probably near the end of the window of time that he could have been interviewed and given his treasures to posterity. I never heard anything else but seem to think that he passed away not too long after that. I have no idea if anyone ever got to him or saved his irreplaceable archive.
This theatre was quite ornate for a DeAngelis design. And to think it is now an “empty plot”.
Does anyone else recall Ozzy Osbourne playing at this theater in the very early 80s, when he was just breaking from Black Sabbath? I know he wasnt a disco band, but neither was the event I was at way back then!
I lived right down Rt 65 while growing up. Everyone knew of the Oriental.
Dec 2 1968 “YELLOW SUBMARINE” is playing.
Playing Jan 8 1960 was “1001 ARABIAN KNIGHTS” and “FLYING FONTAINES"Coming was "BELOVED INFIDEL”.
Is the site still an empty “plot”…perhaps the right word since it has been demolished and “died”. A Google search has shown that Rochester PA is in Beaver County which is the same area of another DeAngelis designed theatre, the Granada which has also been demolished.
And dare I ask what is on the Oriental Theatre site now? Nice to know that the organ was spared along with many of the artifacts, but the theatre should have been saved and never made into a disco lounge.
Thanks so very much for posting that photo, but OMG…..another beautiful theatre demolished! This did NOT make my theatre day!
Here is a link to a photo of the Oriental Theater when it was new: View link
Where is Rochester PA? And to think this theatre was an atmospheric/oriental designed by Michael DeAngelis…guess that didn’t mean much to the residents of Rochester!
goto www.estateroadshow.com then click on the facebook link — you will see the photos posted. If we can confirm the provenance on them – we will be auctioning them. Seems their was 4 elephants — our client has 2 of them. Trying to find out where they came from if possible. Contact is
This theatre being a DeAngelis designed theatre holds interest to me. Do you have photos?
We have access to 2 of the chinese stone elephants which were mounted on top of the theatre … estimated at 15,000 each. Anyone have any information on them — where they came from?
Ken is in the UK so you’d have to visit England to meet Mr. Roe.
I agree, I am often amazed at the level and depth of his theatrical knowleg. I would love to me you both sometime.
Ken Roe is a fine CT member and has been so helpful to me over the years of my membership.
Thanks! :–)
The Family Theatre was added to CT today by Ken Roe.
Anybody have any more info. on the Family Theatre?
It would be nice to see an entry.
The Oriental is on the left and the Family on the right in this 1982 photo. Following that is a more recent photo. The Family building remains, while the Oriental is empty land.
http://tinyurl.com/ybqkpj3
http://tinyurl.com/y8jeloz