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Theaters
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February 16, 2016
Generous benefactor to buy Historic State Theatre of Boyertown, PA for Community
“My Grandparents, Edith (Mimi) and Frank Diehl, moved to the Boyertown area in 1941. In 1975, my Mom, (Dolly) moved back to the same farm house, and now two of my sisters, Bonnie Wren and Debby Meehan have also moved back to the area. We all share many fond memories of those earlier times, including visits to the State Theatre, to Bauses Drug Store, the Mansion House Restaurant and even Landis Store when it was a general store. We all want to see Boyertown’s history preserved, while helping Boyertown grow and thrive. This purchase and improvement to the State Theatre is our way to be part of the community effort to make it happen,” said Steve Maguire, Chester County businessman.
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January 6, 2016
The Theatre on Your Street: The Plaza Theatre in Miamsburg, OH to Reopened on 25 December 2015
The Plaza Theatre in downtown Miamisburg is expected to reopen on 25 December, the 96th anniversary of its first showing. The theater originally started showing feature films in 1919 and recently underwent a $350,000 renovation project.
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January 4, 2016
Theatre Gems: Act Two: A Look at Birmingham, Alabama’s Historic Theaters
From the National Trust for Historic Preservation – “Home to what was the world’s largest Mickey Mouse Club and acts featuring the Marx Brothers and May West, a few Birmingham, Alabama theaters take center stage in preserving and archiving the city’s complicated history from the early 20th century through the Civil Rights movement.
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December 29, 2015
CAPC Collection is Available Online!
Thanks to a grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation the Chicago Architectural Photographing Company Collection (CAPC) is available in our online catalog.
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December 22, 2015
Here’s a Fun Fact From Atlanta’s Fox Theatre!
Did you know someone lives in Atlanta’s Fox Theatre? A THS Friend was kind enough to share this great story. Joe Patten was born on February 9th, 1927, and he lives in Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, which was opened on December 25th, 1929.
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December 17, 2015
The Steve Adams Collection in the THS Archives - Neenah, Wisconsin Opera House
From the THS Archives: The Steve Adams Collection – Neenah, Wisconsin Opera House and Theatre by Chirstine Sneath
In 1901 a Theatre was starting to become a reality for the town Neenah Wisconsin. Theda Clark Peters had donated $5,000 and millionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated $10,000. Theda Clark Peters’ shared Mr. Carnegie’s generous donation in her personal correspondence to her mother in August 1901.
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December 14, 2015
Frank Sinatra Draws Thousands at Paramount Theatre in 1944
In honor of Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday on 12 December.(Originally published by the Daily News on October 13, 1944. This story was written by Elaine Cunniffe and Gilbert Millstein.)
Thousands upon thousands of shrill, flushed pilgrims surged into Times Square yesterday, their mecca the Paramount Theatre, their prophet a languid baritone with big ears and a habit of writhing back of a microphone clutched in is hands.
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December 12, 2015
#ThisPlaceMatters: Touring Historic Theaters Across the U.S.
“In October 2015, Curbed and National Trust for Historic Preservation teamed up on #ThisPlaceMatters, a social campaign highlighting the most beloved places across America. Our motto at Curbed is "love where you live,” which ties in succinctly with the National Trust’s mission to highlight everyday buildings and places alongside those officially earmarked for historic preservation.“ Curbed by Patrick Sisson
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December 7, 2015
The Nate Brandt Collection in the THS Archives
The Nate Brandt Collection in the THS Archives – by Sean O’Malley
On December 30, 1903, the Iroquois Theater in Chicago caught fire. Much of the theater was very unsafe and not built with emergency situations such as fires in mind. Among the most glaring of its flaws was the fact that it lacked things like fire exits. As a result, over six hundred people died in the Iroquois Theater fire. This disaster was the single deadliest theater fire in United States history, and the event that spurred the creation of many of the fire and building codes that are in place today. In the aftermath of the fire, there were numerous investigations and trials as the authorities tried to piece together what happened, how it could have prevented, and who (if anyone) was to blame for the fire.
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November 24, 2015
The Eric Ellis Collection at the Theatre Historical Society of America Archives
Leigh Ann Wilson, a student of Dominican University’s Master of Library Science Program,was inspired by her experience while processing the Eric Ellis Collection at the Theatre Historical Society of America archives. Enjoy her reflections about this wonderful collection!
Capturing the past has high appeal – each photograph, sound recording, or snippet of video footage gives us the opportunity to step once more into times gone by. Classic movie theatres, which by their nature have a whimsical, nostalgic appeal of their own, are intriguing to capture and preserve. The Eric Ellis collection, with its focus on Chicago and New York City, allows the researcher or casual browser to reach back and pull the cities’ past forward. The collection features approximately 2010 35mm color slides in cardboard or plastic mounts. The photographer, Eric Ellis, was a grandnephew to one of the Rapp brothers, Cornelius Ward Rapp (1861-1926) and George Leslie Rapp (1878-1942), who were leading theatre architects in the early 20th century. Combining his interest in his genealogical roots with a desire to preserve the work of Rapp & Rapp, Ellis travelled throughout Chicago taking photographs of movie theatres large and small, and took side journeys to New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts to document what memories he could.