Another note found in the June 18, 1914, edition of the same paper stated that Fred B. Whiting, the former manager of the Lyric Theatre, was to “erect an open air moving picture theater” in the village that would have an expected seating capacity of about seven or eight hundred. Seems similar enterprises were routinely popping up in vacant lots all across the country during these early years of motion picture exhibition, before air-cooling systems were perfected.
In his post of September 25, 2008, SchineHistorian suggests that this theater originally opened as the Lyric Theatre. An item in the December 3, 1914, edition of the Holley Standard (a weekly paper from a neighboring village), noted that the Lyric was purchased by Charles Lawton, who was also the owner of another Brockport cinema, the Globe Theater. It doesn’t appear that the Globe is presently listed on CT. Meanwhile, perhaps Lyric Theatre should be added to this entry as an AKA.
Further research revealed that ground was broken for this theater on November 21, 1922, on a lot adjacent to the millinery shop of Jessie M. Webster, which was located on the “Newton block.” An 1875 map of Holley shows that the southwest corner lot on Geddes St and the Public Square was owned by H.G. Newton. This is the red brick building pictured on the left side of the street view above. I think its a very safe bet to assume that the one-story grey building in the center of the street view currently occupies the site of the late Hollywood Theatre, if it isn’t the former theater itself.
Also learned that the firm of Day & DePhillips were to erect the structure with materials furnished by N.L. Cole. No word on who the principal architect was. The interior was to be “tastefully decorated and all modern equipment installed.“ Construction was anticipated to be completed within three months, "depending on the weather.” Since the theater did not open until nearly nine months later, we can only assume it was a long, cold winter in Holley. Seating capacity was expected to be between four hundred and five hundred.
The Hollywood Theatre would be the first, last and only purpose-built cinema erected in the village. “Photo-plays” had previously been exhibited at several other theaters in town, such as the Lyric Theatre (in its two incarnations) and the Frisbie & Sawyer Opera House, but these were either built for stage presentations or converted from storefronts.
I uploaded a number of ads and one vintage image of the Victory Theatre as it looked when it first opened. A number of these (including the vintage image) were poached – with permission – from former CT member Warren G Harris, who had attached links (now dead) to these images throughout the comment history. In any event, I hope that these ads help to flesh out some of the history discussed in this thread over the years.
An interesting anecdote is that opening night for the Hollywood Theatre coincided with the same date on which the remains of President Warren G. Harding were entombed in Marion, Ohio. According to an item in the August 9, 1923, edition of the Holley Standard, all stores in the village were to close for the evening at 4 pm that Friday, in honor of the late President, who had died suddenly while still in office just 8 days earlier. I wonder if the original opening date (August 4th) had been postponed out of respect for the President’s passing? The August 9th ad for the rescheduled opening did state emphatically that the theater would open “Friday night for sure, unless the world comes to an end!”
It’s just an educated guess, but I pointed the street view looking towards the south side of Geddes Street just to the west of Holley’s public square. There is a greyish, one-story building with a stepped facade just visible next to the two-story brick building on the left side of the image. It might be that this is the original Hollywood Theatre building. There are no street views available that are actually on Geddes Street. One of the articles in the Holley Standard noted that the theater was opening next to the millinery store of Jennie M. Webster. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the town, ads in the Standard did not typically reference an address or specific intersection for local merchants. The fact that both the Webster millinery store and the theater were either advertised or associated with Geddes Street is an indication to me that both were located OFF the public square rather than right upon it. Occasionaly, an ad or news item about a shop or theater might have referenced a particular block – as in the “Matson Block” or the “Frisbie Block.” I believe these were actual land blocks containing multiple building lots that were on the square itself. The only one in Holley I’ve been able to pin-down was referred to as the “I.O.O.F. block,” which stood for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, an organization that constructed a meeting hall for themselves on the north-east corner of the square, where the 1890 building still stands today.
This NY Times article may only be viewable by Times subscribers, but I thought I’d post the link anyway. Seems the theatre is not only in very sad state of disrepair, but it is also at the center of a bitter real estate battle between several parties who lay claim to some entitlement. When I get some more time to do so, I’ll try to provide a better re-cap for those who cannot view the article themselves. The article appeared in print as a front page item in the Metropolitan section of last Sunday’s paper on February 12th, 2012.
Here is a mid-20th Century postcard view looking south on Main Street, from a point well beyond the tall church steeple seen on the right of the street view above. In the image, the steeple is on the left and what I believe to be the marquee of the Rialto, is the white, boxy item more or less across the street from the church steeple. It appears to be jutting out from behind the trees (one can zoom in on the image without losing too much clarity). Hard to place where exactly this would be in the current street view. However, if you analyze the image, there doesn’t appear to be a cross street to the north of the theater. A bit further beyond the marquee, you can make out a vehicle coming from the right and appearing to make a left onto Main Street. If that vehicle is turning at the intersection of State Street, that would place the theater on North Main Street, rather than South Main Street (State Street being the line that bisects South Main from North Main).
Is it possible that the address of the Rialto was actually 18 N Main Street, rather than 18 S Main? If so, that would place the site of the old theater directly across from the church (and conveniently would be where the current-day 18 N Main Street is situated).
This linkopens an image of page 3 of the April 24, 1952, edition of The Holley Standard, a local newspaper from a neigboring town. Toward the bottom right side of the page is a notice that the Hollywood Theatre in Holley had exhibited its last motion picture and that patrons should visit the Rialto in Albion for their future moviegoing pleasure. Attached to the bottom of the notice is an ad for the schedule of movies at the Rialto for the coming week.
The notice is attributed to “Manager, Joseph Melfi, Jr.” I’m not sure if he managed only the Hollywood or if he also had a hand in the Rialto. Both theaters may have been part of the same circuit at that point in time. The Hollywood Theatre is presently not listed on CT.
Another note about the street view above… The address of 18 S Main Street would place the theater between the US Post Office (built in the 1930’s) and the Christ Church Outreach Center located at 20 S Main. You can view both of these buildings by swinging the street view around to the left a bit. I hesitate to set the view to that point because I can’t be sure the same address scheme exists today as was in place when the theatre was still standing. I have further reservations because the space between the two existing structures (both of which pre-date the Rialto’s demolition) doesn’t seem big enough to have held a theatre of this size plus storefronts.
Am I crazy, or does the vintage interior photo posted by Warren on December 10, 2008, show what appear to be a pair of open transom windows at the top of the side wall of the elevated loge seating? Further down along the same wall, in the orchestra section, there may also be sets of windows just below the ceiling. Odd for a purpose-built cinema. If one manipulates the street view down 119th Street, the windows evident along the sidewall of the old building would seem to correspond to the suspected windows seen in Warren’s photo. In the street view, all the glass looks like it was blacked out.
Yes, the corner street view from just inside 119th Street shows the old building and verifies that the building’s last commercial use was as a wharehouse/showroom for Island Furniture, with an address of 2178 Third Avenue per the signage that wrapped around the corner. It also advertised 3 floors of warehouse, so it’s very likely the interior was already gutted long before the building was demolished for the new structure. A temporary sign hung over the awning on Third Avenue, stating “Lost Our Lease Everything Must Go.”
Looks like the street view has been corrected to the right side of the street. Also appears as if I need to get my eyes checked. If you zoom in close enough to the light grey door just to the left of the Heartbreak Restaurant building, the street number “33” can be seen near the bottom of the door. That would mean the building housing the Heartbreak would have been on the lot for 35-37 Second Avenue, where the 2nd Avenue Theatre once stood.
Well, it does feature the great Johnny Whitaker! I had a crush on Jodie Foster at the time I saw it, too. I remember enjoying “Crossed Swords” a lot… but then, I was a big fan of the Richard Lester version of “The Three Musketeers” and its sequel. I have not seen the movie in nearly 35 years, so I am still looking back through eyes of a 13 year-old.
I definitely saw “Tom Sawyer,” “Robin Hood,” “Mame,” “Paper Tiger,” and “Crossed Swords” at the Hall. I’ve seen a number of the other ‘70’s flicks listed in yours and Ron3853’s posts, but I’m not exactly confident that they were here. I all but forgot about “Paper Tiger,” which I remember starring David Niven and being incredibly boring as a child of 11 years. I fairly enjoyed the other films at the time. Not all that sure how any of them would hold up today!
I also remember driving by in someone’s car and seeing “Caravans” was the attraction. In my memory, I always thought this was the last presentation – and, as with “Crossed Swords,” may have been advertised as such. It wasn’t until joining CT that I learned “The Promise” actually held that honor.
Hey Al… What about the marquee just beyond the Photoplays? Seems to be advertising something about “Tickets” and “On Sale?” The location would seem to suggest that it might be the 2nd Avenue Theatre at 35-37 2nd Avenue.
I wonder if we have the correct address for this theatre. A NY Times article from 1958 (as posted about by Lost Memory a number of years back) notes the theatre was demolished and replaced by a parking lot. However, if you look at the street view above (which is currently facing the wrong side of the street and must be swung around show to the west side of the avenue), the structure that currently occupies the address range of 35-37 2nd Avenue (mid-block, to the left of the red painted Heartbreak Restaurant) appears to date back far earlier than 1958. The building that is now occupied by the Heartbreak currently has an East 2nd Street address. It’s possible that this structure sits where the auditorium of the 2nd Avenue once sat and replaced, in turn, the parking lot that had first replaced the theatre.
There is an undated “early 20th Century” image on this page (just scroll down a little), depicting several marquees along lower 2nd Avenue. On the lower left side of the image, one can make out marquees for the Woolworth Theatre aka Majestic, Photoplays aka New Law and just beyond that, a marquee advertising “Tickets” that just might be the 2nd Avenue Theatre. Any takers on that idea?
There is a vintage image on this page, dated April 1910 (scroll down just a bit) that shows several theaters at the lower end of 2nd Avenue. On the lower left side of the photo, one can make out the marquee for the Woolworth Theatre, which is listed here as the Majestic Theatre, and just a bit beyond that on the next block one can see the marquee for the New Law – with the word “Photoplays” spelled out.
And still further beyond the New Law, there is another marquee that appears to be advertising “Tickets” and which I believe may belong to the 2nd Avenue Theatre.
Hey Al… Funny, I clicked on your link and started getting lost in the conversation that a few of us were having about this great theatre nearly 6 years ago! If you don’t mind saving me from flipping through all the intervening pages since that time, did you ever update your list of films at the Hall through the end of the 1970’s? The post I read ends with what I presume to be the Christmas holiday engagement of the musical “Scrooge,” in late November, 1970, which would be at the beginning of the era during which I saw a number of movies here.
It’s all academic, now. Here we are, 43 years on, and we’re on the brink of having nothing left to thread in cinemas across the nation. Working masters of the craft such as yourself, Peter, will eventually be left simply to punch up data files, particularly once studios stop striking prints altogether and all extant reels just fall apart from wear and tear.
“Click here” goes in brackets [ ] followed immediately by the website address in parentheses ( ) with no spaces between the close bracket and the open parenthesis. Give it a test spin… you can always remove the comment if it doesn’t work.
Interesting, Al. I imagine there might have been a potential distraction issue for patrons seated in the raised loge at the back of the auditorium. I could also imagine the operator having his hands full making sure no one reached over and toyed with the console while walking by. But then, perhaps more was expected of general audiences back in 1969. I’m viewing the situation through the dark prism of contemporary behavior among moviegoers.
Another note found in the June 18, 1914, edition of the same paper stated that Fred B. Whiting, the former manager of the Lyric Theatre, was to “erect an open air moving picture theater” in the village that would have an expected seating capacity of about seven or eight hundred. Seems similar enterprises were routinely popping up in vacant lots all across the country during these early years of motion picture exhibition, before air-cooling systems were perfected.
In his post of September 25, 2008, SchineHistorian suggests that this theater originally opened as the Lyric Theatre. An item in the December 3, 1914, edition of the Holley Standard (a weekly paper from a neighboring village), noted that the Lyric was purchased by Charles Lawton, who was also the owner of another Brockport cinema, the Globe Theater. It doesn’t appear that the Globe is presently listed on CT. Meanwhile, perhaps Lyric Theatre should be added to this entry as an AKA.
Further research revealed that ground was broken for this theater on November 21, 1922, on a lot adjacent to the millinery shop of Jessie M. Webster, which was located on the “Newton block.” An 1875 map of Holley shows that the southwest corner lot on Geddes St and the Public Square was owned by H.G. Newton. This is the red brick building pictured on the left side of the street view above. I think its a very safe bet to assume that the one-story grey building in the center of the street view currently occupies the site of the late Hollywood Theatre, if it isn’t the former theater itself.
Also learned that the firm of Day & DePhillips were to erect the structure with materials furnished by N.L. Cole. No word on who the principal architect was. The interior was to be “tastefully decorated and all modern equipment installed.“ Construction was anticipated to be completed within three months, "depending on the weather.” Since the theater did not open until nearly nine months later, we can only assume it was a long, cold winter in Holley. Seating capacity was expected to be between four hundred and five hundred.
The Hollywood Theatre would be the first, last and only purpose-built cinema erected in the village. “Photo-plays” had previously been exhibited at several other theaters in town, such as the Lyric Theatre (in its two incarnations) and the Frisbie & Sawyer Opera House, but these were either built for stage presentations or converted from storefronts.
I uploaded a number of ads and one vintage image of the Victory Theatre as it looked when it first opened. A number of these (including the vintage image) were poached – with permission – from former CT member Warren G Harris, who had attached links (now dead) to these images throughout the comment history. In any event, I hope that these ads help to flesh out some of the history discussed in this thread over the years.
An interesting anecdote is that opening night for the Hollywood Theatre coincided with the same date on which the remains of President Warren G. Harding were entombed in Marion, Ohio. According to an item in the August 9, 1923, edition of the Holley Standard, all stores in the village were to close for the evening at 4 pm that Friday, in honor of the late President, who had died suddenly while still in office just 8 days earlier. I wonder if the original opening date (August 4th) had been postponed out of respect for the President’s passing? The August 9th ad for the rescheduled opening did state emphatically that the theater would open “Friday night for sure, unless the world comes to an end!”
It’s just an educated guess, but I pointed the street view looking towards the south side of Geddes Street just to the west of Holley’s public square. There is a greyish, one-story building with a stepped facade just visible next to the two-story brick building on the left side of the image. It might be that this is the original Hollywood Theatre building. There are no street views available that are actually on Geddes Street. One of the articles in the Holley Standard noted that the theater was opening next to the millinery store of Jennie M. Webster. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the town, ads in the Standard did not typically reference an address or specific intersection for local merchants. The fact that both the Webster millinery store and the theater were either advertised or associated with Geddes Street is an indication to me that both were located OFF the public square rather than right upon it. Occasionaly, an ad or news item about a shop or theater might have referenced a particular block – as in the “Matson Block” or the “Frisbie Block.” I believe these were actual land blocks containing multiple building lots that were on the square itself. The only one in Holley I’ve been able to pin-down was referred to as the “I.O.O.F. block,” which stood for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, an organization that constructed a meeting hall for themselves on the north-east corner of the square, where the 1890 building still stands today.
This NY Times article may only be viewable by Times subscribers, but I thought I’d post the link anyway. Seems the theatre is not only in very sad state of disrepair, but it is also at the center of a bitter real estate battle between several parties who lay claim to some entitlement. When I get some more time to do so, I’ll try to provide a better re-cap for those who cannot view the article themselves. The article appeared in print as a front page item in the Metropolitan section of last Sunday’s paper on February 12th, 2012.
Here it is.
Here is a mid-20th Century postcard view looking south on Main Street, from a point well beyond the tall church steeple seen on the right of the street view above. In the image, the steeple is on the left and what I believe to be the marquee of the Rialto, is the white, boxy item more or less across the street from the church steeple. It appears to be jutting out from behind the trees (one can zoom in on the image without losing too much clarity). Hard to place where exactly this would be in the current street view. However, if you analyze the image, there doesn’t appear to be a cross street to the north of the theater. A bit further beyond the marquee, you can make out a vehicle coming from the right and appearing to make a left onto Main Street. If that vehicle is turning at the intersection of State Street, that would place the theater on North Main Street, rather than South Main Street (State Street being the line that bisects South Main from North Main).
Is it possible that the address of the Rialto was actually 18 N Main Street, rather than 18 S Main? If so, that would place the site of the old theater directly across from the church (and conveniently would be where the current-day 18 N Main Street is situated).
This linkopens an image of page 3 of the April 24, 1952, edition of The Holley Standard, a local newspaper from a neigboring town. Toward the bottom right side of the page is a notice that the Hollywood Theatre in Holley had exhibited its last motion picture and that patrons should visit the Rialto in Albion for their future moviegoing pleasure. Attached to the bottom of the notice is an ad for the schedule of movies at the Rialto for the coming week.
The notice is attributed to “Manager, Joseph Melfi, Jr.” I’m not sure if he managed only the Hollywood or if he also had a hand in the Rialto. Both theaters may have been part of the same circuit at that point in time. The Hollywood Theatre is presently not listed on CT.
Another note about the street view above… The address of 18 S Main Street would place the theater between the US Post Office (built in the 1930’s) and the Christ Church Outreach Center located at 20 S Main. You can view both of these buildings by swinging the street view around to the left a bit. I hesitate to set the view to that point because I can’t be sure the same address scheme exists today as was in place when the theatre was still standing. I have further reservations because the space between the two existing structures (both of which pre-date the Rialto’s demolition) doesn’t seem big enough to have held a theatre of this size plus storefronts.
Am I crazy, or does the vintage interior photo posted by Warren on December 10, 2008, show what appear to be a pair of open transom windows at the top of the side wall of the elevated loge seating? Further down along the same wall, in the orchestra section, there may also be sets of windows just below the ceiling. Odd for a purpose-built cinema. If one manipulates the street view down 119th Street, the windows evident along the sidewall of the old building would seem to correspond to the suspected windows seen in Warren’s photo. In the street view, all the glass looks like it was blacked out.
Yes, the corner street view from just inside 119th Street shows the old building and verifies that the building’s last commercial use was as a wharehouse/showroom for Island Furniture, with an address of 2178 Third Avenue per the signage that wrapped around the corner. It also advertised 3 floors of warehouse, so it’s very likely the interior was already gutted long before the building was demolished for the new structure. A temporary sign hung over the awning on Third Avenue, stating “Lost Our Lease Everything Must Go.”
Looks like the street view has been corrected to the right side of the street. Also appears as if I need to get my eyes checked. If you zoom in close enough to the light grey door just to the left of the Heartbreak Restaurant building, the street number “33” can be seen near the bottom of the door. That would mean the building housing the Heartbreak would have been on the lot for 35-37 Second Avenue, where the 2nd Avenue Theatre once stood.
Well, it does feature the great Johnny Whitaker! I had a crush on Jodie Foster at the time I saw it, too. I remember enjoying “Crossed Swords” a lot… but then, I was a big fan of the Richard Lester version of “The Three Musketeers” and its sequel. I have not seen the movie in nearly 35 years, so I am still looking back through eyes of a 13 year-old.
I definitely saw “Tom Sawyer,” “Robin Hood,” “Mame,” “Paper Tiger,” and “Crossed Swords” at the Hall. I’ve seen a number of the other ‘70’s flicks listed in yours and Ron3853’s posts, but I’m not exactly confident that they were here. I all but forgot about “Paper Tiger,” which I remember starring David Niven and being incredibly boring as a child of 11 years. I fairly enjoyed the other films at the time. Not all that sure how any of them would hold up today!
I also remember driving by in someone’s car and seeing “Caravans” was the attraction. In my memory, I always thought this was the last presentation – and, as with “Crossed Swords,” may have been advertised as such. It wasn’t until joining CT that I learned “The Promise” actually held that honor.
Hey Al… What about the marquee just beyond the Photoplays? Seems to be advertising something about “Tickets” and “On Sale?” The location would seem to suggest that it might be the 2nd Avenue Theatre at 35-37 2nd Avenue.
My mistake on the vintage image – it is an undated photo, labeled only “early 20th Century.”
I wonder if we have the correct address for this theatre. A NY Times article from 1958 (as posted about by Lost Memory a number of years back) notes the theatre was demolished and replaced by a parking lot. However, if you look at the street view above (which is currently facing the wrong side of the street and must be swung around show to the west side of the avenue), the structure that currently occupies the address range of 35-37 2nd Avenue (mid-block, to the left of the red painted Heartbreak Restaurant) appears to date back far earlier than 1958. The building that is now occupied by the Heartbreak currently has an East 2nd Street address. It’s possible that this structure sits where the auditorium of the 2nd Avenue once sat and replaced, in turn, the parking lot that had first replaced the theatre.
There is an undated “early 20th Century” image on this page (just scroll down a little), depicting several marquees along lower 2nd Avenue. On the lower left side of the image, one can make out marquees for the Woolworth Theatre aka Majestic, Photoplays aka New Law and just beyond that, a marquee advertising “Tickets” that just might be the 2nd Avenue Theatre. Any takers on that idea?
There is a vintage image on this page, dated April 1910 (scroll down just a bit) that shows several theaters at the lower end of 2nd Avenue. On the lower left side of the photo, one can make out the marquee for the Woolworth Theatre, which is listed here as the Majestic Theatre, and just a bit beyond that on the next block one can see the marquee for the New Law – with the word “Photoplays” spelled out.
And still further beyond the New Law, there is another marquee that appears to be advertising “Tickets” and which I believe may belong to the 2nd Avenue Theatre.
Hey Al… Funny, I clicked on your link and started getting lost in the conversation that a few of us were having about this great theatre nearly 6 years ago! If you don’t mind saving me from flipping through all the intervening pages since that time, did you ever update your list of films at the Hall through the end of the 1970’s? The post I read ends with what I presume to be the Christmas holiday engagement of the musical “Scrooge,” in late November, 1970, which would be at the beginning of the era during which I saw a number of movies here.
Another look at the infamous console, thanks to member DEFG.
It’s all academic, now. Here we are, 43 years on, and we’re on the brink of having nothing left to thread in cinemas across the nation. Working masters of the craft such as yourself, Peter, will eventually be left simply to punch up data files, particularly once studios stop striking prints altogether and all extant reels just fall apart from wear and tear.
“Click here” goes in brackets [ ] followed immediately by the website address in parentheses ( ) with no spaces between the close bracket and the open parenthesis. Give it a test spin… you can always remove the comment if it doesn’t work.
Interesting, Al. I imagine there might have been a potential distraction issue for patrons seated in the raised loge at the back of the auditorium. I could also imagine the operator having his hands full making sure no one reached over and toyed with the console while walking by. But then, perhaps more was expected of general audiences back in 1969. I’m viewing the situation through the dark prism of contemporary behavior among moviegoers.
I didn’t get an email either, moviebuff82. Sometimes, there is a lag in notification, however.