In 1909, Clara Ludski converted an auctioneers shop into the Kingsland Palace Cinema and it was so successful that in 1915 properties on both sides were purchased and the whole lot demolished.
In their place a new cinema was errected, known as the Kingsland Empire, it was designed by Percy Adams and Gearge Coles in a classical Edwardian style. Seating was provided for 902 persons in orchestra stalls and circle levels. By 1933 it was being operated by London & Southern Cinemas Ltd.
In 1936 it was purchased by Capitol and Provincial News Theatres Ltd as part of the Classic Repertory Cinemas chain. A decision was made to modernise the cinema and architect Frederick A. Bromige was employed. He designed an art deco ‘drawing room super cinema’ that seated 576 persons in stalls and circle levels within the shell of the old Kingland Empire and it re-opened in 1937 with a new name Dalston’s Classic (Dalston being the name of this inner London district).
It remained under the Classic banner through various disguises such as Classic Cartoon Cinema (late 1950’s), Classic Continental (1960), Classic (1960-1970 screening Hollywood classic movies) and finally Tatler Cinema Club (1970-1976 screening uncensored sex films).
In 1976 and independent co-operative management took over the cinema and re-named it Rio Cinema, screening a mix of art house, general release and community films.
In 1996 the Rio closed for 18 months for a complete restoration which brought it back to its 1937 art deco splendour. This was part-funded by money donated by the National Lottery.
Originally opened as the Electric Pavilion on 11th March 1911. It was built for Isreal Davis and designed by architects E.C.Homer & Lucas. Seating was provided for 800 seats. It later dropped the ‘Elecric’ from its name, becoming the Pavilion.
The Pavilion closed for a short while in 1954 when architect George Coles carried out some minor alterations (the 1920’s organ was removed at this time) and the name was changed to Pullman Cinema when it re-opened on 31st August 1954.
On 17th May 1964 it was taken over by Classic Repertory Cinemas Ltd and re-named Classic, screening ‘classic’ movies from Hollywood’s golden age. That lasted until 5th June 1976 when it closed.
It remained empty for a couple of years and demolition was threatened. However it re-opened on 3rd March 1978 as an art house cinema which was named the Little Bit Ritzy, later becoming the Ritzy Cinema. Seating capacity had been reduced to 491.
Oasis Cinemas bought the Ritzy in 1994 and in conjunction with Brixton Challenge closed down the cinema for a year while they undertook a complete restoration of the building. An additional four extra screens, a bar and cafe were built on adjacent land to the south of the orginal cinema (On this site used to sit the Brixton Theatre and Opera House a 1,504 seat theatre designed by Frank Matcham and built in 1896, detroyed by bombs in 1940).
The Ritzy Cinema is now operated by City Screen Ltd since 2003.
I see on the ‘offical’ photo taken during construction (posted by J.F. Lundy July 18. 2004) the the architects credited are Weeks & Day – Reid Brothers.
Thanks for mentioning that Scott, I have just looked in my Film Daily Yearbooks 1941 and 1943 and the Booker T Theatre is listed in the Negro Theatres section, as well as the general listings for Baltimore. Which implies it was still open and operating? There is no mention of it in the 1950 edition
Yet the book “Exit” by Phillip Headly states its doors closed for good around 1938 and Chuck in his opening description states 1936 and later goes on to say the last licence of occupancy he could find in the library was dated February 1936.
I wonder, has the F.D.Y.B. just not been updated correctly since the 1930’s for this theatre?
The Film Daily Yearbooks 1941 and 1943 give the Barth Theater a seating capacity of 700.
By the 1950 edition of F.D.Y.B, seating is given as 752, it was known as the Rogers Theater by then and the street address given is 207 Monroe St, Carbondale, IL.
The Roxy Theater is listed in the 1941 Film Daily Yearbook with a seating capacity of 500 seats. It was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc through the subsiduary group of E.J. Sparks.
therobins;
The theatreorgans.com database shows the following information for the organ:
Manufacturer: Hillgreen-Lane
Opus: 478
Size: 2/20
Liberty Theater, installed 1917
Cost: $5,275
Condition: Unknown
The address of the State Theater is 213 W. Federal Street. The seating capacity given in the Film Daily Yearbook’s , 1941 and 1943 is 1,500. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y.B. it is listed as having 2,000 seats.
TJ and RobertR;
A search on IMDB reveals Jack Wrangler is still around, born 11th July 1946 (son of television producer Robert Stillman). Wrangler and Margaret Whiting were married in 1994, still married!
MagicLantern:
When you go and take ‘tea’ there next weekend, can you count the seating capacity for us please, projection facilities, and other features not covered in the above postings(ok>>>well check them out too, just make sure we have all our facts right)!
On my recent visit to the city I only had time to photo the exterior (too many theatres, too little time).
moviemanforever;
A correction to your first posting on here(17th Feb).
The name ‘tea room’ is a gay slang term used in the USA since the 1960’s(that I know of) for public restrooms where gay men have annonimous sex (ie tea room trade)
In the UK, gay slang for a public convenience is a ‘cottage’(in use since the 1950’s). So named after the many public loos built in parks etc in the Edwardian era and 1920’s that were designed to look like mini cottages, so that they didn’t look so offensive and hid their real purpose. Some of them are now Listed Grade II buildings!
As for the rest of Europe, I don’t know what words would be used in French, Spanish, German, Italian etc.
Manwithnoname;
I have a twin set up here, the living room screen 1 has a 32inch widescreen LCD flat panel monitor screen (all aspect ratio’s are available), THX and Dolby Pro-Logic surround, and a 3 seater black leather sofa (kinky). The bedroom screen 2 has a small tv and bog standard mono sound and at least room for 3 but who cares once the lights go out.
A Night at the Adonis (1977) is listed on The Internet Movie Database (you have to add your preference to do an ‘adult’ search to view it and the review).
Being the person who added this theatre to the site, I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in the context of the aims and goals of this site, which is to document and discuss buildings that are used for showing movies, commonly known as theatres/theaters or cinemas. I simply report and add a theatre because it is a theatre, not shying away because the morals of the patrons of a particular building offend me.
The Aquarius/Tea Room Theatre has been in operation as a movie theatre for over 30 years, which is longer than some ‘regular’ theatres on the site.
Are we to have a form of censorship that bans certain types of theatres from qualifying for the site because they don’t ‘fit’ into the general idea of what a theatre is? or the types of people who attend them offend certain members of society?
To be banned???;
Storefront theatres; most early nickelodeons were these.
Non purpose built theatres; because they are not proper theatres, just conversions.
Negro theatres: because they were exclusive to a certain race of people.
3rd run flea-pit dumps; because they deserved to close down and were an embaressment to the nearby movie palaces.
Theatres that had been used for porn; this would mean most of 42nd St and 8th Ave NYC theatres would be taken off not to mention theatres such as the Vista, E. Hollywood, CA which actually showed hard core gay movies for a while, but has now been lovingly restored back to its 1926 Egyptian style and sceens general release movies again.
To be banned?? I don’t think so!
I personally have spent over 35 years in cinema and ‘legit’ theatre management here in the UK and have worked in buildings contrasting from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to West End Theatres, to circuit general release movie theatres, to straight porn XXX cinemas (not all in that order) LOL So I can speak from much experience in working in all types of ‘theatre’ buildings.
Also being a founder member of the Cinema Theatre Association (founded 1967) and being their Visit Co-ordinator for eight years (organising over 80 visits for members, 5 of them International) and made a Life Member a couple of years ago for my services to the Association, I can vouch my sincerity in my detailed research of theatre and cinema buildings which I have been sharing with this site in the over 600 postings I have made about the buildings, data and history.
Now let us all get off our moralistic ‘high horse’ and get back to giving the Cinema Treasures site an input into the theatre buildings whatever their condition, operational woes/needs, style, size etc.
They ALL deserve our attention,and research so others can share them with us for generations to come.
Jeff;
Thanks I will mail you. I have a couple of photos in the book ‘American Theatres of Today’ Vol 1 which shows the exterior facade and an auditorium shot taken in c.1926. I can scan and send to you.
To my knowledge there were no other theatres close by.
The marquee of the RKO Keith’s, Richmond Hill was restored by the filmakers of the 2002 comedy movie “The Guru”. It can be seen several times in the movie and also what appears to be what could have been the former manager’s office above the lobby which in the movie serves as the appartment Jimi Mistry moves into on his arrival in New York.
Later in the movie, you can see scenes that were shot in the lobby and auditorium of Loew’s 175th St.Theatre, Manhattan, NYC.
Joe;
We need that address to track down the Admiral Theatre. I have run out of options in my collection here. Anyone out there with any past Los Angeles newspaper with theatre listings over the years which has the S. Main St. Admiral Theatre, please let us know. Thanks
I have just posted up all missing theatres downtown on Main, Spring, Broadway and Hill Streets on this site that I know about.
Good detective work there Jeff. Looking at the building you would never belive it had ever been a theatre. I have passed it many times, knowing that it was the location of the Oriental/Granada, but never thought to go inside.
The header needs to be up-dated to : Status: Closed. Function: Retail
In 1909, Clara Ludski converted an auctioneers shop into the Kingsland Palace Cinema and it was so successful that in 1915 properties on both sides were purchased and the whole lot demolished.
In their place a new cinema was errected, known as the Kingsland Empire, it was designed by Percy Adams and Gearge Coles in a classical Edwardian style. Seating was provided for 902 persons in orchestra stalls and circle levels. By 1933 it was being operated by London & Southern Cinemas Ltd.
In 1936 it was purchased by Capitol and Provincial News Theatres Ltd as part of the Classic Repertory Cinemas chain. A decision was made to modernise the cinema and architect Frederick A. Bromige was employed. He designed an art deco ‘drawing room super cinema’ that seated 576 persons in stalls and circle levels within the shell of the old Kingland Empire and it re-opened in 1937 with a new name Dalston’s Classic (Dalston being the name of this inner London district).
It remained under the Classic banner through various disguises such as Classic Cartoon Cinema (late 1950’s), Classic Continental (1960), Classic (1960-1970 screening Hollywood classic movies) and finally Tatler Cinema Club (1970-1976 screening uncensored sex films).
In 1976 and independent co-operative management took over the cinema and re-named it Rio Cinema, screening a mix of art house, general release and community films.
In 1996 the Rio closed for 18 months for a complete restoration which brought it back to its 1937 art deco splendour. This was part-funded by money donated by the National Lottery.
Originally opened as the Electric Pavilion on 11th March 1911. It was built for Isreal Davis and designed by architects E.C.Homer & Lucas. Seating was provided for 800 seats. It later dropped the ‘Elecric’ from its name, becoming the Pavilion.
The Pavilion closed for a short while in 1954 when architect George Coles carried out some minor alterations (the 1920’s organ was removed at this time) and the name was changed to Pullman Cinema when it re-opened on 31st August 1954.
On 17th May 1964 it was taken over by Classic Repertory Cinemas Ltd and re-named Classic, screening ‘classic’ movies from Hollywood’s golden age. That lasted until 5th June 1976 when it closed.
It remained empty for a couple of years and demolition was threatened. However it re-opened on 3rd March 1978 as an art house cinema which was named the Little Bit Ritzy, later becoming the Ritzy Cinema. Seating capacity had been reduced to 491.
Oasis Cinemas bought the Ritzy in 1994 and in conjunction with Brixton Challenge closed down the cinema for a year while they undertook a complete restoration of the building. An additional four extra screens, a bar and cafe were built on adjacent land to the south of the orginal cinema (On this site used to sit the Brixton Theatre and Opera House a 1,504 seat theatre designed by Frank Matcham and built in 1896, detroyed by bombs in 1940).
The Ritzy Cinema is now operated by City Screen Ltd since 2003.
I see on the ‘offical’ photo taken during construction (posted by J.F. Lundy July 18. 2004) the the architects credited are Weeks & Day – Reid Brothers.
Thanks for mentioning that Scott, I have just looked in my Film Daily Yearbooks 1941 and 1943 and the Booker T Theatre is listed in the Negro Theatres section, as well as the general listings for Baltimore. Which implies it was still open and operating? There is no mention of it in the 1950 edition
Yet the book “Exit” by Phillip Headly states its doors closed for good around 1938 and Chuck in his opening description states 1936 and later goes on to say the last licence of occupancy he could find in the library was dated February 1936.
I wonder, has the F.D.Y.B. just not been updated correctly since the 1930’s for this theatre?
The Film Daily Yearbook’s 1941 and 1943 do not list this theatre but it is listed in the 1950 F.D.Y.B. as having 350 seats.
The Film Daily Yearbooks 1941 and 1943 give the Barth Theater a seating capacity of 700.
By the 1950 edition of F.D.Y.B, seating is given as 752, it was known as the Rogers Theater by then and the street address given is 207 Monroe St, Carbondale, IL.
The Roxy Theater is listed in the 1941 Film Daily Yearbook with a seating capacity of 500 seats. It was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc through the subsiduary group of E.J. Sparks.
Thanks Bway, I will make appropriate ammendments.
therobins;
The theatreorgans.com database shows the following information for the organ:
Manufacturer: Hillgreen-Lane
Opus: 478
Size: 2/20
Liberty Theater, installed 1917
Cost: $5,275
Condition: Unknown
The address given in Film Daily Yearbook, 1950 is 242 W. Federal St. and the seating capacity is 1,506.
The address given in the Film Daily Yearbook, 1950 is East Main Street, Patchogue, NY (listed under Long Island)
The address of the State Theater is 213 W. Federal Street. The seating capacity given in the Film Daily Yearbook’s , 1941 and 1943 is 1,500. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y.B. it is listed as having 2,000 seats.
TJ and RobertR;
A search on IMDB reveals Jack Wrangler is still around, born 11th July 1946 (son of television producer Robert Stillman). Wrangler and Margaret Whiting were married in 1994, still married!
MagicLantern:
When you go and take ‘tea’ there next weekend, can you count the seating capacity for us please, projection facilities, and other features not covered in the above postings(ok>>>well check them out too, just make sure we have all our facts right)!
On my recent visit to the city I only had time to photo the exterior (too many theatres, too little time).
moviemanforever;
A correction to your first posting on here(17th Feb).
The name ‘tea room’ is a gay slang term used in the USA since the 1960’s(that I know of) for public restrooms where gay men have annonimous sex (ie tea room trade)
In the UK, gay slang for a public convenience is a ‘cottage’(in use since the 1950’s). So named after the many public loos built in parks etc in the Edwardian era and 1920’s that were designed to look like mini cottages, so that they didn’t look so offensive and hid their real purpose. Some of them are now Listed Grade II buildings!
As for the rest of Europe, I don’t know what words would be used in French, Spanish, German, Italian etc.
Manwithnoname;
I have a twin set up here, the living room screen 1 has a 32inch widescreen LCD flat panel monitor screen (all aspect ratio’s are available), THX and Dolby Pro-Logic surround, and a 3 seater black leather sofa (kinky). The bedroom screen 2 has a small tv and bog standard mono sound and at least room for 3 but who cares once the lights go out.
The End!
LOL; longislandmovies.
A Night at the Adonis (1977) is listed on The Internet Movie Database (you have to add your preference to do an ‘adult’ search to view it and the review).
Being the person who added this theatre to the site, I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in the context of the aims and goals of this site, which is to document and discuss buildings that are used for showing movies, commonly known as theatres/theaters or cinemas. I simply report and add a theatre because it is a theatre, not shying away because the morals of the patrons of a particular building offend me.
The Aquarius/Tea Room Theatre has been in operation as a movie theatre for over 30 years, which is longer than some ‘regular’ theatres on the site.
Are we to have a form of censorship that bans certain types of theatres from qualifying for the site because they don’t ‘fit’ into the general idea of what a theatre is? or the types of people who attend them offend certain members of society?
To be banned???;
Storefront theatres; most early nickelodeons were these.
Non purpose built theatres; because they are not proper theatres, just conversions.
Negro theatres: because they were exclusive to a certain race of people.
3rd run flea-pit dumps; because they deserved to close down and were an embaressment to the nearby movie palaces.
Theatres that had been used for porn; this would mean most of 42nd St and 8th Ave NYC theatres would be taken off not to mention theatres such as the Vista, E. Hollywood, CA which actually showed hard core gay movies for a while, but has now been lovingly restored back to its 1926 Egyptian style and sceens general release movies again.
To be banned?? I don’t think so!
I personally have spent over 35 years in cinema and ‘legit’ theatre management here in the UK and have worked in buildings contrasting from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to West End Theatres, to circuit general release movie theatres, to straight porn XXX cinemas (not all in that order) LOL So I can speak from much experience in working in all types of ‘theatre’ buildings.
Also being a founder member of the Cinema Theatre Association (founded 1967) and being their Visit Co-ordinator for eight years (organising over 80 visits for members, 5 of them International) and made a Life Member a couple of years ago for my services to the Association, I can vouch my sincerity in my detailed research of theatre and cinema buildings which I have been sharing with this site in the over 600 postings I have made about the buildings, data and history.
Now let us all get off our moralistic ‘high horse’ and get back to giving the Cinema Treasures site an input into the theatre buildings whatever their condition, operational woes/needs, style, size etc.
They ALL deserve our attention,and research so others can share them with us for generations to come.
Jeff;
Thanks I will mail you. I have a couple of photos in the book ‘American Theatres of Today’ Vol 1 which shows the exterior facade and an auditorium shot taken in c.1926. I can scan and send to you.
To my knowledge there were no other theatres close by.
The header above needs to be ammended to: Status: Closed/Renovating
Function: Performance/Exhibition space.
The address of the Loew’s State Theatre 4 is: 1540 Broadway, New York, NY. 10036
The lobby and auditorium can be viewed in later scenes in the 2002 comedy movie “The Guru”.
Also earlier in that movie can be seen exteriors of the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill Theatre, to which the filmakers did a restoration of the marquee.
The marquee of the RKO Keith’s, Richmond Hill was restored by the filmakers of the 2002 comedy movie “The Guru”. It can be seen several times in the movie and also what appears to be what could have been the former manager’s office above the lobby which in the movie serves as the appartment Jimi Mistry moves into on his arrival in New York.
Later in the movie, you can see scenes that were shot in the lobby and auditorium of Loew’s 175th St.Theatre, Manhattan, NYC.
Joe;
We need that address to track down the Admiral Theatre. I have run out of options in my collection here. Anyone out there with any past Los Angeles newspaper with theatre listings over the years which has the S. Main St. Admiral Theatre, please let us know. Thanks
I have just posted up all missing theatres downtown on Main, Spring, Broadway and Hill Streets on this site that I know about.
MagicLantern;
My e-mail is on my profile.
Good detective work there Jeff. Looking at the building you would never belive it had ever been a theatre. I have passed it many times, knowing that it was the location of the Oriental/Granada, but never thought to go inside.
The header needs to be up-dated to : Status: Closed. Function: Retail
lostmemory…No addresses given in any of the F.D.Y.B. I have. Seating is still given as 550 in 1943 but it has risen to 600 in the 1950 edition!
The Film Daily Yearbook, 1941 gives a seating capacity of 550.