GCC Northeast 4

There’s already some other type of creepy governmental operation near to the former GCC Northeast building which, as you say, is being converted to a creepy Social Security center. It might be called PATH, but I’m not fully sure, only that it’s all very creepy.

And to think that whole area had been refreshingly part of the modern world at one time. And now it’s like it is today — totally creepy in the middle of broad daylight and God knows what it must be like around there at night. And these days is there any sort of rule of law around there other than fear itself? I wish I could learn more about some of the things that went down right before that theater went under. Today the modern world races to and fro by that once fully up to date section of Northeast Philadelphia along always-busy Route 1 but nowadays always steadfastly oblivious to it. I’d be surprised if penetration of those who do stop ever goes beyond Chuck e Cheese itself. And the Burlington Coat Factory that now occupies the former E.J. Korvette’s building just doesn’t seem like it would be much of a draw. But, I suppose it’s just how a certain group of people like it. Passing motorists on busy Roosevelt Boulevard won’t veer off into areas that don’t look very interesting.

What’s really surreal is if you venture over to where the remnnants of the GCC Northeast is now and you have memories of when that was a really classy suburban mall, which it was in the beginning — late 1950s-early 1960s. The mall itself, originally called E.J. Korvettes, stood for “eight Jewish Korean war veterans,” and was the concoction that eight army buddies dreamed up. In the beginning years there was a plaza-like area between the E.J. Corvettes department store itself and where the theater rose up — called “Cinema I & II” at the outset — that had a large outdoor birdcage as its centerpiece filled with colorful tropical birds. And the theater itself, with its simplistic streamlined design, was all very novel at the time. And every aspect of the complex held up very beautifully for a long stretch of time.

But then I don’t know what happened. It just all went south in one foul swoop it seems, perhaps more symbolized by the birdcage itself then anything else. I remember looking in that birdcage one day and it was just dead within and fully neglected. I don’t remember seeing dead birds, but the exotic plants inside had all given way to the everyday weeds of that area. And yes, it was creepy.

But why did this happen? For the location of that mall complex was good. It was right on Roosevelt Boulevard (Route #1) a major U.S. highway, after all, had more than ample parking, and so on. You can’t say it couldn’t compete with the malls because it was a mall. And you can’t say the GCC Northeast Theatre couldn’t compete with the multiplexes because it was a multiplex. But something between the late 1950s ideals and its strange demise went really weird. And that’s been a weird weird place around there ever since. Yet so strange, given how it is right alongside the busy Boulevard. They always say “location location location,” while this was location, and still is, really.

I don’t know, really bad politics, I guess. What else could it be? And though I haven’t been back over that way for a long time now, I guess that theater’s still the burned out hulk it was when I saw it last and shot some photos of it. It just looked so hopeless when I saw it last that I took my photos and then got the hell away from there…er, that is, before the dreaded sundown had a chance to settle in. And you’re right, I think back now and it was creepy.

But it wasn’t always…

I saw “The Devil’s Brigade” there soon after it opened in the mid-60s and was under a different name, while I’m pretty sure the last movie I ever saw there was “Carrie,” which was likely sometime in 1974 or ‘75. And at the time it was up and running it was a pretty good theater. Though not a palace, in a streamlined sort of way it did have some class to it. I can remember seeing its green neon sign at night when passing by on the Boulevard which always was very inviting. But when it folded, and I never understood fully why it did, whatever class that theater building had went with the management when they vacated it. And the last time I went to see it, at that point a burnt-out hulk, I found it all but impossible to even begin to match up how it looked at that point with what I remembered it to be in the mid-70s. For what I saw wasn’t sad, it was far beyond anything sad. In studying its architecture I had hoped to pick up at least one or two good ideas. But I remember how very let down I was. For what inspirations are to be found in looking at very basic cinderblock walls? Still, why did it fold, why did it fold, when it seems it had been a very well managed theater? They always say of older theaters that they can’t compete with the newer multiplexes. But in this case it was one of the newer multiplexes! So clearly something strange had to happen there to cause it to fold the way it did, some strange thing that politicians and other sinister types of today tell us we have no need to know about. Still, I would like to know what exactly forced it to fold so abruptly. Just for reference sake that is.

I worked for a General Cinema theater in Mount Prospect, IL during 1986 as a minimum wage ticket-ripper, popcorn popper, concessions person, etc. (that old building was replaced by a multiplex more than a decade ago)

At the time, their trailer was the GCC logo…arranged to resemble a movie projector camera…and it had a memorable little jingle, too. I kept the film of that trailer for years after they threw them out. I don’t think I still have it, though.

My memories of that year are mainly of watching the ENDINGS of the films over 100 times, just prior to cleaning the theater between showings. I’ve seen the end of TOP GUN 150 times… “you can be my wingman anytime.” over and over.

I remember that “Back to the Future” stayed in that theater for over 7 months… well into 1986. I also remember “The Money Pit,” “Howard the Duck,” “Pretty in Pink,” and midnight showings of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” which was 11 years old even back then. It was a fun time for me.

I’ll miss GCC.

Erik in Chicago

Hi folks, I posted about the Boyd a while back and just discovered this thread. If anyone has personal photographs of Philly theaters [not found in published books] I’d love to see them! Just for kicks… I live in LA now with countless memories of Northeast & downtown theaters. Thanks. please email pix to

Thanks!

We’re drifting off-topic, gentleman. Let’s keep things civil here.

Thanks!

Patrick

To Howard B. Haas:

Actually what I really should’ve said in my earlier commentary above was that after the federal government moved its Northeast Philadelphia headquarters into the former GCC Northeast 4 building — along with all Philadelphia attorneys who practice Social Security Disability law — at that point it would make perfectly good sense to bring out the wrecking ball and go ahead and knock the whole building to the ground.

So thanks for bringing that to my attention as it did need greater clarification. :)

Thanks for the update.

I used to take the El from West Philly to the last stop (Market/Frankford or Bridge/Pratt, I can’t recall)and then the bus to Welsh Road and Roosevelt Boulevard to see my gal. I remember that I could see a number of old theaters on either side of the train en route. On my return trip, I used to wait in a phone booth on the corner of Welsh Road as the bus was sporadic at night. In the winter, that phone booth saved me from hypothermia. The night bus was usually full of nurses from Byberry, the mental hospital up the road. Is Byberry still in existence?

The last I heard, Social Security plans to move its Branch Office from Bustleton Avenue to there. Meantime, so far as theater designs go, it has got to be the most stripped down, unimaginative, blandest, least creative theater design in the world! I know that I saw a lot of movies there back through the 1970s, but have no distinct memories of the theater itself as it appears there was nothing to remember. I remember the movies themselves distinctly well, however. As for the year they’re saying it was built – 1955 – that sounds all wrong to me, and 1965 sounds far more like it. In fact I’m pretty sure of that, and here’s why: When this theater was built it was an expansion of the E.J. Korvettes Shopping Center. And since “E.J. Korvettes” was not a person’s name, but rather, stood for “eight Jewish Korean War veterans” – that is, eight Jewish Army buddies who founded the shopping complex after their returning back home from the Korean War – the year 1955 simply doesn’t fit the time line of that. I remember E.J. Korvettes when it was all new, and that was around 1960 or so. And there was definitely no theater there at that time, I’m absolutely sure of it. Maybe it existed in the planning phases, but that’s about it.

Anyway, I went and looked at this theater building about a month ago and took digital photos of it from all angles, but aside from its having plenty of parking space it had so much working against it that I returned home thinking there’s no way it could ever positively be reworked to become a theater once more. It would have to be so reworked that it would be no different than building a theater from scratch. And I’d say a thousand times less costly if that were the case. So I would suggest that Social Security should be allowed to fully move its Northeast Philadelphia Branch Headuarters into that building, and once they’re fully moved into it, at that point bring out the wrecking ball and demolish the whole thing to the ground.

I just drove by the old GCC Northeast 4 this morning and noticed that they’re are workers doing something in there. There is a huge pile of seats right outside the front entrance and a very large “N” leaning against the front. Guess it will become something soon, or a pile of rubble.

its not demolished, I heard that from a very bad source, I apologize