Buffalo’s original motion picture house was the Theatorium, which opened in 1909 at 1 North Main Street. It operated during the nickelodeon era when movies remained short attractions with screenings squeezed into standard retail spaces. The Theatorium moved next door before closing as a movie exhibitor in the late 1910s.
Supplanting it was the city’s first modern cinema, Bison Theatre, which opened in 1917 at 7 North Main and lasted until March 8, 1984. Buffalo then went without a local movie house until 1993 when Scully Theater opened at 235 South Main Street.
The business operated for several years before shuttering, after which community residents formed a management group that rebranded and reopened the location as The Buffalo Theater in February 2003. It closed on March 8, 2020 amid the Covid-19 outbreak. π΅π’πππππ π΅π’ππππ‘ππ reported that the twin-screened venue’s final features were πππ€πππ and πΌ ππ‘πππ π΅πππππ£π.
A rebirth got underway when the property was acquired in 2021 by married couple Chris and Kira Wages. Their renovation plans drew national attention in the premiere episode of HGTV’s π»πππ πππ€π πΎππππ π‘πππ‘, a restoration project series co-presented by ππππππ magazine. That segment followed hosts Jasmine Roth and Ty Pennington as they worked with Chris and Kira to ready the cinema for re-opening.
Upon arriving, Ty asked how many movie theaters existed nearby.
ππππ: In our whole county, which is the same size as Rhode Island, just this one.
ππ: Wow …
ππππ: So we kind of had that as a motive to get a place where kids could hang out and it was safe and fun.
HGTV crews and local contractors gave the venue an extensive aesthetic and functional remodeling, with the aim of preserving its small-town appeal and what Chris called its “Western vibe.” After unveiling the completed upgrades, Jasmine said “It didn’t have any character before, it didn’t tell a story,” to which Kira agreed “It feels a lot warmer.”
HGTV aired the episode on April 24, 2022, four months after the cinema’s grand reopening offered showings of ππππ 2 πππ π΄πππππππ ππππππππ.
The theater next changed hands in spring of 2025 when the Wages sold it to Barnum project manager Steve Fichter and local merchants Jim and Sara Stevens, who also obtained a liquor license for the business.
Although the Hyde Park was closed by then, its retro exterior provided a homey backdrop for a scene in the 1994 feature film ππͺππ¬ ππ°π―π¦πΊ starring Melanie Griffith and Ed Harris. The setting was a fictional Pittsburgh suburb called Middleton.
The former Deer Park Theater survived into the β70s under the name Beacon Hill Cinema by specializing in foreign and arthouse movies, as well as films deemed too hot to handle by other theaters.
I donβt mean porn and exploitative fare; I mean for example π΄ πΆπππππ€πππ ππππππ and Pasoliniβs πβπ π·ππππππππ. Both carried X ratings from the MPAA upon release, which was enough to get them banned by many exhibitors. In fact the Cincinnati Enquirer, the cityβs morning daily, refused in those days to carry ads for X-rated movies, so youβd sometimes see Beacon Hill notices that said no more than βCall theater for title.β
Other Beacon Hill features included πΉππππππ πππ‘π¦πππππ, Joseph Anthonyβs ππππππππ€, and BuΓ±uelβs ππππ π‘πππ. The sleepy suburban location seemed unlikely enough that it prompted a headline from an alternative newspaper announcing, with evident surprise: βCincinnatiβs hippest movie theater is in Blue Ash [sic].β
After closing, the building became a church for awhile.
Iβve posted a 1967 notice about the original Deer Park Theater hosting βa swinging teen clubβ where for 99 cents βteen customers first see a suitable teen-type movie, then they hear (and dance to) some of the areaβs best rock βn roll bands.β
Holland’s Caramelcorn moved into the former home of the Tazewell Theatre in 2012 and remains open as of 2026. Exterior and interior photos can be found at the business’s website, hollandscaramelcorn.com.
Buffalo’s original motion picture house was the Theatorium, which opened in 1909 at 1 North Main Street. It operated during the nickelodeon era when movies remained short attractions with screenings squeezed into standard retail spaces. The Theatorium moved next door before closing as a movie exhibitor in the late 1910s.
Supplanting it was the city’s first modern cinema, Bison Theatre, which opened in 1917 at 7 North Main and lasted until March 8, 1984. Buffalo then went without a local movie house until 1993 when Scully Theater opened at 235 South Main Street.
The business operated for several years before shuttering, after which community residents formed a management group that rebranded and reopened the location as The Buffalo Theater in February 2003. It closed on March 8, 2020 amid the Covid-19 outbreak. π΅π’πππππ π΅π’ππππ‘ππ reported that the twin-screened venue’s final features were πππ€πππ and πΌ ππ‘πππ π΅πππππ£π.
A rebirth got underway when the property was acquired in 2021 by married couple Chris and Kira Wages. Their renovation plans drew national attention in the premiere episode of HGTV’s π»πππ πππ€π πΎππππ π‘πππ‘, a restoration project series co-presented by ππππππ magazine. That segment followed hosts Jasmine Roth and Ty Pennington as they worked with Chris and Kira to ready the cinema for re-opening.
Upon arriving, Ty asked how many movie theaters existed nearby.
ππππ: In our whole county, which is the same size as Rhode Island, just this one.
ππ: Wow …
ππππ: So we kind of had that as a motive to get a place where kids could hang out and it was safe and fun.
HGTV crews and local contractors gave the venue an extensive aesthetic and functional remodeling, with the aim of preserving its small-town appeal and what Chris called its “Western vibe.” After unveiling the completed upgrades, Jasmine said “It didn’t have any character before, it didn’t tell a story,” to which Kira agreed “It feels a lot warmer.”
HGTV aired the episode on April 24, 2022, four months after the cinema’s grand reopening offered showings of ππππ 2 πππ π΄πππππππ ππππππππ.
The theater next changed hands in spring of 2025 when the Wages sold it to Barnum project manager Steve Fichter and local merchants Jim and Sara Stevens, who also obtained a liquor license for the business.
Although the Hyde Park was closed by then, its retro exterior provided a homey backdrop for a scene in the 1994 feature film ππͺππ¬ ππ°π―π¦πΊ starring Melanie Griffith and Ed Harris. The setting was a fictional Pittsburgh suburb called Middleton.
The former Deer Park Theater survived into the β70s under the name Beacon Hill Cinema by specializing in foreign and arthouse movies, as well as films deemed too hot to handle by other theaters.
I donβt mean porn and exploitative fare; I mean for example π΄ πΆπππππ€πππ ππππππ and Pasoliniβs πβπ π·ππππππππ. Both carried X ratings from the MPAA upon release, which was enough to get them banned by many exhibitors. In fact the Cincinnati Enquirer, the cityβs morning daily, refused in those days to carry ads for X-rated movies, so youβd sometimes see Beacon Hill notices that said no more than βCall theater for title.β
Other Beacon Hill features included πΉππππππ πππ‘π¦πππππ, Joseph Anthonyβs ππππππππ€, and BuΓ±uelβs ππππ π‘πππ. The sleepy suburban location seemed unlikely enough that it prompted a headline from an alternative newspaper announcing, with evident surprise: βCincinnatiβs hippest movie theater is in Blue Ash [sic].β
After closing, the building became a church for awhile.
Iβve posted a 1967 notice about the original Deer Park Theater hosting βa swinging teen clubβ where for 99 cents βteen customers first see a suitable teen-type movie, then they hear (and dance to) some of the areaβs best rock βn roll bands.β
Holland’s Caramelcorn moved into the former home of the Tazewell Theatre in 2012 and remains open as of 2026. Exterior and interior photos can be found at the business’s website, hollandscaramelcorn.com.
New photos added.
The Dent left an impression.
Added: 1951 newspaper ad
1948 photo added
The closing date provided, 1987, is incorrect. The Cincinnati Post published an article on the Dent in ‘88, when it remained open.
Mid-Forties photo added