For some reason Google Maps is sticking the pin icon for the Campbell Theatre in West Hazleton. It should be on Broad Street between Wyoming and Laurel Streets in downtown Hazleton. Currently, the building can still be see in Google’s street view, but its site is a vacant lot in the more recent satellite view, so we can mark this one demolished.
Deception, with Bette Davis, and the coming attraction Wake Up and Dream were both released in the latter part of 1946, so the photo most likely dates from 1947. A small town like Whitney Point would not have gotten a movie for anywhere from several weeks to a few months after its release in major markets.
The destruction of the Palace Theatre was reported in the July, 1917, issue of Safety Engineering:
“April 26, 1917. Hazleton, Pa. Palace theater and C. Sasso’s department store. Wyoming and Green streets. Vaudeville and motion pictures; department store. Two 2- and 3-story buildings destroyed. Walls, brick. Floors, wood. Roofs, slag. Cause, unknown. Fire started in rear of stage in theater. Discovered by passerby about 3:45 a. m. Alarm, box. Duration, 10 hours. Stopped at department store. Fire was favored by metal ceilings in both buildings. Private fire apparatus, several lines of hose and extinguishers. Persons in building, none. Injured, 1. Means of escape, fairly good. Value of buildings and contents, $220,000. Property loss, $85,000.”
This was the second Capitol Theatre to be built on this site. The original house was destroyed by a fire on May 22, 1946. A fairly detailed story of the fire can be found in this post at Central PA Fire Forums. From the description, it appears that the new theater was built at least partly within the shell of the old theater.
The Capitol Theatre was listed in the 1926 FDY with only 430 seats, while the description of the fire says it had 1,400 seats in 1946. Either it had been expanded or rebuilt at some point after 1926, or there was an earlier Capitol Theatre at another location in Shenandoah.
I don’t think the new opera house of 1906 ever got finished. The 1909-1910 Cahn guide still lists only the Hogan Opera House in Susquehana, and the description is the same as in the 1906 guide so it was not a new theater. There was a new manager, though. Doherty & Shanahan had been replaced by J. J. Ryan.
However, The May 27, 1916, issue of The American Contractor had an item about a planned new opera house in Susquehanna. It was to seat 1,100, cost $50,000, and be designed by Leon H. Lempert. The promoter of the project was J. J. Ryan. The construction contract had been let.
But that project appears to have fallen through too. Then in 1921 the March 19 issue of the same magazine reported that J. J. Ryan was contemplating the building of a moving picture theater at Susquehanna. It was to cost about $50,000 and to be designed by Leon Lempert, which sounds like a recycling of the project from 1916. I don’t think that the 1921 project got built, either. The 1926 Yearbook of Motion Pictures lists only the 400-seat Opera House for Suquehanna.
Redwards1: the architect is listed in the sidebar at the right of the page. S. Charles Lee designed the Los Angeles Theatre, and Samuel Tilden Norton designed the Fox Building, the office structure fronting on Hill Street at the back of the theater.
The Regal 16 Cinemas Westchester Commons was designed by Birmingham, Alabama architectural firm RLS Design Group. The firm’s web site has a photo, and says that the multiplex has a seating capacity of 3,209.
There is a slide show with three photos on the web site of the theater’s architects, RLS Design Group. The seating capacity of the Regal Walden Galleria Stadium 16 is 3,054.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed the Cobb Lakeside Village 18. The firm’s web site has two photos, and gives the total seating capacity of the theaters as 3,534.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed the Regal American Mall Stadium 16 Cinemas. The firm’s web site has two photos, and gives the seating capacity of the project as 1,926.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed Regal’s Loop Stadium 16 Cinemas. The firm’s web site has two photos, and gives the seating capacity as 3,376.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed Regal’s Ithaca Mall Stadium 14 Theatres. Their web site has a slide show with three photos.
The web site of Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group lists the Rocky Top 10 at Crossville as one of their works. They have one photo, and give the seating capacity as 1,664.
The web site of Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group lists the Cobb Hollywod 16 Theatres in Tuscaloosa as one of their works. There is a photo on this page, which also gives the seating capacity as 3,226.
Regal’s Southpark Mall Stadium 16 was designed by the Birmingham, Alabama firm RLS Design Group. The firm’s principals are Rodney L. Sartain and David W. Breedlove. There are two photos of the theater on the firm’s web site.
Regal’s River Ridge Mall Stadium 14 was designed by the Birmingham, Alabama firm RLS Design Group. The firm’s principals are Rodney L. Sartain and David W. Breedlove. There are a few photos of the theater on the firm’s web site.
ScreenClassic is correct. The building has not been demolished. If you move Street View two clicks to the left you can still see the same roof-line it had as the Paramount.
For some reason Google Maps is sticking the pin icon for the Campbell Theatre in West Hazleton. It should be on Broad Street between Wyoming and Laurel Streets in downtown Hazleton. Currently, the building can still be see in Google’s street view, but its site is a vacant lot in the more recent satellite view, so we can mark this one demolished.
Deception, with Bette Davis, and the coming attraction Wake Up and Dream were both released in the latter part of 1946, so the photo most likely dates from 1947. A small town like Whitney Point would not have gotten a movie for anywhere from several weeks to a few months after its release in major markets.
The destruction of the Palace Theatre was reported in the July, 1917, issue of Safety Engineering:
The Great Escape Omaha Stadium 16 was opened in October, 2006. It was designed by the Grand Rapids architectural firm Paradigm Design.
The MJR Westland Grand Digital 16 opened on November 4, 2011, according to this page at the web site of Paradigm Design, the project’s architects.
The MJR Cinema 14 at Partridge Creek was one of several projects designed for the chain by the Grand Rapids architectural firm Paradigm Design.
The Quality 10 GDX in Saginaw was designed by the Grand Rapids architectural firm Paradigm Design.
The Hamilton 16 was designed by the Grand Rapids architectural firm Paradigm Design.
The seating capacity of the Southpark Mall Stadium 16 is 3,076.
This was the second Capitol Theatre to be built on this site. The original house was destroyed by a fire on May 22, 1946. A fairly detailed story of the fire can be found in this post at Central PA Fire Forums. From the description, it appears that the new theater was built at least partly within the shell of the old theater.
The Capitol Theatre was listed in the 1926 FDY with only 430 seats, while the description of the fire says it had 1,400 seats in 1946. Either it had been expanded or rebuilt at some point after 1926, or there was an earlier Capitol Theatre at another location in Shenandoah.
I don’t think the new opera house of 1906 ever got finished. The 1909-1910 Cahn guide still lists only the Hogan Opera House in Susquehana, and the description is the same as in the 1906 guide so it was not a new theater. There was a new manager, though. Doherty & Shanahan had been replaced by J. J. Ryan.
However, The May 27, 1916, issue of The American Contractor had an item about a planned new opera house in Susquehanna. It was to seat 1,100, cost $50,000, and be designed by Leon H. Lempert. The promoter of the project was J. J. Ryan. The construction contract had been let.
But that project appears to have fallen through too. Then in 1921 the March 19 issue of the same magazine reported that J. J. Ryan was contemplating the building of a moving picture theater at Susquehanna. It was to cost about $50,000 and to be designed by Leon Lempert, which sounds like a recycling of the project from 1916. I don’t think that the 1921 project got built, either. The 1926 Yearbook of Motion Pictures lists only the 400-seat Opera House for Suquehanna.
Redwards1: the architect is listed in the sidebar at the right of the page. S. Charles Lee designed the Los Angeles Theatre, and Samuel Tilden Norton designed the Fox Building, the office structure fronting on Hill Street at the back of the theater.
The Regal 16 Cinemas Westchester Commons was designed by Birmingham, Alabama architectural firm RLS Design Group. The firm’s web site has a photo, and says that the multiplex has a seating capacity of 3,209.
There is a slide show with three photos on the web site of the theater’s architects, RLS Design Group. The seating capacity of the Regal Walden Galleria Stadium 16 is 3,054.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed the Cobb Lakeside Village 18. The firm’s web site has two photos, and gives the total seating capacity of the theaters as 3,534.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed the Regal American Mall Stadium 16 Cinemas. The firm’s web site has two photos, and gives the seating capacity of the project as 1,926.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed Regal’s Loop Stadium 16 Cinemas. The firm’s web site has two photos, and gives the seating capacity as 3,376.
Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group designed Regal’s Ithaca Mall Stadium 14 Theatres. Their web site has a slide show with three photos.
The web site of Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group lists the Rocky Top 10 at Crossville as one of their works. They have one photo, and give the seating capacity as 1,664.
The web site of Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group lists the Cobb Hollywod 16 Theatres in Tuscaloosa as one of their works. There is a photo on this page, which also gives the seating capacity as 3,226.
The web site of Birmingham, Alabama, architectural firm RLS Design Group lists the Capitol Theatres at Madisonville, Kentucky, as one of their works.
Regal’s Southpark Mall Stadium 16 was designed by the Birmingham, Alabama firm RLS Design Group. The firm’s principals are Rodney L. Sartain and David W. Breedlove. There are two photos of the theater on the firm’s web site.
Regal’s River Ridge Mall Stadium 14 was designed by the Birmingham, Alabama firm RLS Design Group. The firm’s principals are Rodney L. Sartain and David W. Breedlove. There are a few photos of the theater on the firm’s web site.
ScreenClassic is correct. The building has not been demolished. If you move Street View two clicks to the left you can still see the same roof-line it had as the Paramount.
The Midland was narrow but fairly deep, about 35 x 150 feet. The building was also fairly tall, and probably had a deep balcony.