For Google Maps to fetch the correct location of the York Theatre, the address field should be changed to read: 164 York Blvd Hamilton, ON L8R 3L4
Wiener Melodien, on the marquee in the photo currently displayed above, was an Austrian movie made in 1947, according to IMDb. It was released in the U.S. in 1950, but I suppose it might have reached Canada earlier.
African Americans in Corpus Christi, by Bruce A. Glasrud, Mary Jo O'Rear, and Gloria Randle Scott, says that the Harlem Theatre opened in 1941. It also says that a live performance venue called the Cotton Club opened in the Harlem Theatre in 1960.
The most likely opening date of the Melba Theatre is November 31, 1927, as the following day the Corpus Christi Times published an article about the event. I can’t find the article itself on the Internet, but it was cited in a paper about the proposed Leopard Street Historic District.
Numerous web sites say that the Melba Theatre was built in the 1930s, but an article by Kenneth L. Anthony says that it was built by Edward and Simon Grossman in 1927. I don’t have access to the article, but it is on one of those web sites that allows access to the holders of cards from some public and institutional libraries, so perhaps someone else can read it. Here is the link.
The Melba was already looking a bit dowdy when this photo was taken in August, 1937.
The Melba was directly across the street from another theater, the Grande, built by Bruce Collins in 1928, and by the 1930s both houses were being operated by the Robb & Rowley chain. Neither was first run. The Grande eventually got an Art Moderne facade, while the Melba retained its Spanish Colonial front throughout its history.
The title of Anthony’s article, Moving Pictures and Migrant Pickers: The Melba Theatre and Spanish Language Movies in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1927-1966 suggests that the Melba operated longer than the Grande, which was converted into retail space for a furniture store in 1961. Judging from satellite view, the Melba is in rough shape, as its roof looks very sketchy. The Grande’s roof looks to be in better shape, as its building was used for retail space until fairly recently.
The Regal Deer Park Stadium 16 was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. Two photos of it are among photos of several of the firm’s projects for Regal that can be seen on this page of JKR’s web site.
The Dietrich Theatre has been expanded, adding two new screens. The new auditoriums and other alterations were designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners, which features a few words about the theater and one small photo on this page of its web site.
There are three photos of the Ambler Theatre on this page of the web site of JKR Partners (formerly JKRoller Architects), the Philadelphia architectural firm that designed the renovations.
The Penn Cinema Riverfront was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. Photos of it share this page of the firm’s web site with photos of their first project for Penn Cinemas at Lititz, Pennsylvania.
The locally-owned and operated Penn Cinema in Lititz was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. There are photos of this house, and of the operators' more recent multiplex at Wilmington, Delaware, on this page of the JKR’s web site.
The Newark CityPlex 12 was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners, which was formerly known as JKRoller Architects. There are six photos of this rather stark, modern cinema on the firm’s web site.
The Flix Brewhouse in Round Rock, Texas, was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. There are three photos of it at their web site, in the entertainment section of their portfolio.
The remodeling and expansion of the Fairgrounds Square Cinemas in Reading for Cinema Center was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners, formerly known as JKRoller Architects.
The L.A. County Assessor gives a construction year of 1902 and an effective build year of 1950 for the 10,766 sq. ft. building on this lot. Google’s camera car went up the alley alongside the building, and there is a parking lot behind it, so you can get a good view of the section that once housed the Strand Theatre’s auditorium.
It is currently part of the Marco Polo Pizza parlor, which has its main entrance on Philadelphia Street, but has another door facing the parking lot off of Comstock Avenue. The structure doesn’t look like it would have a ceiling high enough for a movie theater. Perhaps it was lowered as part of the 1950 alterations.
Although the Assessor’s office says the entire building was built in 1902, I suspect that the part with the auditorium might have been a later addition, and the Assessor’s office just lost track of the paperwork for it.
This theater had become the Schuylkill Avenue Picture House by 1913, when the July 12 issue of The Moving Picture World published a photo of its operator, Ben H. Zerr, who had lately been elected treasurer of the Pennsylvania Exhibitors' League. He was also President of the Reading chapter of the League.
Having seen Mr. Zerr’s photo, and those of other exhibitors featured in the article, I can safely say that, had I been a patron at any of their theaters, I would not have been inclined to spit tobacco juice on the floor or put my feet on a seat. An intimidating mien must have been a prerequisite for operating a movie house in those days.
The Capital 8 Theatres seat a total of 1,554, according to this page of the web site of Thorp Associates, the architectural firm that designed the project.
TivFan: Your photo could date from as early as 1913, when the October 4 issue of Moving Picture World reported that the New York Motion Picture Exhibitors' League would meet in Rochester on October 15 and 16. A.N. Wolf of the Colonial Theatre was the local contact for details. The item does not give the address of the theater, though.
Mr. Wolf might have been connected with the League for many years, though, and could have been the local contact for many later conventions. There’s a brief article about the Colonial Theatre, with a photo of Mr. Wolf and a photo of the entrance to the theater itself on this page of the October 18, 1913, issue of the same publication. If Mr. Wolf is also in your photo, maybe you’ll recognize him.
The Porterville, Indio, Calexico, and La Quinta theaters do all have a familial similarity, and I suspect that the connection is that they were probably all designed by Thorp Associates.
Thorp designed the Galaxy Porterville for Rafe Cohen’s newly-launched Galaxy Theatres chain, but prior to entering the exhibition business with this theater, Cohen had long been a developer of theaters that were operated by other chains. Metropolitan might well have been among those chains, and I believe that Resort Theatres was itself a subsidiary of Metropolitan.
The web site of Thorp Associates lists ten of its theater designs, and projects for both Galaxy and Metropolitan are among them, though none of the houses under discussion here are listed.
The Galaxy Porterville originally opened as an 8-screen house. An additional 400-seat auditorium was added the following year. The theater was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates, which has gone on to design a number of other projects for Galaxy Theatres.
The Galaxy 12 Theatre in Monroe, Washington, was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of the firm’s cinema designs that is featured on this page of their web site.
The Camino Real Cinemas was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of the firms cinema designs featured on this page of their web site.
The Galaxy 12 Theatre in Riverbank was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of their cinema designs that is featured on this page of their web site.
The Rancho Mirage 16 Cinemas was designed for Metropolitan Theatres by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of their the firm’s projects that is featured on this page of their web site.
I’m unable to find the source for my earlier claim that this theater was designed by Development Design Group, but it was apparently wrong. The MetroLux 14 was designed by Estes Park architectural firm Thorp Associates, and is among ten of their cinema projects features on this page of their web site.
It’s possible that DDG designed some other multiplex in Loveland, as they did design at least one major mixed-use project in that city.
For Google Maps to fetch the correct location of the York Theatre, the address field should be changed to read: 164 York Blvd Hamilton, ON L8R 3L4
Wiener Melodien, on the marquee in the photo currently displayed above, was an Austrian movie made in 1947, according to IMDb. It was released in the U.S. in 1950, but I suppose it might have reached Canada earlier.
African Americans in Corpus Christi, by Bruce A. Glasrud, Mary Jo O'Rear, and Gloria Randle Scott, says that the Harlem Theatre opened in 1941. It also says that a live performance venue called the Cotton Club opened in the Harlem Theatre in 1960.
The most likely opening date of the Melba Theatre is November 31, 1927, as the following day the Corpus Christi Times published an article about the event. I can’t find the article itself on the Internet, but it was cited in a paper about the proposed Leopard Street Historic District.
Numerous web sites say that the Melba Theatre was built in the 1930s, but an article by Kenneth L. Anthony says that it was built by Edward and Simon Grossman in 1927. I don’t have access to the article, but it is on one of those web sites that allows access to the holders of cards from some public and institutional libraries, so perhaps someone else can read it. Here is the link.
The Melba was already looking a bit dowdy when this photo was taken in August, 1937.
The Melba was directly across the street from another theater, the Grande, built by Bruce Collins in 1928, and by the 1930s both houses were being operated by the Robb & Rowley chain. Neither was first run. The Grande eventually got an Art Moderne facade, while the Melba retained its Spanish Colonial front throughout its history.
The title of Anthony’s article, Moving Pictures and Migrant Pickers: The Melba Theatre and Spanish Language Movies in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1927-1966 suggests that the Melba operated longer than the Grande, which was converted into retail space for a furniture store in 1961. Judging from satellite view, the Melba is in rough shape, as its roof looks very sketchy. The Grande’s roof looks to be in better shape, as its building was used for retail space until fairly recently.
The Regal Deer Park Stadium 16 was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. Two photos of it are among photos of several of the firm’s projects for Regal that can be seen on this page of JKR’s web site.
The Dietrich Theatre has been expanded, adding two new screens. The new auditoriums and other alterations were designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners, which features a few words about the theater and one small photo on this page of its web site.
There are three photos of the Ambler Theatre on this page of the web site of JKR Partners (formerly JKRoller Architects), the Philadelphia architectural firm that designed the renovations.
JKRoller Architects has changed its name to JKR Partners. There are photos of the Spotlight Theatres on this page of the firm’s web site.
The Penn Cinema Riverfront was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. Photos of it share this page of the firm’s web site with photos of their first project for Penn Cinemas at Lititz, Pennsylvania.
The locally-owned and operated Penn Cinema in Lititz was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. There are photos of this house, and of the operators' more recent multiplex at Wilmington, Delaware, on this page of the JKR’s web site.
The Newark CityPlex 12 was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners, which was formerly known as JKRoller Architects. There are six photos of this rather stark, modern cinema on the firm’s web site.
The Flix Brewhouse in Round Rock, Texas, was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners. There are three photos of it at their web site, in the entertainment section of their portfolio.
The remodeling and expansion of the Fairgrounds Square Cinemas in Reading for Cinema Center was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm JKR Partners, formerly known as JKRoller Architects.
In 2008, architectural firm JKRoller Architects, designers of the Cinema Center at Camp Hill, changed its name to JKR Partners.
The L.A. County Assessor gives a construction year of 1902 and an effective build year of 1950 for the 10,766 sq. ft. building on this lot. Google’s camera car went up the alley alongside the building, and there is a parking lot behind it, so you can get a good view of the section that once housed the Strand Theatre’s auditorium.
It is currently part of the Marco Polo Pizza parlor, which has its main entrance on Philadelphia Street, but has another door facing the parking lot off of Comstock Avenue. The structure doesn’t look like it would have a ceiling high enough for a movie theater. Perhaps it was lowered as part of the 1950 alterations.
Although the Assessor’s office says the entire building was built in 1902, I suspect that the part with the auditorium might have been a later addition, and the Assessor’s office just lost track of the paperwork for it.
This theater had become the Schuylkill Avenue Picture House by 1913, when the July 12 issue of The Moving Picture World published a photo of its operator, Ben H. Zerr, who had lately been elected treasurer of the Pennsylvania Exhibitors' League. He was also President of the Reading chapter of the League.
Having seen Mr. Zerr’s photo, and those of other exhibitors featured in the article, I can safely say that, had I been a patron at any of their theaters, I would not have been inclined to spit tobacco juice on the floor or put my feet on a seat. An intimidating mien must have been a prerequisite for operating a movie house in those days.
The Capital 8 Theatres seat a total of 1,554, according to this page of the web site of Thorp Associates, the architectural firm that designed the project.
TivFan: Your photo could date from as early as 1913, when the October 4 issue of Moving Picture World reported that the New York Motion Picture Exhibitors' League would meet in Rochester on October 15 and 16. A.N. Wolf of the Colonial Theatre was the local contact for details. The item does not give the address of the theater, though.
Mr. Wolf might have been connected with the League for many years, though, and could have been the local contact for many later conventions. There’s a brief article about the Colonial Theatre, with a photo of Mr. Wolf and a photo of the entrance to the theater itself on this page of the October 18, 1913, issue of the same publication. If Mr. Wolf is also in your photo, maybe you’ll recognize him.
The Porterville, Indio, Calexico, and La Quinta theaters do all have a familial similarity, and I suspect that the connection is that they were probably all designed by Thorp Associates.
Thorp designed the Galaxy Porterville for Rafe Cohen’s newly-launched Galaxy Theatres chain, but prior to entering the exhibition business with this theater, Cohen had long been a developer of theaters that were operated by other chains. Metropolitan might well have been among those chains, and I believe that Resort Theatres was itself a subsidiary of Metropolitan.
The web site of Thorp Associates lists ten of its theater designs, and projects for both Galaxy and Metropolitan are among them, though none of the houses under discussion here are listed.
The Galaxy Porterville originally opened as an 8-screen house. An additional 400-seat auditorium was added the following year. The theater was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates, which has gone on to design a number of other projects for Galaxy Theatres.
The Galaxy 12 Theatre in Monroe, Washington, was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of the firm’s cinema designs that is featured on this page of their web site.
The Camino Real Cinemas was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of the firms cinema designs featured on this page of their web site.
The Galaxy 12 Theatre in Riverbank was designed by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of their cinema designs that is featured on this page of their web site.
The Rancho Mirage 16 Cinemas was designed for Metropolitan Theatres by the Estes Park, Colorado, architectural firm Thorp Associates. It is one of ten of their the firm’s projects that is featured on this page of their web site.
I’m unable to find the source for my earlier claim that this theater was designed by Development Design Group, but it was apparently wrong. The MetroLux 14 was designed by Estes Park architectural firm Thorp Associates, and is among ten of their cinema projects features on this page of their web site.
It’s possible that DDG designed some other multiplex in Loveland, as they did design at least one major mixed-use project in that city.