Functions are wrong. The bowling alley used to be a car dealership. The theater was to the east. 203 is now part of 201, a dull little fake colonial bank. From the side you can see that the auditorium is now offices facing the parking lot.
The ‘park’ is really sad. A tiny spot of space next to a parking lot, where you can hang out at an intersection and look at the traffic light box and a few scruffy buildings.
The 1908 map calls it the Theatorium. It was located in what the map calls the Goldsmith Building, which indeed replaced a wooden store which appears on the 1901 map. It also offered vaudeville on a small stage. The 1914 map shows a wallpaper store located there.
The auditorium was not constructed until sometime between 1886 and 1891. It was called the Grand Opera House at least until 1927. The auditorium was so large that part of the building behind the stage actually hung over the alley. The 1905 Cahn guide gives a capacity of 1,000.
The Geyer was likely built to replace the Central Opera House, a large wooden structure built in about the same location as the Geyer’s auditorium sometime between 1884 and 1891. It was a simple one-story barn, and had no frontage on Pittsburgh.
The Geyer’s entrance has always been very narrow. It was originally a single story wooden structure that stopped well short of the street. By 1908, it was a two-story wood frame with brick veneer, set just back from the street, and by 1925 it had been remodeled yet again to its present appearance.
The name change to Strand happened sometime between 1914 and 1925. The 1905 Cahn guide gives a capacity of 806.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Aug 10, 2021 at 11:42 am
The Stadium is wider than the old Majestic. There were one story buildings on both sides of the Majestic, so the new building was expanded to the north. Since the Majestic itself is shown as being one story, it was likely almost completely destroyed, although possibly in the first fire, before it became the Royal.
This theater was located in the eastern half of the Phoenix Block, a large 2-story brick structure constructed sometime before 1889. This had been the location of a local newspaper (the ‘Democrat’ and then the ‘Times’), and they maintained a printing operation on the second floor. The theater first appears on the June 1913 map. In 1908, the ground floor was a grocery. The depressing bank appears to be from the ‘70s.
Joe - I think this must be the Palace. This was on the west side, 2 doors north of 2nd. The date on the photo you found must be close, but this theater had not yet opened in 1906.
We have the Palace identified as the Isis. Ken often tries to help me out with an ID, which I almost never have. In this case, there’s such an absurd number of theaters coming and going within just a few blocks, so mistakes are to be expected.
The correct address for the theater would have been 52. 56 was the third storefront from the corner. Since this was not the theater at 64, I’ll add a listing for that one. This building likewise dates to sometime before 1883, and this theater must have opened later, since the 1920 map shows an ‘auto accessories’ store there. I assume some of the smaller theaters must have closed shortly after 1920, since you now have 4 theaters within two blocks on the 1920 map, and this would have made 5, for what was not all that big a town. The building is in pretty good shape, although it has an ugly shingle awning, and the corner entrance was done away with when it went back to retail use.
The address on the 1925 map is 1003, and this was not off Main St, it was on a corner off the square. Benton has one of those weird town squares where the blocks on all 4 corners are just visible from the square. This block was originally rectangular, but between 1900 and 1910, W.W. McCreery replaced his lumberyard with a large three story brick hotel building, which sat on an angled cutout of the corner, and thus faced the square.
I assume there was a fire, because the 1915 map shows one story brick buildings matching the footprint of the hotel. The theater now appears, tucked south of two stores running E-W, and east of two running N-S. The facade of the theater is a tiny diagonal section in the corner.
By 1925, the whole setup has been drastically remodeled or perhaps replaced. The theater has been greatly expanded, taking over the eastern N-S storefront, and the remaining structure is now 3 stories tall. The auditorium has also been expanded much further east, and is now taller, and has a fly tower and balcony. The diagonal section has been eliminated, and there is a large rectangular wooden marquee on the north wall of the exposed section of the theater. This is what we see in the picture.
Address on the 1925 map is 122. 120 and 124 were tiny storefronts either side of the entrance. This was constructed sometime after 1915, when the map shows a vacant lot. This looks like it was a fairly simple one story brick rectangle. It’s been gone for many years, and is now a gravel parking lot.
Correct spelling of the name is indeed Donges. There was an Opera House to the south, on the same side of the square. It is still on the 1919 map, shown as closed, and must have been replaced shortly thereafter by the liquor store now on that corner. Clay Donges seems to have operated a meat market on Center St in later years.
Correct address was 209, and this building is long gone. It was constructed sometime between 1892 and 1897. The 1904 map shows a drugstore in this portion. I’ve uploaded a picture from the 1910 map. By 1919, only the photgrapher in the second story remained. This section of the block was replaced by a large G.C. Murphy store which looks like it might be from about 1930.
If it was under Donge’s, it must have been destroyed in the 1915 fire. The 1910 map does not show a theater under Donge’s. There are two vacant spaces and a bowling alley. Address should have been on Market Sq, but Center St does run roughly N-S through the square.
The 1919 Sanborn shows this building as the Keystone Garage, which could hold 50 cars. It originally had a one story rear section shaped like an ‘L’. The lot is vacant in 1910. Now that streetview coverage is better, bricked up windows along the side wall are clearly visible, as is the line above which the brick changes color. Not sure when it was remodeled into a theater.
This is a really old theater, and the facade is very crudely formed concrete with quite evident marks where the boards were used to form it. It first appears on the 1910 map as a skating rink and ‘electric theatre’ (in 1904 the lot was mostly empty, although partially occupied by a wooden ‘hall’). The 1919 map calls it the Auditorium Skating Rink & Moving Pictures. That’s the last available online, but it’s very evident from the fading of the marquee that it spent some time as the Strand before becoming the State. The marquee mostly obscures the original entry, which was a tall arch with light bulbs set in it.
This building is now abandoned. One of the front apartment doors looked like it had been kicked in. I’m surprised at the low capacity, because the building is really huge. The correct address seems to be 234.
Functions are wrong. The bowling alley used to be a car dealership. The theater was to the east. 203 is now part of 201, a dull little fake colonial bank. From the side you can see that the auditorium is now offices facing the parking lot.
Need status changed to demolished.
The ‘park’ is really sad. A tiny spot of space next to a parking lot, where you can hang out at an intersection and look at the traffic light box and a few scruffy buildings.
I was there over Memorial Day 2013, and had no idea there was a part of town all the way at the bottom of the hill!
The 1908 map calls it the Theatorium. It was located in what the map calls the Goldsmith Building, which indeed replaced a wooden store which appears on the 1901 map. It also offered vaudeville on a small stage. The 1914 map shows a wallpaper store located there.
The auditorium was not constructed until sometime between 1886 and 1891. It was called the Grand Opera House at least until 1927. The auditorium was so large that part of the building behind the stage actually hung over the alley. The 1905 Cahn guide gives a capacity of 1,000.
I think that has to be it.
The Geyer was likely built to replace the Central Opera House, a large wooden structure built in about the same location as the Geyer’s auditorium sometime between 1884 and 1891. It was a simple one-story barn, and had no frontage on Pittsburgh.
The Geyer’s entrance has always been very narrow. It was originally a single story wooden structure that stopped well short of the street. By 1908, it was a two-story wood frame with brick veneer, set just back from the street, and by 1925 it had been remodeled yet again to its present appearance.
The name change to Strand happened sometime between 1914 and 1925. The 1905 Cahn guide gives a capacity of 806.
The theater had been replaced by a store by 1924.
This theater had closed by 1924, when the entire space was a store.
We’ll need a time machine to answer that, I fear.
The Stadium is wider than the old Majestic. There were one story buildings on both sides of the Majestic, so the new building was expanded to the north. Since the Majestic itself is shown as being one story, it was likely almost completely destroyed, although possibly in the first fire, before it became the Royal.
This theater was located in the eastern half of the Phoenix Block, a large 2-story brick structure constructed sometime before 1889. This had been the location of a local newspaper (the ‘Democrat’ and then the ‘Times’), and they maintained a printing operation on the second floor. The theater first appears on the June 1913 map. In 1908, the ground floor was a grocery. The depressing bank appears to be from the ‘70s.
Joe - I think this must be the Palace. This was on the west side, 2 doors north of 2nd. The date on the photo you found must be close, but this theater had not yet opened in 1906.
We have the Palace identified as the Isis. Ken often tries to help me out with an ID, which I almost never have. In this case, there’s such an absurd number of theaters coming and going within just a few blocks, so mistakes are to be expected.
The correct address for the theater would have been 52. 56 was the third storefront from the corner. Since this was not the theater at 64, I’ll add a listing for that one. This building likewise dates to sometime before 1883, and this theater must have opened later, since the 1920 map shows an ‘auto accessories’ store there. I assume some of the smaller theaters must have closed shortly after 1920, since you now have 4 theaters within two blocks on the 1920 map, and this would have made 5, for what was not all that big a town. The building is in pretty good shape, although it has an ugly shingle awning, and the corner entrance was done away with when it went back to retail use.
The address on the 1925 map is 1003, and this was not off Main St, it was on a corner off the square. Benton has one of those weird town squares where the blocks on all 4 corners are just visible from the square. This block was originally rectangular, but between 1900 and 1910, W.W. McCreery replaced his lumberyard with a large three story brick hotel building, which sat on an angled cutout of the corner, and thus faced the square.
I assume there was a fire, because the 1915 map shows one story brick buildings matching the footprint of the hotel. The theater now appears, tucked south of two stores running E-W, and east of two running N-S. The facade of the theater is a tiny diagonal section in the corner.
By 1925, the whole setup has been drastically remodeled or perhaps replaced. The theater has been greatly expanded, taking over the eastern N-S storefront, and the remaining structure is now 3 stories tall. The auditorium has also been expanded much further east, and is now taller, and has a fly tower and balcony. The diagonal section has been eliminated, and there is a large rectangular wooden marquee on the north wall of the exposed section of the theater. This is what we see in the picture.
Address on the 1925 map is 122. 120 and 124 were tiny storefronts either side of the entrance. This was constructed sometime after 1915, when the map shows a vacant lot. This looks like it was a fairly simple one story brick rectangle. It’s been gone for many years, and is now a gravel parking lot.
Oh, so the upstairs was originally a hotel? It was right on US 219.
Not positive that Mr. Cramblett operated the theater, but the only mention I found of him was a 1950 sale of carnival equipment.
Correct spelling of the name is indeed Donges. There was an Opera House to the south, on the same side of the square. It is still on the 1919 map, shown as closed, and must have been replaced shortly thereafter by the liquor store now on that corner. Clay Donges seems to have operated a meat market on Center St in later years.
Correct address was 209, and this building is long gone. It was constructed sometime between 1892 and 1897. The 1904 map shows a drugstore in this portion. I’ve uploaded a picture from the 1910 map. By 1919, only the photgrapher in the second story remained. This section of the block was replaced by a large G.C. Murphy store which looks like it might be from about 1930.
If it was under Donge’s, it must have been destroyed in the 1915 fire. The 1910 map does not show a theater under Donge’s. There are two vacant spaces and a bowling alley. Address should have been on Market Sq, but Center St does run roughly N-S through the square.
The 1919 Sanborn shows this building as the Keystone Garage, which could hold 50 cars. It originally had a one story rear section shaped like an ‘L’. The lot is vacant in 1910. Now that streetview coverage is better, bricked up windows along the side wall are clearly visible, as is the line above which the brick changes color. Not sure when it was remodeled into a theater.
This is a really old theater, and the facade is very crudely formed concrete with quite evident marks where the boards were used to form it. It first appears on the 1910 map as a skating rink and ‘electric theatre’ (in 1904 the lot was mostly empty, although partially occupied by a wooden ‘hall’). The 1919 map calls it the Auditorium Skating Rink & Moving Pictures. That’s the last available online, but it’s very evident from the fading of the marquee that it spent some time as the Strand before becoming the State. The marquee mostly obscures the original entry, which was a tall arch with light bulbs set in it.
This building is now abandoned. One of the front apartment doors looked like it had been kicked in. I’m surprised at the low capacity, because the building is really huge. The correct address seems to be 234.