I never went into the Art Theatre (these photos were taken at 8:00 AM one morning and I was out of town long before it opened for the day) but I would guess they go to the booth as I have been in theatres which have similar portholes that go to the booth.
Ed: The owner wanted to rebuild within the shell, but the city said all the walls needed to come down. Demolition may have already occured. The owner was so mad that he will not rebuild in the city now. The marquee has been salvaged and is being moved to a nearby shopping center that is under construction. Its use there is not yet determined, but apparently there is a spot in the plaza that could be perfect to fit a new movie theatre into.
Yes, Michael. It is wonderful that the people of Broome County now have nowhere to go to see an art film. It is super that a landmark city building that had stood for 85 years has been turned into another vacant lot in a city that already has too many of those. Nobody burned it down. Faulty wiring and oil paints caused this fire.
Richard, since the current owner had bought it in 1987 and switched from porn to art movies it had done well and had just undergone renovations. Unfortunately, it does not look like the guy is going to reopen anywhere in Binghamton. He is currently screening his movies in Owego.
Shulman also owned those two theatres in addition to the since-demolished Rivoli near the corner of Park & New Park in Hartford. Shulman’s family still owns and operates the Webster Theatre.
The Rivoli was part of a chain that included the Webster Theatre in Hartford (now a live music venue) and the Plaza Theatre in Windsor (abandoned since 1997 and sitting there empty).
Kevin, I think it is too late. I stopped by the Downtown Cinema (which opened as the Bijou nearly 100 years ago) in January and the marquee had been removed along with the for sale sign. It is also no longer listed on the John D Hastings Realty web site. Who bought it or what the future holds, I have no idea.
P.S.: Kevin, it seems you must live in Connecticut as do I. E-mail me by clicking on my name and following the E-Mail link in my profile.
477 Congress Street is Merrill Auditorium, formerly the City Hall Auditorium, opened in 1912 as part of the city hall complex. It seats 1900 people. I don’t think that this is the building pictured in the postcard on this page, and I’m not sure it is the building described either.
I’ll have to drive by tomorrow and check it out! It’s sad how many old theatres were just abandoned and not even cleaned out. I have seen dozens that still have posters, soda fountains, rolls of tickets, napkins, and everything else still sitting where they were the day the theatre closed, even if it was over a decade ago.
There is also a slideshow of a few renovation photos of the Palace on the NVDC’s site at View link – one of them contains our soon-to-be-impeached governor!
84-110 is the span of the block that runs alongside the Palace. It will contain restaurants, retail shops and offices. The theatre itself, though, is at 100 East Main.
The address for this theatre is wrong. It is at 100 East Main St. I was in there in Summer 2002 after renovations began, but have not been in recently now that they are nearly finished I can’t wait until the grand reopening this fall!
That is not the website of the Palace in New Haven, but of another Palace in another city. it has no website and it is owned by a non-profit organization at this time. Apparently all seats have been removed.
The former Westerly Cinemas 4 are now a Pets Plus and a Blockbuster. The building, which was white as a cinema, has been repainted a horrific shade of pink. It was run by the Hoyts chain before it closed. Built in the 1970’s, it was previously run by Interstate Theatres. Hoyts closed it in winter 2000 after they opened the Stonington Cinemas nearby. A photo of it as a cinema can be seen at View link
I’ll say it again, this is OPEN as a live theatre called the Clockwork Repertory Theater and the listing should reflect that. The projection booth is still up above the lobby and is used for lighting. You can still see the lines on the floor from when this building was used as a basketball court.
I’ll say it again, this is OPEn as a live theatre called the Clockwork Repertory Theater and the listing should reflect that. The projection booth is still up above the lobby and is used for lighting. You can still see the lines on the floor from when this building was used as a basketball court.
The Plaza was also known as the Family Theatre at one point.
I never went into the Art Theatre (these photos were taken at 8:00 AM one morning and I was out of town long before it opened for the day) but I would guess they go to the booth as I have been in theatres which have similar portholes that go to the booth.
Ed: The owner wanted to rebuild within the shell, but the city said all the walls needed to come down. Demolition may have already occured. The owner was so mad that he will not rebuild in the city now. The marquee has been salvaged and is being moved to a nearby shopping center that is under construction. Its use there is not yet determined, but apparently there is a spot in the plaza that could be perfect to fit a new movie theatre into.
I believe the Peacedale was known as the State Theatre at one time.
Yes, Michael. It is wonderful that the people of Broome County now have nowhere to go to see an art film. It is super that a landmark city building that had stood for 85 years has been turned into another vacant lot in a city that already has too many of those. Nobody burned it down. Faulty wiring and oil paints caused this fire.
Richard, since the current owner had bought it in 1987 and switched from porn to art movies it had done well and had just undergone renovations. Unfortunately, it does not look like the guy is going to reopen anywhere in Binghamton. He is currently screening his movies in Owego.
Shulman also owned those two theatres in addition to the since-demolished Rivoli near the corner of Park & New Park in Hartford. Shulman’s family still owns and operates the Webster Theatre.
The Strand Theater has a website at http://www.strandtheater.com/ . It has 3 screens and is located at 93 Main St.
This has got to be the second coolest movie theatre name I have ever seen! (The coolest was the Flicker Shack in Sedona, AZ.)
The Victory and the Empire were separate theatres. However, I have the Victory listed at 440 Westminster St.
It now houses a furniture and mattress store.
The Rivoli was part of a chain that included the Webster Theatre in Hartford (now a live music venue) and the Plaza Theatre in Windsor (abandoned since 1997 and sitting there empty).
Kevin, I think it is too late. I stopped by the Downtown Cinema (which opened as the Bijou nearly 100 years ago) in January and the marquee had been removed along with the for sale sign. It is also no longer listed on the John D Hastings Realty web site. Who bought it or what the future holds, I have no idea.
P.S.: Kevin, it seems you must live in Connecticut as do I. E-mail me by clicking on my name and following the E-Mail link in my profile.
477 Congress Street is Merrill Auditorium, formerly the City Hall Auditorium, opened in 1912 as part of the city hall complex. It seats 1900 people. I don’t think that this is the building pictured in the postcard on this page, and I’m not sure it is the building described either.
I’ll have to drive by tomorrow and check it out! It’s sad how many old theatres were just abandoned and not even cleaned out. I have seen dozens that still have posters, soda fountains, rolls of tickets, napkins, and everything else still sitting where they were the day the theatre closed, even if it was over a decade ago.
The Roosevelt Theatre is closed.
There is also a slideshow of a few renovation photos of the Palace on the NVDC’s site at View link – one of them contains our soon-to-be-impeached governor!
84-110 is the span of the block that runs alongside the Palace. It will contain restaurants, retail shops and offices. The theatre itself, though, is at 100 East Main.
The address for this theatre is wrong. It is at 100 East Main St. I was in there in Summer 2002 after renovations began, but have not been in recently now that they are nearly finished I can’t wait until the grand reopening this fall!
That is not the website of the Palace in New Haven, but of another Palace in another city. it has no website and it is owned by a non-profit organization at this time. Apparently all seats have been removed.
The former Westerly Cinemas 4 are now a Pets Plus and a Blockbuster. The building, which was white as a cinema, has been repainted a horrific shade of pink. It was run by the Hoyts chain before it closed. Built in the 1970’s, it was previously run by Interstate Theatres. Hoyts closed it in winter 2000 after they opened the Stonington Cinemas nearby. A photo of it as a cinema can be seen at View link
Still not demolished. Renovations into office space have been completed.
…it’s just closed.
I’ll say it again, this is OPEN as a live theatre called the Clockwork Repertory Theater and the listing should reflect that. The projection booth is still up above the lobby and is used for lighting. You can still see the lines on the floor from when this building was used as a basketball court.
I’ll say it again, this is OPEn as a live theatre called the Clockwork Repertory Theater and the listing should reflect that. The projection booth is still up above the lobby and is used for lighting. You can still see the lines on the floor from when this building was used as a basketball court.