The venue was built in 1909 as the Mannheim Theatre. At the ten-year leasing expiry, it got a refresh and was briefly called the New Mannheim Theatre in 1919. Fifteen years later, it was renamed the New Lyric Theatre in 1934.
On May 3, 1971, the New Lyric went with a policy of foreign pornographic films and the final films were played just weeks later apparently closing May 16, 1971 permanently. The New Lyric’s operator pleaded guilty to presenting obscene films in October of 1971. The building was offered for sale in 1971 but became a haven for narcotics abusers and vandals. After the New Lyric closed, it was destroyed by a three-alarm fire on January 25, 1972 after vandals were trying to strip the facility of its copper tubing.
The Bromley closed at the end of a 20-year leasing period permanently on March 30, 1955 with Jimmy Stewart in “The Far Country.” It was used for live events and dancing thereafter.
After a refresh in 1920, the Allan Theatre reopened on September 26, 1920 at 1209-1211 East Chelten. It was soon listed as the Allen Theatre. In 1922, was additionally used as a house of worship. Max Felt took on the venue in 1933. The theatre discontinued advertising films on March 11, 1944 with “Crime School” and “She’s For Me.”
The Band Box Theatre launched with art and foreign films on February 3, 1930 for the Motion Picture Guild Circuit. The German film, “Die Meistersinger” launched the venue. It was the MPG’s sister location to the downtown Little Theatre. The diminutive Band Box opened with just 202 seats. In 1935, William Goldman had the venue refreshed to the plans of Fleisher & Stephens. The Band Box closed with David Chiang in “Triple Irons” and Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor in “Hit!” The theater was part of a sheriff’s auction in 1979 and did not ever play another film.
The Market Street Theatre began as a conversion of an existing retail store vacated by Riegel Dry Goods Store. The new theatre space was designed by William Steele & Sons. It had a lengthy pass through arcade to get to the auditorium. The property was owned by Albania Whartenby and leased to the Motion Picture Company of America. By the time the venue opened in December of 1912. A neighboring Horn and Hardhart Automat was built and opened soon thereafter.
In 1919, the venue became the 333 Market Street Theatre for Stanley Theatres Circuit. That portfolio of theatre became Stanley Warner Circuit which, in 1935, shortened the venue’s moniker to the 333 Market Theatre. Warner closed as that name by Stanley Warner Theatre Circuit at the end of a leasing period on May 30, 1951 with Fred Astaire in “Royal Wedding.” The 333 Market Theatre was torn down to make way for a new parking structure that launched on November 11, 1951.
The Wissahickon Theatre dates back to the nickelodeon era according to one of its final operators. It appears to have opened in 1913 potentially on a 20-year lease. It is definitely mentioned in 1920 and being refreshed 1933 likely on a new 10-year lease. The theatre closed in 1943.
This venue became the became the Abbey Playhouse on October 9, 1952 switching to foreign and repertory films with Richard Todd in “Flesh and Blood.” That policy by Louis Cohn failed early in 1953 closing at the end of lease on February 26, 1953 with “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” - apparently the last film played at the location.
The building was auctioned off in July of 1953. It remained the Abbey Playhouse as a live theater from June of 1955 to March of 1961. On September 21, 1961, it became the Cricket Playhouse continuing with live fare. A year later it became the Towne Playhouse continuing with live fare. That would continue to November of 1981.
Construction of the Nirdlinger-Nixon Colonial Theatre began late in 1912 and would be considered one of “The Big Three” in Germantown. The Colonial not only had great seat count but a grand stage that could hold any Hippodrome show. It was said to have been one of the handsomest theatres in the world at opening - likely a bit of an overstatement - yet its 3,000 seat capacity with inclined floors, Colonial Adam architecture and majestic.proscenium wowed folks with its vaudeville show at launch on December 28, 1913.
The theatre also featured photoplays as part of its regular offerings early on. It added sound to remain viable. The Stanley-Warner Theatre Circuit closed the Colonial Theatre at end of lease with “Flat Top” and “Confidence Girls” on January 22, 1953. A salvage sale offered the building for sale complete with steel, support lumber and bricks. It was definitely demolished in February of 1953.
Just to fill in some details, the Devon opened October 1, 1946 as a post-War theatre with no stage, a glass curtain and the opening film, “The Wife of Monte Cristo.” It quickly became a grind house with continuous double features closing at the end of a ten-year lease in 1956 and was offered for lease. It reopened with the same policy unsuccessfully in 1957. In August of 1958 under new operators it found its footing with double-feature art films with provocative titles and ads.
The venue was rebranded as the Devon Art Cinema in 1959 with “sensational” films and Philadelphia premieres. On October 5, 1960, the venue became the AAA Art Devon Cinema advertising “triple ‘AAA’ films” or code for something better than an X-rated film. (The name “AAA Art” was used to get a prime listing at the top of the movie listings.) It earned if not relished its nickname among locals as the “Dirty Devon.” A policy change at the newspaper (if not the phone book) changed that and the theatre returned to Devon Theatre with an adult policy that lasted to the end of a 20-year lease.
On November 22, 1978, the theatre announced a new family-friendly policy as a sub-run discount house showing 99 cent mainstream films. This policy proved incredibly successful even into the home video era. The Devon appears to have ended operations with “The Contender” on November 9, 2000. The stage-less movie house was then equipped with a stage in March of 2009 going on a neary two-year venture in legit theatre: the Devon Theater for the Performing Arts beginning with “Nunsense.” The art center closed in January of 2011. On May 31, 2015 it had a grand reopening as the Devon Concert Hall with live music events. That, too, closed.
The Spruce Theatre began in 1914 converting to sound to remain viable. In the mid-1950s, it started showing art films, repertory films, and some adult titles to audiences that had drifted during the television age. Provocative titles seemed to be preferred. So on October 4, 1960, the venue was rebranded as AAA Art Spruce Theatre. That theatre title placed it just behind another AAA art house and ahead of four AA-plus theaters at the top of the newspaper film listings which were alphabetical.
The first true booking of AAAAST was what it called a “new wave” of directors with “Private Property!” - a film condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency - and Antonella Lualdi in “Good Girls Beware.” The local paper clamped down on the strangely titled “AA” and the gratuitously-prefixed “AAA” titled theatres. The AAA Art Spruce became simply the Art Spruce Theatre. The AST ended its run permanently on Christmas Day 1969 with Guillermo De Cordova in “Love After Death,” Senjo Ichiriki in “The Bite. The Bite” and Suzan Thomas' opus, “Karla,” in Fleshtone. If you’re going to go out of business, go out big!
Ground breaking for Berman Brothers' Imperial Theatre took place on February 10, 1913. But during the building process, they sold out James J. Springer. The Imperial held its grand opening on September 13, 1913 with a mirror screen for brighter movie presentations. The theatre converted to sound but Stanley-Warner Circuit closed the Imperial permanently on November 4, 1951 with Lawrence Tierney in “The Hoodlum” and Robert Montgomery in “Texas Rangers.” Unable to find a new operator, the venue was auctioned off in June of 1952.
John J. McGuirk and Stanley Amusement Circuit built the new Cross Keys (two words) Theatre in 1914 with a new Woolworth’s store around the corner also built and opening at the same time. The new Cross Keys opened with vaudeville including Kute, Kunning and Klever - a children’s team - and Blake’s Circus - a trained animal act on December 28, 1914. The theatre was bathed in a color palette of rose, ivory and gold. Vaudeville presented by Stanley’s Sablosky and McGuirk began to be supplanted more commonly with movies in 1923 and 1924 and, by decade’s end, the Cross Keys converted to sound and became a movie house. Sadly, assistant Manager Max Harris was gunned down in the theatre on march 28, 1928.
Stanley-Warner Circuit closed the Cross Keys permanently on April 12, 1953 with “Niagra” and “The Lawless Breed.” After a period of inactivity, Jerry P. Altman sold the Cross Keys Theatre to Jerry P. Altman who turned it into the Orchid Auditorium with a restaurant in November of 1957. It held sporadic live events for five years. It was later demolished.
The Cedar Theatre appears to have opened here in 1913. It was known as the “Theater with a Personality.” The theatre was part of the Nixon-Nirdlinger Circuit. It converted to sound and, in October of 1939, the theatre received a streamlined makeover to the plans of David Supowitz.
The theatre continued into the late 1950s as the Cedar. The theatre was refreshed becoming the Abbe Art Cinema that launched here on September 24, 1959 with “The Mistress” and “The Surf.” It closed permanently on October 27, 1972 with Barbara Bennet in “Kiss This Miss” and “Temptation & Sin.”
The Sherwood stopped advertising and was listed as closed after “Man in the Saddle” and “The Harlem Globetrotters” at end of lease on March 30, 1953. It came back under a new operator as a grind house with continuous shows of a Doris Day double-feature consisting of “Love Me or Leave Me” and “House of Bamboo” on September 9, 1955. The Sherwood departed at end of lease on May 31, 1959 with “Tiger’s Claws” and “Veiled Lady.”
Stanley Theatre Circuit launched the unsuccessful Rexy Theatre on November 9, 1928 with Clara Bow in “The Fleet’s In.” It was dropped in 1933 likely exercising an opt out clause in the leasing agreement. The Rexy then reopened as a live theatre unsuccessfully in 1936. It was reopened for films by Warner’s Circuit infrequently in 1938-1939 and sold off. It made a comeback in 1944 closing following showtimes on November 12, 1944.
The theatre was auctioned off in 1954. The Rexy was demolished at the end of its thirty-year lease in August of 1958. Based on zero knowledge, the theatre could have easily been subleased as an African American theater from 1944 to 19xx which would explain both its lack of advertising and its auction in 1954 followed by the original leasing term expiry permanently ending its stay on South Street in 1958. However, it is a common target of vandalism / break ins so may have simply been vacant for 14 years. Based on the demolition “by the pound” for wood, the chances that the entry above is factually correct about its closure in 1975 is - at best - as an airdome.
The address here is incorrect here, as well. It was built at 8th Street and South with an address of 817 South Street consistently advertised. There is some form of apartment complex on that spot - and sadly, no pizza place as promised above. Finally, though the trades sometimes say 2,083 seats, I think the original 2,500 capacity is borne out in almost all other documentation so feel that the cap should be placed at 2,500. Other than that, I agree with everything above… though the architects refer to the style they were trying to achieve as Georgian.
The Stanley Theatre Circuit sold the building in January of 1955 at which time it was altered to become a retail furniture store. It is believed that the Model Theatre closed permanently on January 2, 1955 with a double feature of “Down Three Dark Streets” and “Two Guns and a Badge.”
The Howard Theatre is listed consistently into 1959 at 2614-2620 North Front Street. On October 24, 1963, the Howard played adult films and had live burlesque rebranded as the Howard Follies Theatre. (See photo.) Protests led to the end of that practice on August 5, 1964. A final operator came in rebranding under an “art” house policy as the renamed Art Howard Theatre. It appears that two adult titles would be placed with a more mainstream title. The Art Howard ceased operations on February 14, 1965 with a triple feature of Doris Wishman in “Diary of a Nudist,” Rose Alba in “Eves on Skis.” and Kim Novak in “Kiss Me, Stupid.” Clearly, the marquee remained “Howard” so no real need to change the listing entry.
The Belvedere opened in 1916. It was known as the Chestnut Hill Theatre by 1919. The Chestnut Hill went into a receivership auction in 1930 complete with its Moller Opus 2410 Pipe Organ and 500 seats unable to convert to sound. It found new operators in 1932 reopening and closing as the Hill Theatre. It reopened as the Hill Theatre under new operator William H. Wold in 1933. It closed and reopened under a new operator in 1935.
Under a new operator, the theatre was renovated in 1940 to the plans of David Supowitz bringing air conditioning, new seating and a streamlined look. (The Lee remodel reference as occurring in 1936 seems odd given the short period of time between refreshes. Especially, a Lee refresh which would likely have been extensive.) Meanwhile a brand new theatre was proposed by Goldman Circuit to the plans of William H. Lee seating 750 just three blocks away - and could be the reference above. I’m assuming that Lee theatre got off of the drawing board but was not built. Meanwhile, the Hill Theatre closed April 5, 1973 with “A Clockwork Orange.”
The rebranded Vernon Theatre launched for Warner on October 25, 1940 with “Brigham Young Frontiersman.” Stanley Warner closed it on May 27, 1951 with Doris Day in “Lullaby of Broadway.” A salvage sale occurred in June and July of 1951 prior to and as the theatre was being razed.
P.J. Kileullen built and launched the Cayuga Theatre in 1911. The building was technically 4367-4371 Germantown taking up three addresses. It was sold to a new operator in 1913. The Cayuga closed in December of 1957. It appears to have been a house of worship for two years likely losing its attractor.
A classified ad next appeared offering the venue for lease and operator Max Raab took on the venue as the Aardvark Theatre on October 20, 1961 with “Henry V.” The Aardvark tried art, repertory and exploitation for the next two plus years before closing permanently on January 16, 1964 with “The Shameless Sex” and “Cover Girl Killer.” Another classified ad looking for a new operator appears to have gone unheeded.
The venue was built in 1909 as the Mannheim Theatre. At the ten-year leasing expiry, it got a refresh and was briefly called the New Mannheim Theatre in 1919. Fifteen years later, it was renamed the New Lyric Theatre in 1934.
On May 3, 1971, the New Lyric went with a policy of foreign pornographic films and the final films were played just weeks later apparently closing May 16, 1971 permanently. The New Lyric’s operator pleaded guilty to presenting obscene films in October of 1971. The building was offered for sale in 1971 but became a haven for narcotics abusers and vandals. After the New Lyric closed, it was destroyed by a three-alarm fire on January 25, 1972 after vandals were trying to strip the facility of its copper tubing.
The Bromley closed at the end of a 20-year leasing period permanently on March 30, 1955 with Jimmy Stewart in “The Far Country.” It was used for live events and dancing thereafter.
After a refresh in 1920, the Allan Theatre reopened on September 26, 1920 at 1209-1211 East Chelten. It was soon listed as the Allen Theatre. In 1922, was additionally used as a house of worship. Max Felt took on the venue in 1933. The theatre discontinued advertising films on March 11, 1944 with “Crime School” and “She’s For Me.”
The Band Box Theatre launched with art and foreign films on February 3, 1930 for the Motion Picture Guild Circuit. The German film, “Die Meistersinger” launched the venue. It was the MPG’s sister location to the downtown Little Theatre. The diminutive Band Box opened with just 202 seats. In 1935, William Goldman had the venue refreshed to the plans of Fleisher & Stephens. The Band Box closed with David Chiang in “Triple Irons” and Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor in “Hit!” The theater was part of a sheriff’s auction in 1979 and did not ever play another film.
The Market Street Theatre began as a conversion of an existing retail store vacated by Riegel Dry Goods Store. The new theatre space was designed by William Steele & Sons. It had a lengthy pass through arcade to get to the auditorium. The property was owned by Albania Whartenby and leased to the Motion Picture Company of America. By the time the venue opened in December of 1912. A neighboring Horn and Hardhart Automat was built and opened soon thereafter.
In 1919, the venue became the 333 Market Street Theatre for Stanley Theatres Circuit. That portfolio of theatre became Stanley Warner Circuit which, in 1935, shortened the venue’s moniker to the 333 Market Theatre. Warner closed as that name by Stanley Warner Theatre Circuit at the end of a leasing period on May 30, 1951 with Fred Astaire in “Royal Wedding.” The 333 Market Theatre was torn down to make way for a new parking structure that launched on November 11, 1951.
The Boro closed December 26, 1949 with “Mother is a Freshman” and “Thunder in the Pines.”
The Wissahickon Theatre dates back to the nickelodeon era according to one of its final operators. It appears to have opened in 1913 potentially on a 20-year lease. It is definitely mentioned in 1920 and being refreshed 1933 likely on a new 10-year lease. The theatre closed in 1943.
This venue became the became the Abbey Playhouse on October 9, 1952 switching to foreign and repertory films with Richard Todd in “Flesh and Blood.” That policy by Louis Cohn failed early in 1953 closing at the end of lease on February 26, 1953 with “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” - apparently the last film played at the location.
The building was auctioned off in July of 1953. It remained the Abbey Playhouse as a live theater from June of 1955 to March of 1961. On September 21, 1961, it became the Cricket Playhouse continuing with live fare. A year later it became the Towne Playhouse continuing with live fare. That would continue to November of 1981.
Construction of the Nirdlinger-Nixon Colonial Theatre began late in 1912 and would be considered one of “The Big Three” in Germantown. The Colonial not only had great seat count but a grand stage that could hold any Hippodrome show. It was said to have been one of the handsomest theatres in the world at opening - likely a bit of an overstatement - yet its 3,000 seat capacity with inclined floors, Colonial Adam architecture and majestic.proscenium wowed folks with its vaudeville show at launch on December 28, 1913.
The theatre also featured photoplays as part of its regular offerings early on. It added sound to remain viable. The Stanley-Warner Theatre Circuit closed the Colonial Theatre at end of lease with “Flat Top” and “Confidence Girls” on January 22, 1953. A salvage sale offered the building for sale complete with steel, support lumber and bricks. It was definitely demolished in February of 1953.
Just to fill in some details, the Devon opened October 1, 1946 as a post-War theatre with no stage, a glass curtain and the opening film, “The Wife of Monte Cristo.” It quickly became a grind house with continuous double features closing at the end of a ten-year lease in 1956 and was offered for lease. It reopened with the same policy unsuccessfully in 1957. In August of 1958 under new operators it found its footing with double-feature art films with provocative titles and ads.
The venue was rebranded as the Devon Art Cinema in 1959 with “sensational” films and Philadelphia premieres. On October 5, 1960, the venue became the AAA Art Devon Cinema advertising “triple ‘AAA’ films” or code for something better than an X-rated film. (The name “AAA Art” was used to get a prime listing at the top of the movie listings.) It earned if not relished its nickname among locals as the “Dirty Devon.” A policy change at the newspaper (if not the phone book) changed that and the theatre returned to Devon Theatre with an adult policy that lasted to the end of a 20-year lease.
On November 22, 1978, the theatre announced a new family-friendly policy as a sub-run discount house showing 99 cent mainstream films. This policy proved incredibly successful even into the home video era. The Devon appears to have ended operations with “The Contender” on November 9, 2000. The stage-less movie house was then equipped with a stage in March of 2009 going on a neary two-year venture in legit theatre: the Devon Theater for the Performing Arts beginning with “Nunsense.” The art center closed in January of 2011. On May 31, 2015 it had a grand reopening as the Devon Concert Hall with live music events. That, too, closed.
The Spruce Theatre began in 1914 converting to sound to remain viable. In the mid-1950s, it started showing art films, repertory films, and some adult titles to audiences that had drifted during the television age. Provocative titles seemed to be preferred. So on October 4, 1960, the venue was rebranded as AAA Art Spruce Theatre. That theatre title placed it just behind another AAA art house and ahead of four AA-plus theaters at the top of the newspaper film listings which were alphabetical.
The first true booking of AAAAST was what it called a “new wave” of directors with “Private Property!” - a film condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency - and Antonella Lualdi in “Good Girls Beware.” The local paper clamped down on the strangely titled “AA” and the gratuitously-prefixed “AAA” titled theatres. The AAA Art Spruce became simply the Art Spruce Theatre. The AST ended its run permanently on Christmas Day 1969 with Guillermo De Cordova in “Love After Death,” Senjo Ichiriki in “The Bite. The Bite” and Suzan Thomas' opus, “Karla,” in Fleshtone. If you’re going to go out of business, go out big!
Ground breaking for Berman Brothers' Imperial Theatre took place on February 10, 1913. But during the building process, they sold out James J. Springer. The Imperial held its grand opening on September 13, 1913 with a mirror screen for brighter movie presentations. The theatre converted to sound but Stanley-Warner Circuit closed the Imperial permanently on November 4, 1951 with Lawrence Tierney in “The Hoodlum” and Robert Montgomery in “Texas Rangers.” Unable to find a new operator, the venue was auctioned off in June of 1952.
John J. McGuirk and Stanley Amusement Circuit built the new Cross Keys (two words) Theatre in 1914 with a new Woolworth’s store around the corner also built and opening at the same time. The new Cross Keys opened with vaudeville including Kute, Kunning and Klever - a children’s team - and Blake’s Circus - a trained animal act on December 28, 1914. The theatre was bathed in a color palette of rose, ivory and gold. Vaudeville presented by Stanley’s Sablosky and McGuirk began to be supplanted more commonly with movies in 1923 and 1924 and, by decade’s end, the Cross Keys converted to sound and became a movie house. Sadly, assistant Manager Max Harris was gunned down in the theatre on march 28, 1928.
Stanley-Warner Circuit closed the Cross Keys permanently on April 12, 1953 with “Niagra” and “The Lawless Breed.” After a period of inactivity, Jerry P. Altman sold the Cross Keys Theatre to Jerry P. Altman who turned it into the Orchid Auditorium with a restaurant in November of 1957. It held sporadic live events for five years. It was later demolished.
The Cedar Theatre appears to have opened here in 1913. It was known as the “Theater with a Personality.” The theatre was part of the Nixon-Nirdlinger Circuit. It converted to sound and, in October of 1939, the theatre received a streamlined makeover to the plans of David Supowitz.
The theatre continued into the late 1950s as the Cedar. The theatre was refreshed becoming the Abbe Art Cinema that launched here on September 24, 1959 with “The Mistress” and “The Surf.” It closed permanently on October 27, 1972 with Barbara Bennet in “Kiss This Miss” and “Temptation & Sin.”
The Sherwood stopped advertising and was listed as closed after “Man in the Saddle” and “The Harlem Globetrotters” at end of lease on March 30, 1953. It came back under a new operator as a grind house with continuous shows of a Doris Day double-feature consisting of “Love Me or Leave Me” and “House of Bamboo” on September 9, 1955. The Sherwood departed at end of lease on May 31, 1959 with “Tiger’s Claws” and “Veiled Lady.”
The Nixon Theatre resigned at end of lease on May 29, 1977 with “King Kong,” “Superfly T.N.T.” and “Tiger Force.”
The Dante Theatre appears to have closed on May 17, 1964 with a double feature of “The Victors” and “The Maniac.”
Stanley Theatre Circuit launched the unsuccessful Rexy Theatre on November 9, 1928 with Clara Bow in “The Fleet’s In.” It was dropped in 1933 likely exercising an opt out clause in the leasing agreement. The Rexy then reopened as a live theatre unsuccessfully in 1936. It was reopened for films by Warner’s Circuit infrequently in 1938-1939 and sold off. It made a comeback in 1944 closing following showtimes on November 12, 1944.
The theatre was auctioned off in 1954. The Rexy was demolished at the end of its thirty-year lease in August of 1958. Based on zero knowledge, the theatre could have easily been subleased as an African American theater from 1944 to 19xx which would explain both its lack of advertising and its auction in 1954 followed by the original leasing term expiry permanently ending its stay on South Street in 1958. However, it is a common target of vandalism / break ins so may have simply been vacant for 14 years. Based on the demolition “by the pound” for wood, the chances that the entry above is factually correct about its closure in 1975 is - at best - as an airdome.
The address here is incorrect here, as well. It was built at 8th Street and South with an address of 817 South Street consistently advertised. There is some form of apartment complex on that spot - and sadly, no pizza place as promised above. Finally, though the trades sometimes say 2,083 seats, I think the original 2,500 capacity is borne out in almost all other documentation so feel that the cap should be placed at 2,500. Other than that, I agree with everything above… though the architects refer to the style they were trying to achieve as Georgian.
The Stanley Theatre Circuit sold the building in January of 1955 at which time it was altered to become a retail furniture store. It is believed that the Model Theatre closed permanently on January 2, 1955 with a double feature of “Down Three Dark Streets” and “Two Guns and a Badge.”
It appears to have ceased operations on October 20, 1977 with “The Deep.”
The Howard Theatre is listed consistently into 1959 at 2614-2620 North Front Street. On October 24, 1963, the Howard played adult films and had live burlesque rebranded as the Howard Follies Theatre. (See photo.) Protests led to the end of that practice on August 5, 1964. A final operator came in rebranding under an “art” house policy as the renamed Art Howard Theatre. It appears that two adult titles would be placed with a more mainstream title. The Art Howard ceased operations on February 14, 1965 with a triple feature of Doris Wishman in “Diary of a Nudist,” Rose Alba in “Eves on Skis.” and Kim Novak in “Kiss Me, Stupid.” Clearly, the marquee remained “Howard” so no real need to change the listing entry.
Closed November 11, 1965 with a double feature of “What’s New Pussycat?” and “Genghis Kahn.”
The Belvedere opened in 1916. It was known as the Chestnut Hill Theatre by 1919. The Chestnut Hill went into a receivership auction in 1930 complete with its Moller Opus 2410 Pipe Organ and 500 seats unable to convert to sound. It found new operators in 1932 reopening and closing as the Hill Theatre. It reopened as the Hill Theatre under new operator William H. Wold in 1933. It closed and reopened under a new operator in 1935.
Under a new operator, the theatre was renovated in 1940 to the plans of David Supowitz bringing air conditioning, new seating and a streamlined look. (The Lee remodel reference as occurring in 1936 seems odd given the short period of time between refreshes. Especially, a Lee refresh which would likely have been extensive.) Meanwhile a brand new theatre was proposed by Goldman Circuit to the plans of William H. Lee seating 750 just three blocks away - and could be the reference above. I’m assuming that Lee theatre got off of the drawing board but was not built. Meanwhile, the Hill Theatre closed April 5, 1973 with “A Clockwork Orange.”
The rebranded Vernon Theatre launched for Warner on October 25, 1940 with “Brigham Young Frontiersman.” Stanley Warner closed it on May 27, 1951 with Doris Day in “Lullaby of Broadway.” A salvage sale occurred in June and July of 1951 prior to and as the theatre was being razed.
P.J. Kileullen built and launched the Cayuga Theatre in 1911. The building was technically 4367-4371 Germantown taking up three addresses. It was sold to a new operator in 1913. The Cayuga closed in December of 1957. It appears to have been a house of worship for two years likely losing its attractor.
A classified ad next appeared offering the venue for lease and operator Max Raab took on the venue as the Aardvark Theatre on October 20, 1961 with “Henry V.” The Aardvark tried art, repertory and exploitation for the next two plus years before closing permanently on January 16, 1964 with “The Shameless Sex” and “Cover Girl Killer.” Another classified ad looking for a new operator appears to have gone unheeded.
The Benn Theatre closed permanently on February 6, 1977 with “In Search of Noah’s Ark.”