The October 2, 1948 issue of Boxoffice said that the Family Outdoor Theatre recently opened near Grayslake had been designed by architects Arthur Swanson and Associates.
A comment by architect George A. Eheling in the September 22, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor says that he designed the Bridge Theatre in Bedford, Virginia.
A comment by architect George A. Eheling in the September 22, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor says that he designed the Lee Theatre in Roanoke. It’s likely that Eubank & Caldwell acted as supervising architects for Eheling, whose office was in Cleveland, Ohio.
Also, note the correct address and current use for the Lee’s building in my previous comment.
A list of theaters operated by Balaban & Katz as of October 1, 1949 included the Princess in Toledo. This has me wondering if the September 29, 1948 item in The Exhibtor that says “[p]lans for the modernistic B and K house in Toledo, 0., were completed by Holabird and Root, architects….” was about the Princess. The only other Publix house we have listed in Toledo was the Paramount, and I can’t find anything about a remodeling of that theater in 1948, while there are multiple references to the Princess being remodeled that year.
This house apparently did operate as the Columbia Theatre for a while before being renamed Princess. It was listed as the Columbia in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The name was probably changed not long after the Directory went to press, though, as the original Princess on Summit Street had already closed. The “modernistic” 1948 remodel must have been mostly on the inside, as in later photos the basic form and many details of the exterior were still recognizable from original architect Sidney E. Aftel’s 1913 photo of the Columbia.
An item about the 35th Anniversary of the Cote Theatre appeared in The Exhibitor of September 29, 1948. It said that the house originally opened on November 21, 1913.
A book called Lost Auburn: A Village Remembered in Period Photographs, by Ralph Draughon says that the Tiger Theatre closed on April 26, 1984. Downtown Auburn’s two other movie theaters, the Village and the War Eagle, both closed the following year.
The Village was opened in May, 1969. It was situated on Gay Street, a bit north of Magnolia, and was either converted into or replaced by a building for Auburn Bank. It ran its last movies on September 26, 1985.
This house opened in late 1948. There might also be a problem with the address of this theater, unless the street name has been changed since 1948. 1948 trade journal items about the new house under construction at Stowe give its location as Smugglers Notch Road. It might be that the Mountain Road address belonged to an earlier Stowaway Theatre, of which the October 2, 1948 issue of Boxoffice said “[t]he Stowaway Theatre, Stowe, Vt., has been closed permanently and all the equipment has been pulled out. The town will not be long without a theatre, however, as a new 350-seat house is under construction and should be ready for a December opening.”
The new house was described in this item from the October 9 issue of Boxoffice:
“Two enterprising young skiing enthusiasts, Holmes Welch of Boston and John Flint of Bellows Falls, Vt., former classmates at Harvard, have completed plans for a resort center in Stowe, Vt., which will house a 350-seat theatre.
“Designed by John Pierce in association with Anderson & Beckwith, Boston architects, the center is located on Smugglers Notch road in the Mt. Mansfield section. The center includes the theatre, a sporting goods store, bowling alleys, an outdoor ice skating rink, a dance hall and restaurant. The interior of the building, decorated in curly birch, is so arranged that each section can be seen from the main entrance. This results from the free use of glass partitions and the many floor levels which give the interior a rambling, old-fashioned appearance. The trim, wide-eaved building will gleam barn-red in the snow.
“The theatre itself has acoustics designed by the MIT Acoustical Laboratory as well as modern ventilation and sound systems. Kroehler pushback seats have been ordered. An interesting feature of the theatre is the pitch of the floor is steeper than necessary for the 350-seat space, thus allowing ample room to expand the theatre by pushing back the rear wall should the occasion arise. The entire center will cost $230,000 and is set for an early December opening. The theatre will be operated by Welch and will have evening shows and matinees when the weather is bad. It is the fore-runner of several such resort centers in popular winter and summer sports sections throughout the country.”
I’ve been unable to find anything about John W. Pierce, and it occurs to me that he might not have been a licensed architect, but maybe was the person who came up with the overall concept of the project. Lawrence B. Anderson and Herbert L. Beckwith were quite well known, though, being principals of the firm of Anderson, Beckwith & Haible. Both were professors at MIT, Anderson eventually becoming dean of the School of Architecture and Planning. Beckwith was a major figure in the Modern movement, with many significant commissions to his credit.
This item datelined Stowe appeared in the September 1, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor, and also gives the location of the project as Smugglers Notch Road:
“A theatre of 350 seats is nearing
completion on the Smugglers Notch Road. It is part of a physical plant which will also contain a bowling alley and a recreation center, all of which will be open for year-round business. The building is located within eight miles of Waterbury, Vt., and not more than four miles from Morrisville, Vt. The structure-to-be is the property of the Stowe Center Associates, Inc., a concern which plans to duplicate this project in other sections of the country which cater to vacationists. One of the skiing centers, Mt. Mansfield, is in this area. Incidently, [sic] Lowell Thomas has interests in this sector. Architects for the theatre are John W. Pierce, Lawrence Anderson, and Herbert L. Beckwith, all of Boston.”
The predecessor of this house must have been the project noted in the September 1, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor, which was to be a 350-seat theater operating as part of a complex that included a bowling alley and a recreation center, all to be open year-round.
The August 18, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor said that the Dipson circuit’s new theater in the Lyell Avenue shopping center was designed by architect R. E. Van Alstine. I’ve been unable to find any other references to an architect of that name, though it does sound vaguely familiar. Perhaps a typo was involved, but if so I can’t puzzle out what the name should have been.
The August 18, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor said that the Brainerd Theatre was designed by architects Gill & Bianculli. The latter was undoubtedly Mario Bianculli, and the former was most likely Harrison W. Gill Sr. Their collaboration may have been a one-off, as both soon became well-known architects in their own right.
This web page says that the CV Theatre closed on January 19, 1958. It also claims that the Bijou opened in 1904. Here is a Google street view of the building, now long occupied by Shippen Cleaners, at 47 S. Earl Street.
The November 1, 1934 issue of The Philadelphia Exhibitor noted that Joseph Shverha had taken control of the Roxy Theatre at Shillington and renamed it the Shillington Theatre. An RCA Victor High Fidelity sound system was to be installed. It was Shverha who would build the new Shillington Theatre on Lancaster Avenue in 1949, a project long planned, but delayed by wartime restrictions on new construction and post-war materials shortages.
Plans to build the new Shillngton Theatre were announced in the August 11, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor. It was being built for Joseph M. Shverha, owner of the original Shillington Theatre, and was designed by architect Francis Jobson of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
That does make sense. It seems much more likely that the magazine would misplace an item meant for Seattle into its San Francisco column than that Jack Tillmany would miss a name in a San Francisco theater’s history.
The Alvin Theatre had an unusual policy in 1924. The September 13 issue of Moving Picture World said that “[t]he Alvin Theatre, Mansfield, Ohio, which shows short subjects only, which was closed for the summer, opened recently.”
Mansfield’s Romanesque Revival style Opera House was opened in 1889 and was designed by Chicago theater architect Oscar Cobb, as was the adjoining Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, still standing and now housing the Mansfield Memorial Museum.
Partello took over the Opera House in 1924 and had it extensively renovated, according to an item in The Moving Picture World of September 13, 1924. The Opera House was not among the five theaters listed at Mansfield in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, so was probably still a stage venue at that time.
Here is an item about the Park Theatre from the September 13, 1924 issue of Moving Picture World:
“The Park Theatre, Mansfield, Ohio, controlled by a local company of which W. A. Partello is the executive head, has been entirely remodeled. The entire gallery has been removed and the balcony enlarged.”
We have another page for the Lyric Theatre with information that conflicts with the description above. It says the first location of the Lyric was on 6th Street and the second location, opened December 6, 1913, was on 7th Street. Could it be that this house on 15th Avenue only ever operated as the Pastime? And if the first Lyric was in operation before December of 1913, I can’t account for its absence from the AMPD.
The Carpentier brothers, owners of the Strand Theatre, were probably the last owners of the Lyric Theatre. This item is from the September 13, 1924 issue of Moving Picture World:
“Charles and Emil Carpentier of East Moline, Ill., have added the Majestic and Lyric theatres of that city to their circuit, of which the Strand is the leading house. Oscar Komdat sold the houses to the Carpentier circuit.”
The October 2, 1948 issue of Boxoffice said that the Family Outdoor Theatre recently opened near Grayslake had been designed by architects Arthur Swanson and Associates.
The October 2, 1948 issue of Boxoffice noted that the Community Theatre in Catskill was then being operated by the Fabian circuit.
A comment by architect George A. Eheling in the September 22, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor says that he designed the Bridge Theatre in Bedford, Virginia.
A comment by architect George A. Eheling in the September 22, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor says that he designed the Lee Theatre in Roanoke. It’s likely that Eubank & Caldwell acted as supervising architects for Eheling, whose office was in Cleveland, Ohio.
Also, note the correct address and current use for the Lee’s building in my previous comment.
A comment by architect George A. Eheling in the September 22, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor says that he designed the Harrison Theatre in Lynchburg.
A list of theaters operated by Balaban & Katz as of October 1, 1949 included the Princess in Toledo. This has me wondering if the September 29, 1948 item in The Exhibtor that says “[p]lans for the modernistic B and K house in Toledo, 0., were completed by Holabird and Root, architects….” was about the Princess. The only other Publix house we have listed in Toledo was the Paramount, and I can’t find anything about a remodeling of that theater in 1948, while there are multiple references to the Princess being remodeled that year.
This house apparently did operate as the Columbia Theatre for a while before being renamed Princess. It was listed as the Columbia in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The name was probably changed not long after the Directory went to press, though, as the original Princess on Summit Street had already closed. The “modernistic” 1948 remodel must have been mostly on the inside, as in later photos the basic form and many details of the exterior were still recognizable from original architect Sidney E. Aftel’s 1913 photo of the Columbia.
An item about the 35th Anniversary of the Cote Theatre appeared in The Exhibitor of September 29, 1948. It said that the house originally opened on November 21, 1913.
A book called Lost Auburn: A Village Remembered in Period Photographs, by Ralph Draughon says that the Tiger Theatre closed on April 26, 1984. Downtown Auburn’s two other movie theaters, the Village and the War Eagle, both closed the following year.
The Village was opened in May, 1969. It was situated on Gay Street, a bit north of Magnolia, and was either converted into or replaced by a building for Auburn Bank. It ran its last movies on September 26, 1985.
This house opened in late 1948. There might also be a problem with the address of this theater, unless the street name has been changed since 1948. 1948 trade journal items about the new house under construction at Stowe give its location as Smugglers Notch Road. It might be that the Mountain Road address belonged to an earlier Stowaway Theatre, of which the October 2, 1948 issue of Boxoffice said “[t]he Stowaway Theatre, Stowe, Vt., has been closed permanently and all the equipment has been pulled out. The town will not be long without a theatre, however, as a new 350-seat house is under construction and should be ready for a December opening.”
The new house was described in this item from the October 9 issue of Boxoffice:
I’ve been unable to find anything about John W. Pierce, and it occurs to me that he might not have been a licensed architect, but maybe was the person who came up with the overall concept of the project. Lawrence B. Anderson and Herbert L. Beckwith were quite well known, though, being principals of the firm of Anderson, Beckwith & Haible. Both were professors at MIT, Anderson eventually becoming dean of the School of Architecture and Planning. Beckwith was a major figure in the Modern movement, with many significant commissions to his credit.This item datelined Stowe appeared in the September 1, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor, and also gives the location of the project as Smugglers Notch Road:
The predecessor of this house must have been the project noted in the September 1, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor, which was to be a 350-seat theater operating as part of a complex that included a bowling alley and a recreation center, all to be open year-round.
The August 18, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor said that the Dipson circuit’s new theater in the Lyell Avenue shopping center was designed by architect R. E. Van Alstine. I’ve been unable to find any other references to an architect of that name, though it does sound vaguely familiar. Perhaps a typo was involved, but if so I can’t puzzle out what the name should have been.
The August 18, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor said that the Brainerd Theatre was designed by architects Gill & Bianculli. The latter was undoubtedly Mario Bianculli, and the former was most likely Harrison W. Gill Sr. Their collaboration may have been a one-off, as both soon became well-known architects in their own right.
The Carlisle Opera House opened on September 1, 1898 with a performance of John Philip Sousa’s comic operetta “El Capitan.”
This web page says that the CV Theatre closed on January 19, 1958. It also claims that the Bijou opened in 1904. Here is a Google street view of the building, now long occupied by Shippen Cleaners, at 47 S. Earl Street.
The November 1, 1934 issue of The Philadelphia Exhibitor noted that Joseph Shverha had taken control of the Roxy Theatre at Shillington and renamed it the Shillington Theatre. An RCA Victor High Fidelity sound system was to be installed. It was Shverha who would build the new Shillington Theatre on Lancaster Avenue in 1949, a project long planned, but delayed by wartime restrictions on new construction and post-war materials shortages.
Plans to build the new Shillngton Theatre were announced in the August 11, 1948 issue of The Exhibitor. It was being built for Joseph M. Shverha, owner of the original Shillington Theatre, and was designed by architect Francis Jobson of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
That does make sense. It seems much more likely that the magazine would misplace an item meant for Seattle into its San Francisco column than that Jack Tillmany would miss a name in a San Francisco theater’s history.
The September 13, 1924 issue of Moving Picture World ran this item:
The Lyric was one of two movie theaters in Roseville that were being mentioned in the local newspaper in 1926, the other being the Rose Theatre.Here’s a puzzling bit of news from the September 13, 1924 issue of Moving Picture World:
We have two other theaters in San Francisco with the aka Class A, but neither of them was ever called the Capitol.The Alvin Theatre had an unusual policy in 1924. The September 13 issue of Moving Picture World said that “[t]he Alvin Theatre, Mansfield, Ohio, which shows short subjects only, which was closed for the summer, opened recently.”
Mansfield’s Romanesque Revival style Opera House was opened in 1889 and was designed by Chicago theater architect Oscar Cobb, as was the adjoining Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, still standing and now housing the Mansfield Memorial Museum.
Here is an item about the Park Theatre from the September 13, 1924 issue of Moving Picture World:
We have another page for the Lyric Theatre with information that conflicts with the description above. It says the first location of the Lyric was on 6th Street and the second location, opened December 6, 1913, was on 7th Street. Could it be that this house on 15th Avenue only ever operated as the Pastime? And if the first Lyric was in operation before December of 1913, I can’t account for its absence from the AMPD.
The Carpentier brothers, owners of the Strand Theatre, were probably the last owners of the Lyric Theatre. This item is from the September 13, 1924 issue of Moving Picture World: