The Riviera Theatre launched on November 12, 1928 with May McAvoy in “The Terror.” Michael J. DeAngelis' atmospheric Spanish Colonial garden interior with starlit sky effect on the ceiling wowed patrons along with Willard M. Lusk Studios' interior murals and other flourishes and the Corning Terra Cotta work. The Riviera opened with Vitaphone talkies staying that way until closure. The venue became the Riviera Cinema in 1960. It closed October 23, 1972 as the Riviera Cinema with “Portnoy’s Complaint” and “The Fox.” The Rivera Cinema building was demolished in 1975.
The first ad for the Franklin Theater appeared on April 26, 1914 with “The Passion Play.” The venue converted to sound to remain viable. It was a sub-run, neighborhood double/triple feature house until converted to an art theater called th Franklin Art Theater in 1968. That art run gravitated full-time to to adult films during the porno chic and into the home video era. The operator was constantly taken to court and beat the city of each of the obscenity charges levied against. it. So the City of Syracuse came up with Plan B. And the Franklin Theatre closed on June 11, 1989 with adult films after the building was purchased by the City of Syracuse. The former Franklin was demolished on November 23, 1992.
Syracuse had two Elmwood Theatres: one was an early silent theater at 325 Park Street that collapsed in 1925 while vacant and the second was in the fast-growing Elmwood neighborhood. The “New” Elmwood was constructed with much of the surrounding commercial business district area during 1926 and 1927. The Elmwood launched for owner James Constatnine on October 3, 1927 with Reginald Denny in “Fast and Furious.” The highest priced item in the venue was its $20,000 Link Silver-Toned “Wonder” Pipe Organ.
The Elmwood would convert to sound to stay relevant. It would cease operations on March 11, 1958 with Robert Wagner in “Stopover Tokyo” and Angie Dickinson in “China Gate.” The building became home to a dentist’s office thereafter before, in 1974, getting a modification permit that gave it a drastic overhaul moving away from the original’s Mission Revival and to where it is in the 2020s.
The $150,000 Cameo Theatre launched November 30, 1926. It had a Marr-Colton pipe organ at its launch. It may have ceased operations on October 30, 1959 with “The Tempest” and “The Hangman.” Church services were still listed at the venue thereafter.
he Brighton Theatre was built for $40,000 in 1928 opening on November 2, 1928 with “The Joy Girl.” It closed as a movie theater on April 25, 1957 with “Wings of Eagle” and “The Naked Gun” in receivership. It was sold to an independent who staged boxing and wrestling matches in late 1957 and into 1958. It failed commercially but found one final operator who staged live music shows. That ended on January 5, 1960 with Johnny “Battle of New Orleans” Horton graced the stage. The venue was then replaced by a bowling alley.
The Arcadia Theater was the brainchild of Mrs. A. Van Wagner who, sadly, died during the building of the project. The plans were drawn by L.G. Van Wagner in a Colonial style. The venue launched May 4, 1914 with Marie Walcamp in “Through the Clouds” supposed by three shorts. The ad is in photos. It was called the New Arcadia Theater in the sound era. The operator, who also ran the Happy Hour and the Rivoli, purchased the Empire Theatre late in 1933 and appears to have discontinued operation of the Arcadia at that time. Not sure when it resumed. However, an item in the paper suggests a demolition year of 1975.
The Avon Theatre had a soft launch opening on June 19, 1926 with Jane Novak in “Lure of the Wild” supported by the first episode of “The Silver Streak” serial. Two days later, it suffered a fire in the projection booth. It had its official grand opening on June 30, 1926 with “When Husbands Flirt” and Joseph B. Tallmadge playing the Marr & Colton pipe organ.
Now listed by AMC as the AMC Grapevine Mills 24 as “Dine-In” service has left the building and apparently six auditorium will be rested or will be sublet.
The new-build Liberty Theatre, a $25,000 structure, opened as another World War I Liberty location on August 14, 1917 with movies and live vaudeville in downtown Durant. Robb & Rowley sold the venue to the Howard Hughes' led Hughes-Franklin Circuit in February of 1931. They would soon close the Liberty for a major refresh.
The venue relaunched on March 4, 1932 as the State Theatre with the film, “The Big Shot.” Miller Davidge took on the venue operating the Ritz and State. But on September 13, 1933, Davidge bought the competing Metro and consolidate the State and Metro operations into a single movie theater in the Metro location. The State booked boxing events in 1934 and was erased by a fire on October 31, 1934 - a fire in which the insurance likely paid for a new theater, the Plaza, on the same site.
Appears to have ceased advertising following the November 28, 1964 showtime for “The New Interns.” That would time out with a 15-year opt out of a potential leasing agreement that may have ended the Sky-Vu’s run.
Opening film for the new Savage Theatre on March 24, 1939 was “Hollywood Roundup.” The Savage was ultimately tamed on March 31, 1957 closing with Dane Clark in “Massacre.”
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened in the 1970s theatre-lessly. It added the Durant Twin Cinema on July 1, 1994 with “The Flintstones” and “Maverick.” It was then made into a quad-plex in the 2000s. It closed in 2011 and was replaced by a Rue21 retail clothing store location.
Address: 206 West Main Street. Demolished. The Bungalow’s opening films in August of 1914 were Lois Weber in “Suspense,” Jane Fearnley in “His Mother’s Birthday” and the Independent Moving Pictures (IMP) short, “A Rose at 16… A Cactus at 45.” The Bungalow appears to have closed with vaudeville on January 31, 1921 with a live stage show
The Peoples Theatre launched in February of 1909 on Third Avenue. In 1914, it was re named for Mabel Bea Vert and was technically the Bea Vert Theatre. She retired from the operation and on September 5, 1914, it became the Wilro Theatre purportedly named after Zigomar Wilro. However, it’s also a fusion of the owners Catherin Williams and Mr. Rose or Willro which likely is how the name was conceptualized. The theater’s monikers of “Bea Vert” and “Wilro” are the only such entries carrying those nameplates in the Cinema Treasures database.
Brown and Greene took over the location months later renaming it as the more routine Grand Theatre beginning with the December 15, 1914 show. Four reels of motion pictures or fewer cost five cents and five or more reels cost ten cents. And you got to hear the Wurlitzer piano no matter how long the films were. The Grand departed following the September 4, 1915 showing of “The Three of Us.” It would become home to a fraternal organization, the Modern Woodmen.
The Durant Theater opened on September 29, 1909 at 128 West Main. The operator of the Iris Airdome took over the space and renamed it as the Iris Theatre for year-round programming which included both vaudeville and movies. The neighboring Iris Confectionery served as the de facto concession stand. The Iris closed permanently in 1911 and was converted for retail purposes. The building still stands in the 2020s.
The Queen Theatre was crowned with public favor opening January 24, 1920 with Dorothy Phillips in “Paid in Advance.” She suffered a minor fire following the January 14, 1928 showings of Art Acord in “Hard Fists” and Julia Faye in “Turkish Delight” but appears to have closed thereafter without converting to sound.
But the venue was overhauled and relit as the Ritz Theatre, playing Western Electric talkies beginning on December 18, 1931 with Loretta Young in “I Like Your Nerve.” It last advertised on March 26, 1957 with “Naked Gun” and, though the venue hosted events in its lobby, its cinematic days had passed. In August of 1961, the venue was remodeled for Babcock Brothers Aut
Opening film April 15, 1931 was Reginald Denny in “Stepping Out.” Dropped in 1936, it reopened on March 16, 1939 as the New Metro Theatre with “12 Crowded Hours.” It dropped “new” and the Metro Theatre appears to have closed May 1, 1954 with Mickey Rooney in “My Outlaw Brother.”
The Colonial opened here on August 26, 1915 with “The Goose Girl.” It closed three years later and was replaced by the Severance Hardware retail store in 1919.
The Studio 1 Theatre opened with Peter Ford in “Wilbur & the Baby Factory” and Antoinette Maynard in “Weekend Lovers” on December 15, 1970. The Studio 1 closed December 11, 1980 as a discount, third-run adult cinema at the expiry of a 10-year lease with its last advertised shows of Sue Longhurst in “Keep It Up, Jack” and producer Leonard Kirtman’s “Pay the Babysitter.” All seats were just a dollar. The venue reopened as the Midtown Cinema in a new location the next day.
he Tulsa Theatre opened on February 19, 1941 with William Powell in “I Love You Again” & John Hubbard in “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. It closed at the expiry of a 25-years lease on September 25, 1966 with “Chamber of Horrors” and “Murietta.”
The Cove Theatre in the Red Fork neighborhood launched for operator Joe Noble on August 18, 1946 with Maureen O'Hara in “Do You Love Me?” Cove Confections next door served as the venue’s de facto concession stand. The theater ended up on the tax roster in 1948 though secured new operators in John and Opal Gray that same year. Its final ad was on March 25, 1956 with “T?he Last Frontier” and “The Finger Man” likely ending the Cove’s run. Demolished.
The Riviera Theatre launched on November 12, 1928 with May McAvoy in “The Terror.” Michael J. DeAngelis' atmospheric Spanish Colonial garden interior with starlit sky effect on the ceiling wowed patrons along with Willard M. Lusk Studios' interior murals and other flourishes and the Corning Terra Cotta work. The Riviera opened with Vitaphone talkies staying that way until closure. The venue became the Riviera Cinema in 1960. It closed October 23, 1972 as the Riviera Cinema with “Portnoy’s Complaint” and “The Fox.” The Rivera Cinema building was demolished in 1975.
The first ad for the Franklin Theater appeared on April 26, 1914 with “The Passion Play.” The venue converted to sound to remain viable. It was a sub-run, neighborhood double/triple feature house until converted to an art theater called th Franklin Art Theater in 1968. That art run gravitated full-time to to adult films during the porno chic and into the home video era. The operator was constantly taken to court and beat the city of each of the obscenity charges levied against. it. So the City of Syracuse came up with Plan B. And the Franklin Theatre closed on June 11, 1989 with adult films after the building was purchased by the City of Syracuse. The former Franklin was demolished on November 23, 1992.
Syracuse had two Elmwood Theatres: one was an early silent theater at 325 Park Street that collapsed in 1925 while vacant and the second was in the fast-growing Elmwood neighborhood. The “New” Elmwood was constructed with much of the surrounding commercial business district area during 1926 and 1927. The Elmwood launched for owner James Constatnine on October 3, 1927 with Reginald Denny in “Fast and Furious.” The highest priced item in the venue was its $20,000 Link Silver-Toned “Wonder” Pipe Organ.
The Elmwood would convert to sound to stay relevant. It would cease operations on March 11, 1958 with Robert Wagner in “Stopover Tokyo” and Angie Dickinson in “China Gate.” The building became home to a dentist’s office thereafter before, in 1974, getting a modification permit that gave it a drastic overhaul moving away from the original’s Mission Revival and to where it is in the 2020s.
The $150,000 Cameo Theatre launched November 30, 1926. It had a Marr-Colton pipe organ at its launch. It may have ceased operations on October 30, 1959 with “The Tempest” and “The Hangman.” Church services were still listed at the venue thereafter.
he Brighton Theatre was built for $40,000 in 1928 opening on November 2, 1928 with “The Joy Girl.” It closed as a movie theater on April 25, 1957 with “Wings of Eagle” and “The Naked Gun” in receivership. It was sold to an independent who staged boxing and wrestling matches in late 1957 and into 1958. It failed commercially but found one final operator who staged live music shows. That ended on January 5, 1960 with Johnny “Battle of New Orleans” Horton graced the stage. The venue was then replaced by a bowling alley.
The Arcadia Theater was the brainchild of Mrs. A. Van Wagner who, sadly, died during the building of the project. The plans were drawn by L.G. Van Wagner in a Colonial style. The venue launched May 4, 1914 with Marie Walcamp in “Through the Clouds” supposed by three shorts. The ad is in photos. It was called the New Arcadia Theater in the sound era. The operator, who also ran the Happy Hour and the Rivoli, purchased the Empire Theatre late in 1933 and appears to have discontinued operation of the Arcadia at that time. Not sure when it resumed. However, an item in the paper suggests a demolition year of 1975.
The Civic Repertory Theater / Civic Theater moved into the former Ritz and former Syracuse Theater in 1933.
The Avon Theatre had a soft launch opening on June 19, 1926 with Jane Novak in “Lure of the Wild” supported by the first episode of “The Silver Streak” serial. Two days later, it suffered a fire in the projection booth. It had its official grand opening on June 30, 1926 with “When Husbands Flirt” and Joseph B. Tallmadge playing the Marr & Colton pipe organ.
The Westhill Theatre launched September 1, 1967 with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in “The War Wagon.”
Now listed by AMC as the AMC Grapevine Mills 24 as “Dine-In” service has left the building and apparently six auditorium will be rested or will be sublet.
The new-build Liberty Theatre, a $25,000 structure, opened as another World War I Liberty location on August 14, 1917 with movies and live vaudeville in downtown Durant. Robb & Rowley sold the venue to the Howard Hughes' led Hughes-Franklin Circuit in February of 1931. They would soon close the Liberty for a major refresh.
The venue relaunched on March 4, 1932 as the State Theatre with the film, “The Big Shot.” Miller Davidge took on the venue operating the Ritz and State. But on September 13, 1933, Davidge bought the competing Metro and consolidate the State and Metro operations into a single movie theater in the Metro location. The State booked boxing events in 1934 and was erased by a fire on October 31, 1934 - a fire in which the insurance likely paid for a new theater, the Plaza, on the same site.
Appears to have ceased advertising following the November 28, 1964 showtime for “The New Interns.” That would time out with a 15-year opt out of a potential leasing agreement that may have ended the Sky-Vu’s run.
Opening film for the new Savage Theatre on March 24, 1939 was “Hollywood Roundup.” The Savage was ultimately tamed on March 31, 1957 closing with Dane Clark in “Massacre.”
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened in the 1970s theatre-lessly. It added the Durant Twin Cinema on July 1, 1994 with “The Flintstones” and “Maverick.” It was then made into a quad-plex in the 2000s. It closed in 2011 and was replaced by a Rue21 retail clothing store location.
Address: 206 West Main Street. Demolished. The Bungalow’s opening films in August of 1914 were Lois Weber in “Suspense,” Jane Fearnley in “His Mother’s Birthday” and the Independent Moving Pictures (IMP) short, “A Rose at 16… A Cactus at 45.” The Bungalow appears to have closed with vaudeville on January 31, 1921 with a live stage show
The Peoples Theatre launched in February of 1909 on Third Avenue. In 1914, it was re named for Mabel Bea Vert and was technically the Bea Vert Theatre. She retired from the operation and on September 5, 1914, it became the Wilro Theatre purportedly named after Zigomar Wilro. However, it’s also a fusion of the owners Catherin Williams and Mr. Rose or Willro which likely is how the name was conceptualized. The theater’s monikers of “Bea Vert” and “Wilro” are the only such entries carrying those nameplates in the Cinema Treasures database.
Brown and Greene took over the location months later renaming it as the more routine Grand Theatre beginning with the December 15, 1914 show. Four reels of motion pictures or fewer cost five cents and five or more reels cost ten cents. And you got to hear the Wurlitzer piano no matter how long the films were. The Grand departed following the September 4, 1915 showing of “The Three of Us.” It would become home to a fraternal organization, the Modern Woodmen.
The Durant Theater opened on September 29, 1909 at 128 West Main. The operator of the Iris Airdome took over the space and renamed it as the Iris Theatre for year-round programming which included both vaudeville and movies. The neighboring Iris Confectionery served as the de facto concession stand. The Iris closed permanently in 1911 and was converted for retail purposes. The building still stands in the 2020s.
The Queen Theatre was crowned with public favor opening January 24, 1920 with Dorothy Phillips in “Paid in Advance.” She suffered a minor fire following the January 14, 1928 showings of Art Acord in “Hard Fists” and Julia Faye in “Turkish Delight” but appears to have closed thereafter without converting to sound.
But the venue was overhauled and relit as the Ritz Theatre, playing Western Electric talkies beginning on December 18, 1931 with Loretta Young in “I Like Your Nerve.” It last advertised on March 26, 1957 with “Naked Gun” and, though the venue hosted events in its lobby, its cinematic days had passed. In August of 1961, the venue was remodeled for Babcock Brothers Aut
Opening film April 15, 1931 was Reginald Denny in “Stepping Out.” Dropped in 1936, it reopened on March 16, 1939 as the New Metro Theatre with “12 Crowded Hours.” It dropped “new” and the Metro Theatre appears to have closed May 1, 1954 with Mickey Rooney in “My Outlaw Brother.”
The Colonial opened here on August 26, 1915 with “The Goose Girl.” It closed three years later and was replaced by the Severance Hardware retail store in 1919.
Sorry - March 7, 1952 was the launch date
The Studio 1 Theatre opened with Peter Ford in “Wilbur & the Baby Factory” and Antoinette Maynard in “Weekend Lovers” on December 15, 1970. The Studio 1 closed December 11, 1980 as a discount, third-run adult cinema at the expiry of a 10-year lease with its last advertised shows of Sue Longhurst in “Keep It Up, Jack” and producer Leonard Kirtman’s “Pay the Babysitter.” All seats were just a dollar. The venue reopened as the Midtown Cinema in a new location the next day.
he Tulsa Theatre opened on February 19, 1941 with William Powell in “I Love You Again” & John Hubbard in “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. It closed at the expiry of a 25-years lease on September 25, 1966 with “Chamber of Horrors” and “Murietta.”
The Liberty Theatre was built in 1917 and appears to have launched December 15, 1917 with a benefit screening. The equipment wa sold off in 1924.
The Cove Theatre in the Red Fork neighborhood launched for operator Joe Noble on August 18, 1946 with Maureen O'Hara in “Do You Love Me?” Cove Confections next door served as the venue’s de facto concession stand. The theater ended up on the tax roster in 1948 though secured new operators in John and Opal Gray that same year. Its final ad was on March 25, 1956 with “T?he Last Frontier” and “The Finger Man” likely ending the Cove’s run. Demolished.