I appreciate the confusion. The Pittsburg you refer to, is in fact Pittsburgh, PA. In 1891 the US Board of Geographic Names dropped the “h”. From 1891 to 1911 the name was Pittsburg. Some publications refused to drop the letter and it was referred to by both names in print. Back in those days, New Castle had numerous daily trains from and to Pittsburg(h), making it easy to get to that Nixon theatre. New Castle’s first Nixon was the one that was built around the Pastime and was officially opened as you pointed out in September 1911. There was a reference in the 1906-1907 Julius Cahn’s guide as noted above to an 1,800 seat Nixon in New Castle. The story behind that is that Nixon and Zimmerman were trying to convince the owner of the Opera House in New Castle to lease his theater to them. When the owner wouldn’t lease it, they got mad and announced the next day they were building this Nixon in New Castle. They tried for two years to obtain a site. They then approached the owner of the Coliseum in New Castle but were unsuccessful with those negotiations as well. Their Nixon was never built. Marty Gibbon opened the New Castle Nixon and I was never able to make a connection between him and the Nixon and Zimmerman syndicate. Gibbons also owned the Lunetta and Grand Theaters in Beaver Falls.
I’m a little confused, 50sSNIPES, re your comment “information I brought in”? If you are referring to my comment re first nickelodeon, the first was called the Nickelodeon and was opened by Harry Davis and his brother-in-law John P. Harris in June 1905 in Pittsburgh. (That was the theater that inspired the Warner Brothers to start their own business.) If that isn’t what you were referring to, please explain.
50sSNIPES - Since the very first nickelodeon didn’t open until 1905, the “possibly almost 10 year run” isn’t possible. It was operating as early as September 1909. When the Nixon was being built, it enveloped the Pastime into its design transforming it into part of its lobby and entrance, and in part into a new auditorium.
Located at 4 W. Federal, the construction on the Youngstown Bijou (originally built as a vaudeville house) was not completed until December 11, 1907. George Olnhausen originally had an interest in the Bijou, but he sold it to Buehrle & Shook of Wheeling before the theater opened. Apparently there was a conflict and the contractor who built it maintained possession. Seas & Young of Columbus and Cleveland were also involved and it didn’t actually open until the spring of 1908. By November 1908 it was changed into a picture house and was operated by Walter Hanitch. A mirror screen was installed in 1911. Paul Fitch and Walter Hanitch had it through the Spring of 1911, when it was purchased by the Robins Brothers (Harry & Daniel). The Robins Brothers held on to it through 1921, and it was gone by 1924. The Warners do not appear to have had any involvement with the exception that Anne Warner Robins' husband David M. was a brother to those who owned it. David was not involved with the theater.
I appreciate the confusion. The Pittsburg you refer to, is in fact Pittsburgh, PA. In 1891 the US Board of Geographic Names dropped the “h”. From 1891 to 1911 the name was Pittsburg. Some publications refused to drop the letter and it was referred to by both names in print. Back in those days, New Castle had numerous daily trains from and to Pittsburg(h), making it easy to get to that Nixon theatre. New Castle’s first Nixon was the one that was built around the Pastime and was officially opened as you pointed out in September 1911. There was a reference in the 1906-1907 Julius Cahn’s guide as noted above to an 1,800 seat Nixon in New Castle. The story behind that is that Nixon and Zimmerman were trying to convince the owner of the Opera House in New Castle to lease his theater to them. When the owner wouldn’t lease it, they got mad and announced the next day they were building this Nixon in New Castle. They tried for two years to obtain a site. They then approached the owner of the Coliseum in New Castle but were unsuccessful with those negotiations as well. Their Nixon was never built. Marty Gibbon opened the New Castle Nixon and I was never able to make a connection between him and the Nixon and Zimmerman syndicate. Gibbons also owned the Lunetta and Grand Theaters in Beaver Falls.
I’m a little confused, 50sSNIPES, re your comment “information I brought in”? If you are referring to my comment re first nickelodeon, the first was called the Nickelodeon and was opened by Harry Davis and his brother-in-law John P. Harris in June 1905 in Pittsburgh. (That was the theater that inspired the Warner Brothers to start their own business.) If that isn’t what you were referring to, please explain.
50sSNIPES - Since the very first nickelodeon didn’t open until 1905, the “possibly almost 10 year run” isn’t possible. It was operating as early as September 1909. When the Nixon was being built, it enveloped the Pastime into its design transforming it into part of its lobby and entrance, and in part into a new auditorium.
Located at 4 W. Federal, the construction on the Youngstown Bijou (originally built as a vaudeville house) was not completed until December 11, 1907. George Olnhausen originally had an interest in the Bijou, but he sold it to Buehrle & Shook of Wheeling before the theater opened. Apparently there was a conflict and the contractor who built it maintained possession. Seas & Young of Columbus and Cleveland were also involved and it didn’t actually open until the spring of 1908. By November 1908 it was changed into a picture house and was operated by Walter Hanitch. A mirror screen was installed in 1911. Paul Fitch and Walter Hanitch had it through the Spring of 1911, when it was purchased by the Robins Brothers (Harry & Daniel). The Robins Brothers held on to it through 1921, and it was gone by 1924. The Warners do not appear to have had any involvement with the exception that Anne Warner Robins' husband David M. was a brother to those who owned it. David was not involved with the theater.