I Think that White’s OPERA HOUSE, and Whites NEW THEATRE are two different buildings. If I remember my McKeesport lore, I think the older of the two (Whites Opera House) was demolished to make room for Cox’s Department Store (a building that is also now gone!)
At some point (70s-80s) It became a 2 screen. The last Movie I saw there was an awfull “Nightmare on Elm St.” I forgot which on but it was “3D” and of course really bad =)
This Theatre is on The Swissvale border in the Regent Square neighborhood. It Does Not have ANYTHING (Nor was it named after the “Regent” in East Liberty. When I lived in Swissvale I used to walk to the place often. The last movie a saw here was “The Crow” with Brandon Lee.
I Now know the effects of gettiing Old! Many people I talk to Don’t even Remember the Ardmore! When we were kids in the late 1960s thru the 1970’s we spent more time at the drive-ins than in “real” theatres! Greater Pittsburgh up the road was bigger, but the Ardmore was my favorite! Anyone remember the playgound equipment there (I guess to tucker out the kiddies before showtime!) Nice feature for parents with 5 kids jammed on to the old Plymouth wagon!
Yes, This was the “second” Capital in Braddock, I have old Braddock papers with ads from the 1930s that show the “Capitol Theatre” at another address. But this IS the one I remember! What I would like to know is when THIS incarnation closed? (1960s-early 70s?)
The Copeland theatre mention in the 1925 article HAD to be a different theatre. North Braddock was not even in ‘25 for on that large! However a theatre NAMED “Copeland” being there would be reasonable. 4Th Street in Braddock comes up to the PRR tracks and stops across the tracks it is again 4th Street but now in North Braddock. to get from the Braddock side to the North Braddock side you (if in a car) go under the underpass It was called Copeland Underpass originally The PRR Station there was Copeland Station. (Also Camp Copeland in the Civil War) I do know that a bowling alley was on 4th St (N.Braddock) eithe at or very near the corner with Hawkins Ave. This was likely the theatre site! It is all demolished now. (There is also “4th Avenue” and “Hawkins Avenue” in Rankin,Pa The can confuse outta towners as Braddock,N.Braddock & Rankin share the 15104 zip code. The map simply has the wrong zipcode!
When I first moved to Brentwood, The name of this place confused me. Doing research I found out that Whitehall Borough (next town over) was formed in 1948 (almost a decade after this center opened!) The just “stole” then name! “White Hall” was the name of a coachstop/tavern/hotel that is at the site of Slater’s Funeral home (Also in Brentwood!) Whiehall Center, The Davis farmhouse and The Point Veiw Hotel were three landmarks on Brownsville RD that were destroyed in the 2000s (Sad, I loved all 3!)
Another reason to hate W*l-M**t!!!
I Think that White’s OPERA HOUSE, and Whites NEW THEATRE are two different buildings. If I remember my McKeesport lore, I think the older of the two (Whites Opera House) was demolished to make room for Cox’s Department Store (a building that is also now gone!)
At some point (70s-80s) It became a 2 screen. The last Movie I saw there was an awfull “Nightmare on Elm St.” I forgot which on but it was “3D” and of course really bad =)
This Theatre is on The Swissvale border in the Regent Square neighborhood. It Does Not have ANYTHING (Nor was it named after the “Regent” in East Liberty. When I lived in Swissvale I used to walk to the place often. The last movie a saw here was “The Crow” with Brandon Lee.
I Now know the effects of gettiing Old! Many people I talk to Don’t even Remember the Ardmore! When we were kids in the late 1960s thru the 1970’s we spent more time at the drive-ins than in “real” theatres! Greater Pittsburgh up the road was bigger, but the Ardmore was my favorite! Anyone remember the playgound equipment there (I guess to tucker out the kiddies before showtime!) Nice feature for parents with 5 kids jammed on to the old Plymouth wagon!
Yes, This was the “second” Capital in Braddock, I have old Braddock papers with ads from the 1930s that show the “Capitol Theatre” at another address. But this IS the one I remember! What I would like to know is when THIS incarnation closed? (1960s-early 70s?)
The Copeland theatre mention in the 1925 article HAD to be a different theatre. North Braddock was not even in ‘25 for on that large! However a theatre NAMED “Copeland” being there would be reasonable. 4Th Street in Braddock comes up to the PRR tracks and stops across the tracks it is again 4th Street but now in North Braddock. to get from the Braddock side to the North Braddock side you (if in a car) go under the underpass It was called Copeland Underpass originally The PRR Station there was Copeland Station. (Also Camp Copeland in the Civil War) I do know that a bowling alley was on 4th St (N.Braddock) eithe at or very near the corner with Hawkins Ave. This was likely the theatre site! It is all demolished now. (There is also “4th Avenue” and “Hawkins Avenue” in Rankin,Pa The can confuse outta towners as Braddock,N.Braddock & Rankin share the 15104 zip code. The map simply has the wrong zipcode!
When I first moved to Brentwood, The name of this place confused me. Doing research I found out that Whitehall Borough (next town over) was formed in 1948 (almost a decade after this center opened!) The just “stole” then name! “White Hall” was the name of a coachstop/tavern/hotel that is at the site of Slater’s Funeral home (Also in Brentwood!) Whiehall Center, The Davis farmhouse and The Point Veiw Hotel were three landmarks on Brownsville RD that were destroyed in the 2000s (Sad, I loved all 3!)