People have memories of attending the theater right up until the building burned down. Also, the lack of recolection about an opera house is based on the fact that most businesses were owned by locals and in Whitney Point almost every original family still has decendents living in the area. If a family had owned an opera house that knowledge would have been passed down in generations, regardless of the age of the family member at the time of the venue operating.
When you use the word “hall” are you talking about the Municipal building? It has already been established that the building that housed the fire station, government offices, and the theater was called the Municipal building.
It was one of those senior citizens who gave me the above photo of the theater no one else could find, and identified the original building for us. They also supplied the information about the new fire station building being erected on the same lot. I would say they have been pretty spot on so far.
I have a local history group for Whitney Point on Facebook and have been getting first hand information from life long “Pointers”. The closing date you posted for The Point has already been corrected by them and we are waiting on the daughter of the last owner to bring information on whom he bought the theater from. We have close to 600 members and I would say more than half are 70 years old, plus.
Here is another possible bleed over from Binghamton. In researching someone’s comment about the Erie Canal in Binghamton on a Facebook group, I came across an article about a People’s Theater on Water Street in Binghamton. The block the theater was in even became known as the People’s block. I added a page for it and as soon as it is added I have images to post. Like I said before, some of those advertising records are deceiving until you look at them closer. Whitney Point has always been closely linked to Binghamton. It has always been known as part of the Binghamton agricultural area.
I live in Binghamton, so I am very well aquainted with the Stone Opera House/Riviera. I was just wondering if that ad listing may have confused some researchers because the way it is printed makes it look like it is saying the opera house was in Whitney Point.
Joe Vogel: Do you think the 100 seat jump might have come from the addition of the balcony at some point? That maybe the balcony wasn’t an original fixture?
This is the building that was burned down by an arsonist in 1967. Contrary to other posts on this theater’s page, The Point was showing older Disney and B movies right up until it was destroyed by the fire. A new fire station was built on the exact same lot, so this is where the confusion about whether it was still standing or not comes from.
I am curious where you get the information about an opera house. Do you have an actual newspaper ad or village map? I ask this because not even the oldest members in my group, in their 90s, have any recollection of an opera house; and secondly in researching the existence of a witch hazel distillery in Whitney Point, I came across a listing in a business advertising publication for the Stone Opera House (which did show movies), that at first glance looks like it is saying it is in Whitney Point, but on closer inspection is actually talking about the opera house/theater in neighboring Binghamton; Whitney Point being in the same county and considered part of Binghamton’s metropolitan area. I am begining to think this is the opera house everyone has been trying to find. If I come across that publication again I will add that page to the images.
The Point Theater was still showing films until the building was burned down in 1967. Many of my former classmates who were 10-11 years old at the time have strong memories of this. Although it may have only been playing older disney moves at that time.
I saw The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, here in 1989. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_of_Western_Civilization_Part_II:_The_Metal_Years
The theater was originally called the Grand and was still being called that in 1951. I have posted artwork showing what the block looked like in 1951, in the photo section.
I have,also posted a much earlier photo of the Roger’s House with horse and carriage in front. In the 1950’s it was an apartment house. For a short while in the 1960’s it may have been an antique store. It was it was torn down as a derelict building in the 1960s.
This building was on the corner of Main and Railroad Street. It is remembered as a derelict abandoned building that was still standing in the early 1960s, but was torn down, shortly thereafter, for a NAPA autoparts store. This building either survived the fire of 1897, or was built after the fire. No one in my Facebook WP memories group remembers what it was used for pre-abandonment. There was one vague memory it may have been used as an antique store just before it was closed up, but they weren’t sure.
The above pictured building was burned down by an arsonist in 1967, and was a total loss. This was the last theater in Whitney Point. A new fire station was built on the same spot. This new building is where I went to teen dances. The new building being constructed on the same lot has probably added to the confusion of whether the building was still standing. New information on the WP memories group adds there was a balcony, which had an age minimum if you weren’t accompanied by an adult, and there were free standing rocking chairs in the back of the balcony. This may account for some of the pluses and minuses in the seating numbers.
I remember reading a newspaper article around the time of its closure about it not being worth fighting to keep open because of rowdyism and crime going on, such as the sale of drugs, in it’s later days. I do remember not wanting to return there after our last visit because of all the “thug” types wandering around. This would have been 1992 or 1993.
When the theater re-opened as an independent art house/ music venue, after its life as an X-rated theater, it was the first local theater to play Rocky Horror Picture Show with audience participation. I worked down the street at Vic’s Place: Fine Food and Drinks (Where the old Alamo restaurant was, which has now been demolished and a new building built that houses the Grande Italian restaurant), at that time, and the owner and most of our staff went together for the first showing, complete with props.
My college apartment housemate worked at the concession/ticket counter when it was an X-rated adult film house. The projection booth was on a second floor level and was accessed by a stairway conected to an open catwalk that was attached to the front of the booth. On Thursday nights my housemate didn’t want to miss Mork and Mindy, so I would get on the bus with our portable tv, and go to the theater, so we could watch it together behind the candy counter. The refrigerator where employees kept their food was upstairs in the projection booth. When you walked across the catwalk you had to bend down and crouch-walk underneath the projection beam. We could always tell if we hadn’t stooped low enough because a collective groan would emminate from the house. Also, the clientele wasn’t what most people thought; they were mostly university students and traveling business men.
There was also something special about the projection equipment. I can’t remember specifically, but I think it was the oldest equipment still in operation in the US. A special repairman had to come down from Syracuse every time the projector broke down.
People have memories of attending the theater right up until the building burned down. Also, the lack of recolection about an opera house is based on the fact that most businesses were owned by locals and in Whitney Point almost every original family still has decendents living in the area. If a family had owned an opera house that knowledge would have been passed down in generations, regardless of the age of the family member at the time of the venue operating.
When you use the word “hall” are you talking about the Municipal building? It has already been established that the building that housed the fire station, government offices, and the theater was called the Municipal building.
It was one of those senior citizens who gave me the above photo of the theater no one else could find, and identified the original building for us. They also supplied the information about the new fire station building being erected on the same lot. I would say they have been pretty spot on so far.
I have a local history group for Whitney Point on Facebook and have been getting first hand information from life long “Pointers”. The closing date you posted for The Point has already been corrected by them and we are waiting on the daughter of the last owner to bring information on whom he bought the theater from. We have close to 600 members and I would say more than half are 70 years old, plus.
Neither theater is being renovated at this time, nor does there seem to be any current intentions.
More information and photos at this link. http://architecturaladvocate.blogspot.com/
Here is a link to a Binghamton landmark page with information and photos. http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/10nov.htm
Here is another possible bleed over from Binghamton. In researching someone’s comment about the Erie Canal in Binghamton on a Facebook group, I came across an article about a People’s Theater on Water Street in Binghamton. The block the theater was in even became known as the People’s block. I added a page for it and as soon as it is added I have images to post. Like I said before, some of those advertising records are deceiving until you look at them closer. Whitney Point has always been closely linked to Binghamton. It has always been known as part of the Binghamton agricultural area.
I live in Binghamton, so I am very well aquainted with the Stone Opera House/Riviera. I was just wondering if that ad listing may have confused some researchers because the way it is printed makes it look like it is saying the opera house was in Whitney Point.
Joe Vogel: Do you think the 100 seat jump might have come from the addition of the balcony at some point? That maybe the balcony wasn’t an original fixture?
This is the building that was burned down by an arsonist in 1967. Contrary to other posts on this theater’s page, The Point was showing older Disney and B movies right up until it was destroyed by the fire. A new fire station was built on the exact same lot, so this is where the confusion about whether it was still standing or not comes from.
I am curious where you get the information about an opera house. Do you have an actual newspaper ad or village map? I ask this because not even the oldest members in my group, in their 90s, have any recollection of an opera house; and secondly in researching the existence of a witch hazel distillery in Whitney Point, I came across a listing in a business advertising publication for the Stone Opera House (which did show movies), that at first glance looks like it is saying it is in Whitney Point, but on closer inspection is actually talking about the opera house/theater in neighboring Binghamton; Whitney Point being in the same county and considered part of Binghamton’s metropolitan area. I am begining to think this is the opera house everyone has been trying to find. If I come across that publication again I will add that page to the images.
The Point Theater was still showing films until the building was burned down in 1967. Many of my former classmates who were 10-11 years old at the time have strong memories of this. Although it may have only been playing older disney moves at that time.
I saw The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, here in 1989. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_of_Western_Civilization_Part_II:_The_Metal_Years
The theater was originally called the Grand and was still being called that in 1951. I have posted artwork showing what the block looked like in 1951, in the photo section.
I have,also posted a much earlier photo of the Roger’s House with horse and carriage in front. In the 1950’s it was an apartment house. For a short while in the 1960’s it may have been an antique store. It was it was torn down as a derelict building in the 1960s.
I posted an image of the Binghamton Press article about the Tyler Theater being built. It is from this site: http://fultonhistory.com/
This building was on the corner of Main and Railroad Street. It is remembered as a derelict abandoned building that was still standing in the early 1960s, but was torn down, shortly thereafter, for a NAPA autoparts store. This building either survived the fire of 1897, or was built after the fire. No one in my Facebook WP memories group remembers what it was used for pre-abandonment. There was one vague memory it may have been used as an antique store just before it was closed up, but they weren’t sure.
The above pictured building was burned down by an arsonist in 1967, and was a total loss. This was the last theater in Whitney Point. A new fire station was built on the same spot. This new building is where I went to teen dances. The new building being constructed on the same lot has probably added to the confusion of whether the building was still standing. New information on the WP memories group adds there was a balcony, which had an age minimum if you weren’t accompanied by an adult, and there were free standing rocking chairs in the back of the balcony. This may account for some of the pluses and minuses in the seating numbers.
I remember reading a newspaper article around the time of its closure about it not being worth fighting to keep open because of rowdyism and crime going on, such as the sale of drugs, in it’s later days. I do remember not wanting to return there after our last visit because of all the “thug” types wandering around. This would have been 1992 or 1993.
When the theater re-opened as an independent art house/ music venue, after its life as an X-rated theater, it was the first local theater to play Rocky Horror Picture Show with audience participation. I worked down the street at Vic’s Place: Fine Food and Drinks (Where the old Alamo restaurant was, which has now been demolished and a new building built that houses the Grande Italian restaurant), at that time, and the owner and most of our staff went together for the first showing, complete with props.
My college apartment housemate worked at the concession/ticket counter when it was an X-rated adult film house. The projection booth was on a second floor level and was accessed by a stairway conected to an open catwalk that was attached to the front of the booth. On Thursday nights my housemate didn’t want to miss Mork and Mindy, so I would get on the bus with our portable tv, and go to the theater, so we could watch it together behind the candy counter. The refrigerator where employees kept their food was upstairs in the projection booth. When you walked across the catwalk you had to bend down and crouch-walk underneath the projection beam. We could always tell if we hadn’t stooped low enough because a collective groan would emminate from the house. Also, the clientele wasn’t what most people thought; they were mostly university students and traveling business men.
There was also something special about the projection equipment. I can’t remember specifically, but I think it was the oldest equipment still in operation in the US. A special repairman had to come down from Syracuse every time the projector broke down.
This is the independent theater that was brought to life in the wake of the original Art Theater’s demise.
http://artmission.org/
http://artmission.org/
http://artmission.org/