After it closed as a movie venue, it was briefly a flea market/bowling alley/min. golf course. It did not burn down, it was demolished. The auto repair shop (Shay’s) was next door to the theatre building.
The Stonehurst Theatre was never refurbished. The outside pictures are from an original advertisement for store fronts by a store front company. The Stonehurst Theatre exterior stayed the same until it was demolished.
After some research, I’m not sure the Stonehurst Theatre ever looked like this, it may have been an advertising picture made up for the architectural design for Pittco Store Fronts. I just don’t remember there being a building to the left (as you look) of the theatre that large. Here is an excerpt from the News of Delaware County which shows a drawing of what I remember the theatre looked like in the 70’s.
From the ages 10 thru 13, I cannot count the number of Saturdays I spent at the Yeadon Theatre. Even later on, Rhea kept a lot of the old features, including a nickel soda machine. I went there once in the 70s and 2 inebriated young men were sitting a few rows in front of us and being loud and inappropriate. In the middle of the movie, they stopped the film, turned up the lights and Rhea came down the aisle with 2 Yeadon policemen and escorted the 2 rowdy’s out of the theatre. We all applauded and then settled back down to watch the rest of the movie. She was a gem. I lived in Lansdowne Park and we used to climb over the gate of Holy Cross Cemetary to cut through to the other gate for a short cut to the theatre. The last movie I saw there was “Superman” and the place was packed. Sweet memories.
I also remember the night of the Wendy Theatre fire. Even tho we lived about ¾ of a mile away, we could smell the smoke. My girlfriend who lived around the corner from it, called me and I went to her house and we went to the fire and sat on the curb across the street watching sadly but happily munching potato chips as we watched. The firemen kept telling us to move back, we would, and then we would sit back down again. We were 12 yrs old and didn’t have a clue as to how sad it really was.
I remember going to the Chester Pike Drive-In as a child. We would get there before dark and my sister and I would play in the playground, and we even wore our pjs! It was a different and lovely world.
I remember as a child living in West Philadelphia, going to the Ambassador theatre at 57th and Baltimore. If you ride the trolly out of the 60th and Baltimore loop, as you ride toward center city, you can still see the facade of the theatre. Look upward at the front corners and you can see the letters “AMBASSADOR” still etched in the deco window panes. Further up at about 55th and Baltimore stood the Sherwood Theatre on an island in the street. The Sherwood was demolished. Sweet memories.
After it closed as a movie venue, it was briefly a flea market/bowling alley/min. golf course. It did not burn down, it was demolished. The auto repair shop (Shay’s) was next door to the theatre building.
It was never refurbished. These were only drawings, the work was never done.
The Stonehurst Theatre was never refurbished. The outside pictures are from an original advertisement for store fronts by a store front company. The Stonehurst Theatre exterior stayed the same until it was demolished.
The 10 black & white photos are from the Irving Glazer collection.
After some research, I’m not sure the Stonehurst Theatre ever looked like this, it may have been an advertising picture made up for the architectural design for Pittco Store Fronts. I just don’t remember there being a building to the left (as you look) of the theatre that large. Here is an excerpt from the News of Delaware County which shows a drawing of what I remember the theatre looked like in the 70’s.
Not sure of the date, she worked at Woolworth’s in center city Philadelphia as long as I can remember.
I checked, the movie on the marquee “The Walking Hills” came out in 1949!
I’ve lived in this area since the early 50’s and I don’t remember this theatre, I do know where this building is.
From the ages 10 thru 13, I cannot count the number of Saturdays I spent at the Yeadon Theatre. Even later on, Rhea kept a lot of the old features, including a nickel soda machine. I went there once in the 70s and 2 inebriated young men were sitting a few rows in front of us and being loud and inappropriate. In the middle of the movie, they stopped the film, turned up the lights and Rhea came down the aisle with 2 Yeadon policemen and escorted the 2 rowdy’s out of the theatre. We all applauded and then settled back down to watch the rest of the movie. She was a gem. I lived in Lansdowne Park and we used to climb over the gate of Holy Cross Cemetary to cut through to the other gate for a short cut to the theatre. The last movie I saw there was “Superman” and the place was packed. Sweet memories.
I also remember the night of the Wendy Theatre fire. Even tho we lived about ¾ of a mile away, we could smell the smoke. My girlfriend who lived around the corner from it, called me and I went to her house and we went to the fire and sat on the curb across the street watching sadly but happily munching potato chips as we watched. The firemen kept telling us to move back, we would, and then we would sit back down again. We were 12 yrs old and didn’t have a clue as to how sad it really was.
I remember going to the Chester Pike Drive-In as a child. We would get there before dark and my sister and I would play in the playground, and we even wore our pjs! It was a different and lovely world.
I remember as a child living in West Philadelphia, going to the Ambassador theatre at 57th and Baltimore. If you ride the trolly out of the 60th and Baltimore loop, as you ride toward center city, you can still see the facade of the theatre. Look upward at the front corners and you can see the letters “AMBASSADOR” still etched in the deco window panes. Further up at about 55th and Baltimore stood the Sherwood Theatre on an island in the street. The Sherwood was demolished. Sweet memories.