Triphammer Theatre
Triphammer Mall,
Ithaca,
NY
14850
Triphammer Mall,
Ithaca,
NY
14850
3 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Hoyts Cinemas
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Cinema, Triphammer Twin Theatres, Hoyt's Cinema 4
Nearby Theaters
The Cinema was opened as a single screen by Cornell Cinemas on May 23, 1967. The opening movie was Robert Morse in “How to Suceed in Business Without Really Trying”. Located adjacent to the Triphammer Mall which comprises several local business and services, the theater was Ithaca’s first commercial movie house built outside the downtown area. It offered ample parking and, more importantly, superb viewing facilities. The glass facade in the International Modern style opened on to a spacious lobby with an attractive concession stand and lounge areas. The perfectly raked auditorium with two aisles and three banks of spacious seating accommodated 800 patrons. With no balcony, its walls and proscenium were draped in green and dark blue fabric, with a traveller curtain of the same fabric. The large, gently curved screen with excellent strereophonic sound and perfect masking complemented its first-rate projection equipment. But audiences declined to trek to the suburbs, and the theatre closed periodically for want of seat-filling fare.
It was twinned November 24, 1982 and was renamed Triphammer Twin Theatres. When the multiplexes at the nearby Pyramid Mall opened in the mid-1970’s, they drew crowds that ignored the smaller Triphammer complex. The theatre was twinned on November 24, 1982, with its auditorium bisected and its seats repositioned for head-on viewing, but it showed mostly subsequent runs, children’s films, or oddly chosen revivals that generated little business. It closed in October 1986.
It was reopened December 20, 1986 as a 4-screen theatre. Yet once again the Triphammer failed to attract steady customers, and it was dark for several years before being demolished.
Contributed by
BoxOfficeBill
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Memorable films from the 1970s at the Triphammer included “Darling Lili,†“2001: A Space Odyssey,†“Five Easy Pieces,†“Claire’s Knee,†“The Garden of the Finzi Continis,†“That Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie,†and “10.†After its renovation as a four-plex in the late 1990s, the theater operated as part of the Hoyt’s chain that managed the blockbuster multiplexes in the crowded Pyramid Mall. Hoyt’s then used the Triphammer for sub-runs and an occasional sophisticated opener. Notable films included “L.A. Confidential,†“Pulp Fiction,†and “The Cider House Rules.â€
Demolished – a “Hilton Homewood Suites” hotel now stands on this site.
This opened on May 23rd, 1967 as The Cinema. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
2 screens on November 24th, 1982 and closed down in October 1986. Reopened on December 20th, 1996 with four screens. 1982 grand opening ad in the photo section.
Found on Newspapers.com powered by Newspapers.com
Found articles on the theater opening and closing (with shot of the exterior) from the Ithaca Journal.
Status should be changed to “Demolished”, as it was razed years ago, and is now a Homewood Suites.