Roosevelt Theatre

I did a satellite search of the Roosevelt’s address. Apparently, this theater is gone. There is a house on the address. I panned the satellite image, using the church on the corner of Leslie St and Clinton Ave as my starting point. I remember that parking was always a rather tricky thing. My parents would usually park somewhere on Leslie St and we would walk toward Clinton Ave, past the church and turn left onto Clinton Ave. A few hundred feet more and there was the Roosevelt. I do remember that the exterior was white. Back then, in the early 60s, you could still walk and not get killed. As a matter of fact, at one time, this part of Newark was home to a very large Jewish population. One of the largest synagogues in Newark was located a short distance doen the street from the Roosevelt. This temple had a huge swimming pool and gym!! Now, it’s a war zone. Very sad.

Thank you Roger for the information on the Roosevelt. I stand corrected! I’m glad it’s still there, whatever it’s use. What a totally clever way to put a large movie theater in the middle of a crowded city block!!. I wish I could remember how long the entry was. When you’re a kid, your sense of scale is pretty skewed. I do recall that the interior was also white and that the screen and stage area had a gold-colored arch over the middle and a similarly-colored column on either side. As previously stated, this was a very nice theater in it’s day, definitely a cut above some of the lowlier neighborhood houses that could be found in the Newark area. I wonder what the interior looks like now.

I went to the Roosevelt every Saturday from 1949 to 1955. The Saturday matinee cost $.25. There were two movies and cartoons.
Candy was a nickel. We always sat at exit 4 because the aisle was wide. We lived on Voorhees Street and I went to Blessed Sacrament grammar school. Great memories of a wonderful,simple time.

THE ROOSEVELT’S AUDITORIUM WAS OFFSET TO THE LEFT SIDE, AT THE END OF THE ENTRANCE LOBBY. IF YOU LOOK AT GOOGLE MAPS, YOU CAN SEE A RATHER LARGE BUILDING IN BACK OF THE BUILDING NEXT TO THE ROOSEVELT. I SAW ALL THE HORROR MOVIES OF THE 1960’s IN THAT THEATER. GOOD MEMORIES :)

I worked as a building superintendent in a building near the theater. As of April 2016 the theater building still stands and is currently owned by a church. The entrance part of the building is used as the actual church while the theater building itself (with some 1000 seats) is currently laying in disrepair as the pastor of the church is attempting to raise the funds to restore it and use it for his services. Parts of the roof appears to have collapsed but the rest of the exterior looks fine.