Nile Theatre
60 W. Broad Street,
Bethlehem,
PA
18018
60 W. Broad Street,
Bethlehem,
PA
18018
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previous Names: Lorenz Theatre
Nearby Theaters
A single level theatre with a small Estey 2 manual pipe organ and a very plain interior. The Lorenz Theatre was opened in 1915. It had closed by 1926. It was renamed Nile Theatre by 1934 and was closed in 1976.
Contributed by
Craig Borst
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The Nile was operated by the Heydt family until the city took it for redevelopment in the 1970’s. The site sat vacant, then became a parking lot until the 1990’s when two office buildings were developed. Joyce Heydt still owns and operates the nearby Boyd, showing first run movies. The Nile often showed comedies, monster, and horror along with an occasional blockbuster and, in my memory, attracted a lot of teenagers. The auditorium had emergency doors on the right side and, if you were quick enough, you could sneak in while others were exiting.
Sad last comment about the Boyd on this page… about a month or so after that was written, a massive rainstorm tore a huge hole in the roof and damaged the interior… the owners could not repair it, so it continued to be exposed to the elements for years, which killed the theater outright. The owners sold, and for a while it was to be a theater for a local university, but the building was too damaged to be restored, and it was demolished in April 2022. Set to be apartments (which will at least retain the name)
I was born after the Nile was demolished and turned into a parking garage. The area around it is still thriving as the main drag of downtown bethlehem