Sewickley Theater
344 Beaver Street,
Sewickley,
PA
15143
344 Beaver Street,
Sewickley,
PA
15143
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The Sewickley Theater opened around 1916. It was owned by William Wheat Jr. In the 1940’s his son William R. Wheat III took over the Sewickley Theater until it closed in the 1970’s.
It is now the Nikelodeon Mall.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The Film Daily Yearbook;1950 edition gives an address of 344 Beaver Avenue, Sewickley, PA. Seating capacity is given as 627.
This is funny. I just inquired about this in another thread! I would love to see a picture.
Lost: read that sign closer. It says “Balcony Hair Design Studio.”
The Sewickley Theatre was open in the early to mid 70’s. I know this since my dad sent me down to get a couple of bags of popcorn when at Ambridge we were low on popcorn during a kiddie show. The building is still there just converted into a Mini mall thing. The Marquee is not on the building anymore, but nice with the renovation.
It was open until at least 1978, because my dad took me to see “Death on the Nile” there — the only movie I saw at The Sewickley Theater.
I remember as a kid going there with my Mom, Dad, and brother to see “My Fair Lady”. We did see other movies there. Dad was good friends with Bill Wheat. You’re correct the theatre was there until around 1978 open. I used to work at the Holiday Inn Sewickley and remember going past or when I went to Jenny Lee to pick up the sweet rolls. The picture they have is wrong. It’s too far up the street. The building is still there just converted into a mini mall.
I saw many, many movies at the Sewickley Theatre; it was really the primary movie theatre for me growing up in the area. It had a balcony, which only adults could sit in; a child had to be accompanied by an adult. Mr. Wheat, the owner, would actually give away one-sheet posters after a film’s run. (Would I still had but a small percentage of those today… Lost to time.)
No specific design details, except the interior had curved circular doors to the men’s room, kind of Art Deco streamline, and, on one lobby wall, next to the staircase to the balcony, there was a painting of a full-figured woman, sitting on a cloud, holding a film reel, whom I used to refer to as the “Goddess of the Film Cans.” Wonder if she’s still there.
The August 7, 1915, issue of The Moving Picture World had this item about the new theater planned at Sewickley:
I haven’t discovered if Mr. Wheat achieved his goal of opening the new theater around the first of September.