Centre Cinema
185 Center Street,
Wallingford,
CT
06492
185 Center Street,
Wallingford,
CT
06492
No one has favorited this theater yet
The Centre Cinema was opened on July 2, 1969 with Fred Astaire in “Finian’s Rainbow”. It was closed in the 1990’s This theatre’s size led me to believe it was a one-screener. Located on one of the main drags on a hill, just east of Route 5. From the front of the building, you’d think it was demolished, with the new paint job and windows. However, when you go around to the left, you can plainly see it was rehabbed. The left side is also rehabbed and a nice off-white paint job (pilasters are prevalent) and there’s an entrance almost at the end with a small overhang.
Behind, it’s got a V-shape. Standing in back and facing the rear, there’s a red-brick wall protruding on the left, a leftover extension from the other end. There’s a little cubbyhole ex-entranceway between that wall and the auditorium - a nice hiding spot.
Contributed by
Dave Bonan
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 2 comments)
The single screen Centre Cinema at 185 Center Street opened July 2, 1969 with a screening of “Finian’s Rainbow.” By 1975, it was being run by Robert Ahearn, though he was cited for several fire code violations and then went bankrupt, with the bank foreclosing on the property on June 4, 1975, forcing the theatre’s closure. The bank decided to lease the theater to the Centre Cinema Corp, operated by Franklin Ferguson of Franklin Ferguson & Theater Associates, which ran eight other theaters at the time. Ferguson and manager Leonard Paul of West Hartford fixed up all the code violations, and the theater was reopened at the end of December, 1975. It remained in operation until the 1990s.
I worked for John Disantis of JOMAR THEATRES at Kensington Cinema in 1981. Disantis operated Kensington Mon. - Sat. and on Sunday operated the Centre Cinema.