Riverside Theater

824 Tonawanda Street,
Buffalo, NY 14207

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Schine Circuit Inc.

Architects: Edwin P. Bacon, William C. Lurkey

Firms: Bacon & Lurkey

Previous Names: Schine's Riverside theater

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Riverside Theater

This former neighborhood theater was opened December 25, 1926 with Betty Compson in “The Belle of Broadway”. It had 1,500 seats. It was operated by the Schine Theatres circuit. When it closed May 1961 the seats were removed. On January 17, 1962 it became the Ski-Dek Center. People skied down the slanted floor. The theater was demolished and a library was built on this site in the 1980’s.

Contributed by Loub

Recent comments (view all 4 comments)

roberttoplin
roberttoplin on September 18, 2007 at 12:34 am

The Riverside opened December 25,1926 with 1,500 seats. I believe that the architects were Bacon & Lurkey.

arl
arl on March 17, 2008 at 6:52 pm

The Riverside and the Kensington Theaters both opened on Christmas Day 1926. There had also
been a Riverside Theater at 855 Tonawanda St in the 1910s. This theater (#824) was part of the
Schine Chain, which had about 60 theaters running in the Eastern US when it ran the Riverside.
Schines also ran the Granada Theater in Buffalo. A number of other businesses were in the
same building with the theater. The foyer and lobby ran between these businesses, with the
auditorium behind them. The theater also had a Wurlitzer Organ. The Riverside closed in
May 1961, and became an indoor skiing center for a few years. It became vacant after this
venture and was torn down years later.

railroad
railroad on April 9, 2008 at 12:18 am

Phone number 1960: RIverside 9477

rivest266
rivest266 on May 29, 2022 at 4:03 pm

Grand opening ad posted.

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