Harris Family Theatre
6113 Penn Avenue,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15206
6113 Penn Avenue,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15206
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This item from the July 22, 1911 issue of Moving Picture World gives a glimpse of the neighborhood’s first Liberty Theatre before it was renamed the Alhambra: “The Liberty, located at 6113-6115 Penn Avenue, has switched from popular vaudeville to straight pictures for the summer months. The seating capacity is 800 and it has a standing capacity enough to supply a good sized picture house. Having an arsenal of ventilating devices at its disposal, it may well be classed as one of the best ventilated houses in the city. The ventilators consist of two exhaust fans, six ceiling fans and about sixteen more revolving fans. At present five cents admissions is being charged, but when vaudeville is used the admission is to be ten and fifteen cents. Mr. A. Conn is the manager.”
The Liberty Amusement Company launched the Liberty Theatre in an existing retail store in September of 1907. In 1911, the theatre was in new operators' hands as the renamed Alhambra Theatre. The Alhambra was wired for sound to remain viable.
The Harris Theatre Circuit took on the venue on September 24, 1933. It renamed the venue as the Harris Family Theatre on October 6, 1933. which closed permanently on May 2, 1948 with Barry Fitzgerald in “The Naked City.” It was retrofitted for a five and dime variety store.
Opened September 1907 per
Listed as the Liberty Theatre in the 1914 American Motion Picture Directory
Well do I remember the Family Theater. Seedy, yes, but to we of the WWII kids generation, lots of war movies and newsreels. Free tickets to us who collected scrap in the drives for the war effort. For so many poundas of scrap we received tickets to the theater. Fond memories indeed.
The Alhambra Theatre had been converted into a fruit store before it was reopened as the Harris Family Theatre in the 1930s. The Alhambra is on the left side of Penn Avenue in this 1928 photo. If the building still exists it must be the one occupied by the Rent-A-Center midway between Centre and Sheridan Avenues.
The May 4, 1935, issue of Motion Picture Herald featured this full page of before and after photos of the Harris Family Theatre. The Art Deco-style renovation was designed for the Harris Amusement Company by architect Victor A. Rigaumont.
The Alhambra Theatre was in operation by 1915, when it was mentioned in the August 4 issue of The Moving Picture World.
Renewing link.
The capacity was 754.