Westmont Theatre
49 Haddon Avenue,
Westmont,
NJ
08108
49 Haddon Avenue,
Westmont,
NJ
08108
17 people
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Related Websites
Westmont Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: AMC Theatres, Budco, Milgram Theaters, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: William Harold Lee, William Wrifford
Functions: Gymnasium
Styles: Neo-Classical
Previous Names: Milgram Theatre
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News About This Theater
- Aug 22, 2007 — A tribute to South Jersey movie houses
The 1,600-seat Westmont Theatre opened on September 5, 1927 with Lon Chaney in “The Unknown” and 5-acts of vaudeville. It was designed by architect William Wrifford. Every Sunday a 120-piece orchestra performed along with what may have been the largest organ in New Jersey at the time. It cost $25,000 and was manufactured by the Lenoir Organ Company of Philadelphia, headed by Benjamin F. Lenoir. The opening organist was Monroe Hilbert.
By 1941 the Westmont Theatre had been taken over by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. and was listed as (Closed). The theatre remained closed during World War II. In 1948 it was remodeled in an Art Deco style to the plans of architect William Harold Lee. It reopened in 1949 as a 1,200-seat first-run movie house.
In the 1950’s the theatre became part of the Milgram Theaters Inc. chain.
According to the Courier-News, “Steven Spielberg, who lived in Haddon Township and attended Edison Elementary School in Haddon Township when his father worked at RCA in Camden, credits seeing "The Greatest Show on Earth” at the Westmont Theatre in 1952 at age five as what inspired him to become a director".
The Westmont Theatre was taken over by Budco Theatre and continued to operate until closed as a single screen in early-1983. It reopened as a twin on March 25, 1983 with the animated feature “The Sword and the Stone” and the animated featurette “Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore” in screen 1 & C. Thomas Howell in “The Outsiders” in screen 2.
It was later purchased by Raymond Posel, who owned/owns a number of theatres in the Philadelphia area. Unfortunately, this Posel house only lasted until 1986. It was taken over by AMC and was finally closed on September 7, 1987 with Michael Caine in “The Fourth Protocol” in screen 1 & Patrick Swayze in “Dirty Dancing” in screen 2.
The theatre was bought by the township in 2000 for $250,000.
Today, the theatre seats only 300 – the balcony, hidden by a false ceiling, is used to store costumes.
The February 27, 2008 Courier-Post reported that Haddon Township is looking for a new developer to reopen the Westmont Theatre. There is also concern about the marquee, which may be removed.
In July 2012, the nonprofit Friends of the Westmont were encouraged by a report commissioned by Haddon Township, by DF Gibbons Architects of New York City, which determined that it would cost $3.1 million to refurbish and restore the Westmont Theatre so it would be ‘close to its original state’. It was converted into a Planet Fitness gymnasium in 2016.
The Westmont Theatre was listed on the New Jersey Registry of Historic Places on July 8, 2010.
Contributed by
David Mullins
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Recent comments (view all 93 comments)
The latest idea: Planet Fitness. Philly.com story here.
It’s unfortunate that nobody seems to have gotten a really good color nighttime picture of this theater, as the marquee has pink and green neon and is huge for a suburban house. This one is all I could find.
The original marquee wasn’t too shabby either.
Philly.com story on downtown Westmont includes a picture of the theater. Planet Fitness has moved in, keeping the marquee but apparently changing the colors.
65 years ago Speilberg went to see his first movie that made him want to be a director. 35 years ago next Sunday marks the release of ET. Did this movie play at this theater?
Sorry, Moviebuff 82, E. T. Did not open at the Westmount, Three others in South Jersey.
This opened on September 5th, 1927.
Westmount theatre opening Mon, Sep 5, 1927 – 7 · Courier-Post (Camden, Camden, New Jersey, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
This is where I saw SONG OF THE SOUTH in 1986, its last release.
The 2022 Oscar-Nominated “The Fablemans” references Steven Spielberg’s visits to this theatre in his youth.
Article in today’s PhillyVoice
https://www.phillyvoice.com/steven-spielberg-haddon-township-westmont-theatre-film-fabelmans/
Camden County unveils historical marker where Steven Spielberg discovered his love for cinema
https://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/steven-spielberg-historical-marker-haddon-township-camden-county
Fifty years ago today THE EXORCIST opened here. Westmont was among only two-dozen cinemas in twenty-one North American markets to play the film at release launch.
The Westmont Theatre actually did not close in 1979. It was still operating as a single-screener into the early-1980s under Budco ownership.
However, the Westmont did close for a brief time in early-1983 due to twinning. Budco twinned the Westmont on March 25, 1983, reopening that day with Walt Disney’s “The Sword In The Stone” and “Winnie The Pooh And A Day For Eeyore” in Screen 1 and “The Outsiders” in Screen 2, and was taken over by AMC Theatres a few years later.
This didn’t last long, and the AMC Westmont Twin closed for the final time on September 7, 1987 with “The Fourth Protocol” in Screen 1 and “Dirty Dancing” in Screen 2.