Alcazar Theater
15 N. Main Street,
Naugatuck,
CT
06770
15 N. Main Street,
Naugatuck,
CT
06770
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My Grandfather, George E. Roberts was projectionist at the Alcazar from the 1930’s until he left sometime in 1951. He had also worked as projectionist at two other theaters in Naugatuck, The Gem, on the second floor of the old town hall and the Princess in the Union City section of Naugatuck. My mother, while in High School, sold tickets. My grandfather retained his projectionist license and would fill in for Bill Dunston, projectionist at the Salem.
The Alcazar was on the decline. I have heard from others that parking was the problem. Another theater, The Salem, on Church St. had opened and was adjacent to a municipal parking lot. The Alcazar was located on North Main St., Route 8, in a heavily concentrated business area with very limited on street parking. However until 1937, the trolley line ran through the valley in front of the theater. It was replaced by a bus line.
I remember going to the Alcazar. I was a small theater with a balcony. We would go to visit my Grandfather in the projection booth and I would watch him load the projecctors and do the change overs.
My family has some memorabilia from the Alcazar. Several movie posters from the late 1940’s, projectionists diarys of the movies shown (for the Alcazar and other theaters,) I have a lens from one of the Alcazar’s projectors. We still have dishes that we use that were given away on “Dish Night.” My grandfather’s projectionist licenses.
The night of January 30, 1952 we were awoken by a middle of the night telephone call from my Grandfather to my mother “The Alcazar is on fire!” My mother bundled me up and my grandfather came to get us and we went to the scene of the fire. By then, it had “gone through the roof” We watched it for a short time and went back home to bed. It was a very cold night. I saw the ice covered burned out hulk the next day.
The remnants of the building remained from a few more years. You could walk up Oak Street, a inclined street behind the block and look down into the auditorium. The roof had collapsed and you could still see the seats and what was left of the balcony.
The flood of August 19, 1955 rampaged through the area, the Naugatuck River was accross the street from the theater and washed away all the businesses on North and South Main Streets. Business blocks were torn down and vacant lots were left.
Sometime about 1959 or 1960 Route 8, the North – South highway, up the Naugatuck Valley was constructed as a 4 lane highway and what was left was demolished and a overpass was constructed.
Every so often when I visit my Mother, in her 90’s will give me lunch and serve it on an Alcazar plate.
The building suffered serious damage as the result of the 1955 flood, and had to be taken down. The Route 8 highway goes over the spot where the Alcazar had been.
A book called “History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut,” published in 1918, presents a glowing description of the Alcazar in its early years:
The portion of North Main Street on which the Alcazar Theatre was located has been wiped out by a modern highway. Google Maps places its pin icon a considerable distance north of the actual location of the theater.The timing and location are right for the following announcement in the “Building News” section of the January 8, 1913, issue of The American Architect to have been about the Alcazar Theatre:
Here is a photo from a contemporaneous news story in January 1952:
http://tinyurl.com/cjvwws