Majestic Theatre
506 E. Lawrence Avenue,
Ellwood City,
PA
16117
506 E. Lawrence Avenue,
Ellwood City,
PA
16117
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The Majestic Theatre opened on November 4, 1909 with two acts of vaudeville and Peerless Moving Pictures. In 1924 a Wurlitzer organ opus 918 was installed. It was remodeled in December 1936. The Majestic Theatre building was destroyed in a fire on January 11, 1984. The movie “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi” was being screened in the week of the fire. The remains have since been demolished.
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Lost Memory
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Not much info on this theater but a nice picture from lost memory.Very old school looking!
An October 15, 1949, Boxoffice item about a remodeling of the Majestic said the house had originally opened in 1917. Through most of its history, the Majestic was operated by members of the Biordi family. The web site Ellwood City Memories says that Frank Biordi operated the Majestic from either 1918 or 1921 (the page has contradictory information) until selling it in 1924, then repurchased the theater in 1936.
Andy Biordi is mentioned as operator of the Majestic in many issues of Boxoffice from the 1930s into the 1960s. Mrs. Frank Biordi was mentioned as owner of the Majestic in Boxoffice Magazine as late as 1977. Frank Biordi died on October 29, 1974, according to a notice in Boxoffice of December 16.
There was a theater called the Majestic in Ellwood City at least as early as 1910, when the house appeared several times in lists of current vaudeville engagements published in various issues of Variety.
The June 26, 1914, issue of the New Castle News said that many improvements were being made to the Majestic Theatre in Ellwood City.
The Majestic Theatre was destroyed by a fire on January 11, 1984. The last movie shown was Return of the Jedi. There is a photo of the fire on this page of the Ellwood City Ledger web site.
The Majestic was enlarged and remodeled in late 1936, as described in this item from the January 2, 1937, issue of The Film Daily:
In 1916, the Majestic was owned by a T. V. Barnes. The June 24, 1916, issue of The American Contractor said that work had begun on a $15,000 remodeling of a theater at Ellwood City for T. V. Barnes. H. J. Lohman of McKeesport was the architect.
The Majestic Theater closed after its January 10, 1984 showing of “Return Of The Jedi” before the fire the following morning. The fire also destroyed a stereo shop, two jewelry stores, and two other businesses.