Community Theatre
517 Broadway,
Saratoga Springs,
NY
12866
517 Broadway,
Saratoga Springs,
NY
12866
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Walter Reade Theatres
Architects: Thomas White Lamb
Functions: Office Space, Retail
Styles: Colonial Revival
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News About This Theater
- Mar 10, 2014 — Community still brings back memories
The Community Theatre was opened by the Walter Reade Organization in late-July, 1937. It ended its life screening adult movies and closed in June 1978.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
A December 26, 1936, Boxoffice item about the plans to build this theater says that it was to be the second house in Walter Reade’s American Community Theatres project. The lot on which the theater was to be built was 90x278 feet.
Walter Reade announced the formation of the American Community Theatres Corporation in 1936, as reported in Boxoffice Magazine of October 10 that year (bottom center of left page.) Over the next few years the chain expanded rapidly.
It might be that all the early Community Theatres houses were designed in Thomas Lamb’s office. A January 8, 1938, Boxoffice item about the chain’s intention to build seven new theaters that year said that, following his return from a cruise, Reade would meet with Lamb “…to draw up plans.”
The other “Community” Theater locations that I know of are in Hudson, NY and Morristown, NJ. The NJ location was definitely one of Reade’s, not sure about Hudson, NY, but it is similar in style to the other two houses. I believe Hudson was designed by William Hohauser, who also designed the Avon in Stamford, CT among other locations.
I don’t know why I said “all” the early Community houses might have been designed by Lamb, as I did know that Hohauser had designed the one in Hudson and had probably designed others. But Lamb definitely designed the Toms River Community Theatre opened a couple of months after the Saratoga Springs house.
The realtor on the ground floor has an address of 519 Broadway, so this may be the Community building:
http://tinyurl.com/ye5co99
If your trying to find the building, it is now owned by Roohan realty. Mr Roohan owns it and still has the original ticket booth in front. I was doing construction and found some movie posters from the community theatre from the 1940’s. ie. Grapes of wrath, gone with the wind, broadway melody od 1940, and a couple of others! Really great find!
I am planning on putting some photos up soon.
A picture of the Community Theater can be seen here and an ad for “Sleeping Beauty” can be seen here, both from an article in the Times Union.
The last movie shown here was in June 1978. By then, it was only showing pornographic films.