Allendale Theater
203 Allen Street,
Buffalo,
NY
14201
203 Allen Street,
Buffalo,
NY
14201
5 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Allendale Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Leon H. Lempert, Jr.
Functions: Live Theater
Styles: Neo-Classical
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
716.884.4400
Nearby Theaters
A beautifully restored gem in Buffalo’s Allentown District. It was opened on September 23, 1913 with 900 seats. The Allendale Theater was closed as a movie theater in 1958. It reopened on September 24, 1965 screening two naturist movies:Brigette Baum in “Around the World with Nothing On” & “Batchelor Peeping Tom”(aka Batchelor Tom and His Bikini Playmates). It closed as an adult cinema in 1975. It was reopened on April 7, 1976.
It reopened in 2000 after a long restoration. Now home to the Theatre of Youth Company.
Contributed by
Peter Davis
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 36 comments)
And does this theatre now have an organ? Former CT member, Lost Memory tells us it had a Beman organ.
There are some before and after renovation pictures on the theater’s official website.
CSWalczak: Thanks!
Going to see the musical Charlotte’s Web on June 2. Can’t wait to see this restored theatre in the heart of the Allentown area of Buffalo.
1978 photo added via D Raphael Failla.
In his memoir “Dear America – The Odyssey of an American Communist Youth,” (1979), author Thomas Sgovio reflected on his early years in Buffalo. Here he speaks of going to the movies in the city: “On many a Sunday afternoon after a hearty spaghetti or ravioli dinner, our family walked to the Marlowe or the Allendale. For a dime we reveled as we watched two full length silent movies, a couple of thrilling serials, two comedies and a Pathe newsreel. The movie house was always crowded during those Sunday matinees. Half the kids read the titles on the screen aloud, making it possible for those parents who could not read English to follow the gist of the movie. In the pit below the screen,the feeble glow of an electric light silhouetted the head and shoulders of the piano player. He kept on pounding the musical accompaniment despite the din which at times surely should have torn the ceiling off the theatre, especially during the exciting parts.”
Grand opening ad posted.
Closed in 1958 after the listings ended.
Reopened on September 24th, 1965, with “Around the World with Nature” and “Peeping Tom” as an adult cinema. Ad posted.
Closed as an adult cinema in 1975 and reopened on April 7th, 1976. Another ad posted.