Ritz Theatre
819 Penn Street,
Reading,
PA
19601
819 Penn Street,
Reading,
PA
19601
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fabian Theaters, Wilmer & Vincent Corp.
Previous Names: Crescent Theatre, Princess Theatre, Arcadia Theatre
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The Crescent Theatre was opened December 14, 1910. In 1913 it was renamed Princess Theatre. It was re-named Arcadia Theatre in 1928, taking the name of the Arcadia Theatre which had burnt down that year. Closed for several years in the 1930’s, it was reopened as the Ritz Theatre on February 7, 1941. By 1950, it was operated by the Fabian Theaters chain. It was closed on September 26, 1951 with Gene Autry in “The Hills of Utah”. It was demolished in the 1950’s.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The January 1, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World lists Carr & Schad’s Princess Theatre at 819 Penn Street (the correct address for the Ritz.) when the first Arcadia Theatre was demolished in 1928 to make way for the Astor Theatre, the Princess was renamed the Arcadia.
this article in the December 30, 1940, issue of theReading Eagle says that Carr & Schad were expending $15,000 for improvements to the Arcadia Theatre, which had been closed for many years. They later must have decided to rename the house the Ritz before reopening it in 1941.
This article from the July 8, 1928, Reading Eagle says that the Princess Theatre had closed for renovations and would reopened as the Arcadia Theatre about July 23. The Princess had opened in 1913.
However, a January 28, 1968, Reading Eagle article said that “[a]nother downtown theater was the Crescent at 819 Penn St., opened in 1910, with the name changed to the Princess in 1913.” The same article says that the Ritz Theatre was torn down in the 1950s to make way for a city parking lot.
I still haven’t found anything explicitly stating that the Arcadia became the Ritz, but I’m sure the Crescent/Princess/Arcadia/Ritz were all the same theater.
A new-build theatre for motion pictures, Ben Zerr launched the Crescent Motion Picture House in Reading on December 14, 1910 with “The Golden Supper” and “The Man and the Law”
On February 7, 1941 Wilmer & Vincent re-opened the former ‘New Arcadia’ (before that it was known as the Princess and before that the Crescent)as a western action house with Gene Autry in Ridin' On A Rainbow' with Smiley Burnette. The Ritz closed on September 26, 1951 with “The Hills of Utah' also starring Gene Autry.