Theatorium

The Theatorium was a nickelodeon-era venue that opened in the Central Lawrenceville neighborhood as one of its first ever movie theatres. Launching in 1907, the Theatorium had an eight year run on Butler Street in an existing multi-story, multipurpose building. Two years later it had competition from both the Model Theatre launching a block away at 4513 Butler Street and the Park Theatre two blocks away at 4609 Butler Street.

By World War I, the movie industry was maturing with larger, first-generation silent movie palaces. The over 1,000-seat Arsenal Theatre opened about three blocks away and was the type of venue that would unseat the majority of pioneering show-store era nickelodeons like the Theatorium. Accompaniment of the silent films at the Theatorium was handled by a small orchestra including a piano player and a violinist. Operator L.A. Farris appears to have closed the venue after a minor fire on August 10, 1915. The space was retrofitted for a retailer. The building was still standing as of the 2020’s still used for retail purposes.

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