State Theatre

105 S. 52nd Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19139

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Showing 9 comments

rivest266
rivest266 on October 9, 2016 at 12:46 pm

August 29th, 1929 grand opening ad along with the Circle in the photo section.

bobc316
bobc316 on February 10, 2013 at 6:52 pm

i read in the colonial theatre history the state kimball organ was installed by jim breneman at the brookline theatre in 1967 but was heavly damaged by the flood of 1973. the organ went to the colonial theatre then was purchased by sam larosa a organ restorer then gave this organ to the chicago historical society. ill post a copy of this article

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on November 16, 2009 at 5:44 am

From 1950 a newsprint photo of the State Theatre marquee and entrance.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on August 14, 2009 at 3:29 pm

Here is a photo circa 1929:
http://tinyurl.com/pfvt4r

finkysteet
finkysteet on March 5, 2009 at 6:44 am

I recall the shuttered building but not the marquee, but the interior was indeed fabulous from what I viewed in the Irwin Glazer book. It may have been removed as a safety precaution before the demolition, or maybe age is eroding my memory.

SIDENOTE: Is there any info regarding the old Eric Terminal Theater in the 69th St. El/Bus Terminal?

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on March 4, 2009 at 6:35 pm

No answer right now, but
Google search exactly
Boxoffice 3 June 1950
put 125 in the search box
for photo of State exterior with “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” on the marquee.

finkysteet
finkysteet on July 20, 2008 at 3:19 am

Is that demolition date correct? I think the State may have been around slightly longer than 1967, possibly ‘68 or even '69.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on December 28, 2007 at 1:11 am

Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ysqnb4

moviemike
moviemike on May 30, 2004 at 6:29 am

I barely remember being taken there as a kid to see Old Yeller in 1959. There were 3 other theaters on 52nd St in West Phila during that time: The Nixon, where I saw everything from “Hercules Unchained "to "Our Man Flint”, at 52nd and Market; The Locust, known for their triple bills on Saturdays (“Guns of Navarone –” Great Escape" – “The Train”)
at 52nd and Locust, and The Capitol, at 52nd just above Girard Av, where I saw “The Silencers” and “Hombre”. The State was the biggest and best of the bunch, but closed before the others, and they all played second-run double and triple bills.

By the 1980’s urban blight and multiplexes killed off these “neighborhood” theaters.