Village Theatre
1305 Rhode Island Avenue NE,
Washington,
DC
20018
1305 Rhode Island Avenue NE,
Washington,
DC
20018
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Additional Info
Architects: Raymond C. Snow, John J. Zink
Functions: Retail
Styles: Colonial Revival
Nearby Theaters
The Village Theatre opened in the Brentwood Shopping Center in October 17, 1940, with the first movie to be played “Hired Wife” starring Rosalind Russell. All seating was on a single level. A feature of the decoration was a series of photo murals located along the side-walls just below ceiling level, which depicted local scenes.
It was designed in a Colonial style by Baltimore architects John J. Zink and Raymond C. Snow. By 1967 it was screening X-rated movies and was closed down by 1969. It currently serves as a dollar store.
Contributed by
Bryan, Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
This beautiful neighborhood theater fell victim to the poison of high crime and urban decay. Although the Martin Luther King riots were the death knell for most Washington theaters, the VILLAGE fell victim long before that. Washingtonians would not believe that all of our city was essentially crime-free in the 1950’s, but it was. In the early 1960’s crime spread like weeds, and this northeast area was plagued by nightly robbery, muggings, murder. When liberal toleration of crime takes over, casual family moviegoing is no longer an option.
Here and here are photos from March 2008 of the former Village Theatre.
This one opened on October 17, 1940.