Bala Theatre
157 Bala Avenue,
Bala Cynwyd,
PA
19004
157 Bala Avenue,
Bala Cynwyd,
PA
19004
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 37 comments
This was reopened as Bala on March 16th, 1955 by Ellis theatre. Grand opening ad posted.
When I cleaned screens for Clearview years ago I was impressed at how it was tripled. Very unique. Lets hope it gets going again.
This was the post by the Lower Merion Conservancy last week at Facebook: The Bala Theatre was awarded Class I designation on the Lower Merion Township Historic Resource Inventory last night! The Conservancy, which included the theatre on its annual WatchList five times during the past six years, is thrilled with this news.
The theatre is a landmark in Lower Merion. More importantly, it is the keystone of historic Bala Avenue and crucial to the revitalization of the commercial district. The Conservancy is appreciative of the Board’s support for this designation. It is also grateful to its many dedicated members, to the Lower Merion Historical Society, the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd, and the Lower Merion Historical Commission for relentlessly pursuing a positive preservation outcome for this iconic building.
Mark, this was one of my favorite theaters, until it closed for decades if I wanted to see a film, this is where I went. Last week Lower Merion designated it a Class A resource, because of such concern. I hope one day it reopens for movies.
I guess the longer this sits closed, the more likely it will deteriorate and likely be torn down or stripped down
I had absolutely NO idea this theater closed! I went as recently as 2004/2005. Very sad.
I understand. I am familiar with the original rules. Unfortunately even the CT Admins know that there would likely be no photos whatsoever for many of the theaters listed, if they relied solely on those taken by the individual members posting them. Because literally thousands of the theaters have been gone for over 50 years. Unless someone is a CT member, who just happens to find their dad’s shoebox full of old theater pics and posts them here, they would never see the light of day. As long as we make every effort to credit the original photo source whenever possible, all is good. That’s why there are 9 different types of licensing to choose from, whenever posting a photo. I even make sure to use the Copyright license, when I know that the image is such or from a given collection. If someone on Facebook has a story that relates to the photo used, I post that too giving them credit for the copy.
I’m sure you’ve noticed on many of the pages, that they sit dormant for upwards of 5 years before newly found photos are ever posted. That’s why I alert the list in the comments about the photos I post, as well as having posted them. It sometimes revives interest in the given theater, and sparks memories from those who have commented in the past. When they see a new angle or old promotion the photos may portray. (Or the new stories that accompany them as I mentioned above.) Hopefully CT and all the photos will remain long after we have left this earth. I feel that’s kind of the point of CT. That’s also a reason to actively re-post photos in the Photos Section, that were previously in now dead links in the Comments. Because early internet links seem to be drying up. As people stop paying for the hosting. Even the Library of Congress site is not connecting properly.
I didn’t mean from this site. I meant from an official website of the theater itself when still open. That’s what I noted in my own photo gallery on my computer, where I have more of them. FYI, originally, the rules of this website were to post photos we ourselves taken, albeit those rules aren’t being enforced anymore.
Where is it then? It’s not in the Photos Section or linked to in any of the Comments. Because I always check first. If you posted it before it appears to be gone now. I can only credit the sources I get them from. If they don’t credit the original sources, there is no way to know where any of them come from. And I often do a reverse image search on many. I always give proper credit whenever I can. I’ve posted over 2,300 photos to CT in over 10 years. Be glad that it got posted for others to see. Because it does not appear to have been posted previously.
I captured that photo long ago from a website that belonged to the Bala Theatre, not any such individual.
1950 photo added courtesy of Denise Storti.
The longer it sits, the worse the situation will get.
It has been four months since my last comment and still not a peep!
Since the Bala Theatre is now closed and its future unknown, any new info. will be appreciated, and thanks!
I use to clean the screens for Cablevision when they had the theatre and until they felt that was a waste of money. This is a very beautiful theatre. The triplexing was done very nicely. I hope you can still do 35mm stuff. I, as a now former projectionist, after 38 years, love to see folks who still embrace film over digital.
ATB, Reel Cinemas is a small regional chain, so not the corporate monolith that is Bowtie. I am not sure what the deal with Bowtie was because I started managing 7-8 months after that. It seems though that they realized fairly quickly that they didn’t want to stay around. However the theater is very pretty and so many elements of the “Egyptian Revival theme” are still here (anyone interested please stop in and ask for Karl, I manage most days of the week, I will happily give a tour). We are also trying to balance our projection setup where we have 35mm and digital. Trying to see if we can create some interesting 35mm repertory events, while still playing first-run features, like a horror film marathon we’re doing on October 31st, 2014 in conjunction with Exhumed Films. We hope to do more special events, hopefully on “celluloid”, since they will fit so well with the theater’s classic aesthetic.
and who deleted my comment on this theater as well?
I already amended my Intro above.
This theater — and the Anthony Wayne in Wayne — are NOT part of the Bow Tie Cinemas chain. They are now part of “Reel Cinemas.” Anyone know when or why this happened? Does anyone know anything about Reel Cinemas?
Yes, already revised in my Intro above, chain link, etc. Bow Tie!
This week, a 2nd screen has been converted to digital projection.
Now showcasing “Hugo” in 3D.
This year, the Bala has 3D digital projection.
Vintage photo showing original marquee:
View link
I remember going here in 7th grade with friends to see the flintstones movie. This was when it was still a big single screen and I remember the theaters details keep my attion more than the movie. I also remember that if you smacked the seat backs, dust clouds would appear.