Midway Theatre
1829 E. Allegheny Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19134
1829 E. Allegheny Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19134
9 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: Louis Magaziner
Firms: Magaziner, Eberhard, and Harris
Styles: Art Deco
Nearby Theaters
The Midway Theatre opened on December 24, 1932 with Joe E. Brown in “You Said A Mouthful”. It was designed by the firm of Magaziner, Eberhard, and Harris for Samuel Shapiro. Besides a 2,727-seat movie theatre with 2,371-seats in the orchestra and 356-seats in the balcony, and the 72ft wide stage was one of the largest in the city, which was used occasionally in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The building also housed offices, stores, and a restaurant. It stood on E. Allegheny Avenue near Kensington Avenue.
The Art Deco-style theatre featured a large vertical sign rising over a gear-like semi-circular marquee (later replaced by a simple triangular-shaped marquee). By 1941 it was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
The Midway Theatre closed on October 20, 1977 with Jacqueline Bisset in “The Deep”. Plans were proposed to convert into a rock music theatre, and it was repainted, but local opposition thwarted those plans. It was torn down in August 1979. A Burger King was later built on the site, today a Dunkin' Donuts.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 35 comments)
Great photo. I remember the Midway well. I was working there as an assistant manager in 1967.
Here is a July 1979 photo from Temple U:
http://tinyurl.com/yfuk83h
Mr. DeLorca is correct, the Midway closed in 1977. I too worked at that Theater until the final day. If memory serves, Mr. Delorca was a “Dead Ringer” for another employee of the Midway by the name of Willard Pierce. Good times, Good times.
Noah Boddy
The cashier was Betty and the projectionist was George. Anyone else remember the staff in 1977?
And so what happened to that staff as well as so many others????
Amd what happened to the operatoers union?????
Mr. DeLorca, what happened to Betty the cashier; I wunder
as a kid I remember seeing BOBBY DARIN in person at the Midway, he drove up to the front of the theatre in his Mercury!
December 23rd, 1932 grand opening ad in photo section.
It appears to have ceased operations on October 20, 1977 with “The Deep.”
Currently there"s a Dunkin' , a H&R Block, and a Wells Fargo on the site of the RKO Stanley Warner’s Midway Theatre. The Wells Fargo moved from it’s original site (as Kensington Trust Company/First Pennsylvania Banking And Trust Company) in 2013.