Orient Theatre
6149 Woodland Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19142
6149 Woodland Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19142
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: John Irwin Bright, Charles E. Futcher, Paul J. Henon, Jr., William H. Hoffman
Firms: Hoffman-Henon Co.
Functions: Retail
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
The Orient Theatre opened in 1912 and was designed by architect John Irwin Bright. In 1915 it was redesigned by architect Charles E. Futcher. In 1919, the firm of Hoffman-Henon Co. was hired to remodel the Orient Theatre. The theatre could seat 628 and stood on Woodland Avenue near 61st Street in the Elmwood Park district. It was taken over by the Stanley Theaters chain in 1924.
Around the 1930’s or 1940’s, the theatre received a new Art Moderne facelift, including a new façade, with a triangular marquee, with the name “Orient” above each side. By then it was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. The Orient Theatre closed on October 29, 1950 with Esther Williams in “The Duchess of Idaho”.
It became an electrical supply store, which in 2021 was operating as a cell phone store. Possibly only using the lobby?
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Here is a 1945 photo from the Philadelphia Architects & Buildings site. The photo is from the Irvin Glazer collection:
http://tinyurl.com/yr5sjr
Junior Miss, plus I Married a Bandleader.
Correction, I Love a Bandleader.
25 July 1953 Box Office stated it was to be converted into a farmers market.
Irwin and Leighton launched the Orient Theatre to the 1912 architectural plans of John Irwin Bright. The Stanley Circuit took over the theatre in 1924 later equipping it for sound. Stanley-Warner closed The Orient permanently on October 29, 1950 with “The Duchess of Idaho.” It was one of several theatres listed together as “Former theatres for lease” thereafter.