Washington Theatre

br2k2 on February 5, 2006 at 5:24 pm

Some facts for those who care.

There has been only one owner since 1984, although it has seen Richard Nathan and Nelson Page as operators. Nelson didn’t abandon the theatre because of inappropriate fines or failure to secure building permits. He decided to focus his efforts on venues that seemed more interested in helping him keep history alive. Now, after 5 years of vacancy, the theatre is finally leased and under renovation.

Marco Matteo, the new operator, has a passion and drive that should help make this an amazing success. The town is behind his effort 100%, and has been very cooperative with him. It’s really nice to see the town recognize the importance of the theatre in its community. We knew the need, and that’s why it wasn’t rented to any of the more than 15 people who wanted to change its use.

Keep your eyes peeled for the New Washington Theatre. You’re sure to be impressed. More importantly, spread the word, and attend showings. If you really want to make it successful, it takes money, and that comes from patrons. So, be sure to patronize the theatre and give it the respect it has earned.

Oh, to answer the question, I know all about this because I am one of the owners, and have been since December 31, 1984.

teecee on July 13, 2005 at 7:53 am

Locals may appreciate this one. The present corner of the theater was once a traffic circle:

View link

teecee on June 24, 2005 at 10:08 am

The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Oct 7, 1998 p041
Small-town theater lover revives Washington cinema. (COUNTY NEWS)
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1998 The Star-Ledger. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of The Star-Ledger by the Gale Group, Inc.

Byline: David VanHorn

Nelson Page has never given up hope that small-town movie houses can compete against multiplex cinemas.

His latest revival is the twin cinema in Washington Borough, Warren County, which was saved by a local volunteer group before Page stepped in to undertake a $150,000 restoration.

‘'I always take the distressed locations,“ the 44-year-old Bergen County resident said. "I enjoy the challenge, I enjoy the work.”

The scheduled Oct. 16 reopening gives Page a head start in the competition for local movie fans. His will be the only operating movie house in Warren County until a 12-screen facility opens later this year in Pohatcong. Meanwhile, a 15-screen theater is under construction inside the former Jamesway store in Mansfield. The previous operator of the twin cinema, Richard Nathan, was so concerned about competition from multiplexes that he closed the theaters he ran in Washington Borough, Newton and Sparta in September 1997.

Page is not so worried. He predicts success in Washington, partly because business has been strong since he took over the two Sussex County theaters. He believes the Washington theater can offer what movie-goers want – a comfortable, convenient location with competitive prices for first-run flicks.

‘'It’s a matter of making sure it is pleasing to the eye. The difference is you’ve got to spend money to make money,“ said Page, who also runs a triple-screen theater in Guttenberg, Hudson County.

Exterior work on the Washington theater includes repairs to the leaky roof, marquee renovations, new windows and poster cases – and plenty of paint. A new neon sign proclaiming the theater as “the showplace of northwest New Jersey” will hang over the front doors, he said.

In the lobby, there will be new flooring and carpeting, renovations to the bathrooms and concession stand, more neon, new paint and wallpaper and a brass chandelier, Page said.

The two theaters will have new 18-by-45-foot screens, lighting, acoustical curtains and reupholstered seats. The walls, of Italian white marble with Indiana pink marble baseboards, show the 72- year-old building “was an opulent theater for its day,” he said.

Garbage removal was also a big part of the cleanup. Three large containers were needed to haul away trash from the upstairs and backstage offices and the theaters.

‘'We’ve tried to eradicate years and years and years of neglect,“ he said. "Old theaters like this need constant maintenance. They’re like senior citizens – you have to treat them with respect and care.”

Page credits the building’s salvation to Save The Area’s Regional Theater, or START, a grassroots group that stepped forward to run the theater after Nathan bowed out. START ended its operations in mid-August – the same time Page signed a 10-year lease – so the group could concentrate on raising money to turn the building into a regional arts center.

Besides working with START on future projects, Page wants to revive a piece of the theater’s history by installing an antique pipe organ backstage for live performances on Fridays and Saturdays.

‘'In order to be competitive with all the new theaters that are opening, you have to create a niche. You gotta do something a little different to make the people want to come and see your place,“ he said.

Page has a pipe organ in his theater in Guttenberg, while another to be installed next year in Newton to commemorate that theater’s 75th anniversary is being restored in the backstage area of the Washington building. The machine, made in California in 1925, has hundreds of metal and wooden pipes ranging in length from three-quarters of an inch to 16 feet, he said.

‘'Imagine 740 playing at the same time,“ Page said after blowing into one of the pipes. "You get a mighty roar.”

CAPTION(S):

1. Alan Pacheco, manager of the soon to reopen twin cinema in Washington, gets the popcorn machine ready for movie patrons. <par>

2. PHOTO BY ROBERT EBERLE

Article CJ81663124

btcarfagno on April 5, 2005 at 2:40 pm

If anyone has info on this theater please send an email to me (it’s in my profile). I’m looking for people who have interest in saving this and the theater in Flemington, the Hunterdon Theater.

Tom C

howell on February 1, 2005 at 8:32 pm

The Washington Theatre also had a huge Robert Morton organ installed on the left side originally. Never found out what happened to it and the beautiful gold organ grills and pillars were destroyed when it was twinned.

howell on January 28, 2005 at 10:31 am

Hi there,

The construction of the Washington Theatre began in April of 1926, under the supervision of architect James Lyons of Morristown. He sold the half finished building to film pioneer John Taylor Howell of Dover, who had ran the Bon-Ton theatre and Dover playhouse as well. He used to traveled by horse and carriage with his wife Clara, showing movies he bought from the companies at that time. They finally settled at “The Washington” as it was called back then and opened it on January 24th 1927.

Films were projected by Simplex motors and Brenkert carbon-arc housings, it was known to seat 1000 and reports state that many attended the opening night festivities with lines reaching two blocks away. The interior design was done by Mrs Howell, and the first silent film shown was the “Music Master” by David Belasco. The original “silver screen” was painted on the back wall behind the stage.

Other noted events were “Wings” and “Ben-Hur” accompanied by a big New York City orchestra. The “Washingon” started showing talkies in 1929, wired for sound by George Miller, who was the sole mechanic. He laughed, recalling how the theatre booked the 30 piece “Singer” Midget Circus, complete with a jazz band and 3 jumbo elephants, back in 1935. Many vaudeville acts appeared, about 4 acts per night and admission was 15 cents for the orchestra and 35 cents for the loge.

The original marquee was a “french curve” design that changed to an aluminum neon-style sometime in the later 30s or the early 40s. By the mid-70s, it was changed to the “Washington Twin Cinema” and the 32 foot wide dome ceiling and orante plasterwork and decorative frieze was covered up. This era became viable for many years, and many (3D) films appeared in the 80s. By 1997 the business closed and George Miller was still there after 70 years of dedicated service.

Soon after, a local community arts group came together to reopen the building for films and shows, with the intent to restore it. Their plans fell short by not securing enough funds needed for a long term purchase.

It was taken over by “Galaxy Theatres” who renovated and re-opened the building in the fall of 1998 showing “Practical Magic and "Bride of Chucky” Soon after, they converted the two storefronts into small screening rooms and eventually recieved heavy fines for working without permits and failure to meet codes. The theatre closed again in 2001 and now sits vacant with a legacy of entertainment waiting inside.

johnrudeau on January 7, 2005 at 7:18 am

I recently moved about 10 miles south of Washington and stumbled upon this beautiful theatre. Does anyone know if some grassroots effort is in effect to re-open this glorious theatre? It has so much potential to help re-vitalize the town of Washington. I work in film and would like to help my community. Please let me know what I can do.

joemasher on March 31, 2004 at 6:57 am

The theatre has been closed for almost two years after the last owner could not make it fly…