Oh yeah, oops! The real entrance to that school is from the courtyard. Sometimes when you’re biking and exploring all day, you miss some things. I didn’t have time to write down all the theaters and what’s in their place, just the addresses.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. Just like I remembered it. For a 10-screen theater it still looks pretty quaint. When you walk in, there are wax or plaster statues of Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi as a Blues Brother and Charlie Chaplin. The ticket booth is in the middle with the concession behind it. I asked the worker how many seats there were and he said 1,075.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. I couldn’t find this building on the right side of the street.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. Right, 1989 was when the Church of God moved in. I was there and it was beautiful. Quite a trek to get there and the marquee is still there. When you enter the main auditorium, the sound is so muted, it’s amazing. And it’s really hot! The stage is huge and the ceiling is kind of curved like tunnel. The original seats are still there, the flip up kind. There are 4 aisles and it’s about 600 seats as it says on here. The sections on the sides have 4 seats across and the two middle ones have 5 across. The patrons there who spoke a little english let me know they were going to renovate the lobby to make it look like a church more but they would keep the marquee.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. I couldn’t find the number of this building as it was demolished but 236 wasn’t anywhere.
Oh well.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. There is a building on Phoenix Avenue right near the main drag that looks like a movie theatre on the left up the hill but that’s not the location.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. I looked for it and it’s obviously demolished and there are either houses on it or just vacant land. Where North Main starts the uphill on the left is where it could have been, near a recreation field.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. This one was in a strange feeling neighborhood on North Main not too far from downtown, but up a steep hill near abandoned houses, buildings and businesses. The sign in front on the building says it’s open 2 days a week. It must have been a neighborhood movie house because from the side, it’s pretty plain. The “Alhambra” name was in perfect condition in the frieze at the top of the building. I could make it out perfectly!
I’m here in Waterbury today continuing my urban exploration of abandoned houses and factories and finally saw the Capitol. If you look through the front doors you see the sanctuary but it only extends about 75 feet to the wall. The rest of the auditorium isn’t visible and I wonder if they use it as a rec center or something. It was closed but I plan to call up and ask. The rear stage/screen space is more narrow than most theaters. In the very back, the basement door on the ground was closed, but there was no lock. I lifted it back and saw it was clean underneath. Their property has no fence between them and the house next door so I felt sketched out a little bit. But that shouldn’t stop one of you!
It does have the best acoustics in the state from the soundmen i talk to who run the soundboards at shows. It was also the flagship Palace of the country and the largest in CT. I saw Huey Lewis and the News there last nite, my third show there this summer. It really grows on you. Even if you’ve seen every square inch and don’t think you need to look like a “tourist” when you go in, you still ogle like crazy.
Just talked to my friend Liz who is co-manager at Bethel Cinema. She said the new owner is pumping some money into the place for renovations in September, hopefully getting it done before the Bethel Film Festival. They will revamp the concessions and the ticket booth. Since people coming in the front door build up so many people and the line stretches in all directions and bottles up (and crosses in front of theatres) they will make it so you can stand in front of it, not to the left side when you walk in and then put the main entrance door on the other end. That was my suggestion.
Nothing that important, but the co-owner Billy just sold the place to his friends who are already the co-owners who’ve been there since the beginning. Nothing changes.
If you’ve never been here, it’s an amazing time. I was there 3 years ago and again on Saturday night for a concert. Since about 2 years ago, they have been doing live shows 3-4 times a month. They charge about $500 to rent out the space which is pricey, compared to VFW halls for $100 but this space is older and needs the money. The stage is not too wide but pretty deep. It’s hot in there and there are a few overhead fans. The soundbooth in back, upstairs is stocked and the acoustics are very nice.
There were originally 3,036 seats. It had an organ which was a 4/20 Publix 1 opus 1831 similar to the Seattle Paramount Wurlitzer. The instrument was shipped from the factory in January 1928 and the installation was supervised by Wurlitzer employee Harry E. Carruthers.
The theater opened on Thursday March 8, 1928 at 7:00pm. Liborius Hauptmann directed the Portland Grand Orchestra in selections from Faust. Following the overture came a short novelty film and the Paramount News. As the velvet curtain closed, a white spotlight caught the ivory and gold Wurlitzer as it rose from the pit with Ralph Hamilton playing “Organs I Have Played.” After the console had slowly sunk from sight, Alex Hyde and the Portland Stage Band appeared to accompany “A Merry Widow Revue” direct from the New York Paramount Theatre and produced by Frank Cambria. This revue consisted of six acts… then the curtains opened on the feature picture which was “Feel My Pulse,” starring Bebe Daniels, William Powell, and Richard Arlen.
The Portland Theatre was designed by C.W. and George Rapp and was built by the Association of Publix and Loew under the direction of West Coast Theatres. After about a year, the theatre was renamed the Paramount. The Wurlitzer console was presided over by such well-known artists as Oliver Wallace, Stanleigh Mallotte, and the popular team of Don and Iris Wilkins, among others. As a matter of fact, the organ was used regularly well into the 1930’s.
The Paramount Theatre building still exists and was acquired by the City of Portland in the early 1980s. After extensive refurbishing, it reopened in 1984 as the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, home of the Oregon Symphony. The City owns the building which is part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. The marquee was restored to the original theatre name: “Portland.”
The theater is in its next phase of restoration and expansion. There’s a story in the July issue of CT Business Times but I can’t find the story on their website. It’s on page 24 if you pick one up.
Here’s the text.
Warner Announces Manager for Next Phase of Restoration
The Warner Theatre has announced that United Construction and Engineering, Inc. of Torrington has been hired to serve as construction manager for Phase II of the planned renovation and expansion of the theatre’s facilities. Construction is slated to begin in October 2005 and is estimated to be completed by fall 2006.
The Phase II plans focus on adapting the historic Mertz building, adjacent to the theatre on Main Street, to include a brand new state-of-the-art 200-seat black box-style theatre, an expanded and renovated center for arts education and renovated retail space. The project will also include an addition to the main stage house that incorporates augmented dressing room facilities, support space to accommodate set construction and technical requirements for productions and a modern stage rigging system. Phase II also includes several non-bricks and mortar components that focus on financial and operational efficiencies.
Phase I of the Warner Theatre Restoration project was completed in November 2002 and featured a complete restoration and renovation of the theatre’s public spaces and administrative offices. The combined cost for Phases I and II of the Warner Restoration is estimated at $15.85 million. The theatre, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary with the upcoming 2005-2006 season, is in the process of completing its fundraising efforts to raise the remaining $2 million needed to fund the project.
The rest of the article is quotes and the usual repeated paragraphs.
I went to Criterion yesterday to see March of the Penguins. What a great moviegoing experience and the real butter was amazing. In front of the theater they were grilling tons of veggie and hot dogs, had potato salad, salad and condiments for people going to see “Bad News Bears” and actually for anyone who wanted some. They seem to be doing some good outreach. Joining the Criterion Club will also save you lots of money. There are 5 screens. On the left is the small ticket line which seems like it could fill too quick. Big concession stand with food and beer/wine, to the left a lounge area with tables and chairs. Straight ahead at the back wall is a windowed room with film reels and other gadgets that are working live. To the left are 2 theaters and to the right 3 theaters. To the left are the bathrooms and on either side of the men’s and women’s is a control panel of gauges that don’t work and the plaque says this was found while renovating the building from the old utility building. The key word was “Frankenstein-esque”. The bathrooms were spacious and nice and the sinks had stainless steel bottoms and they were deep! The seats in the theater didn’t recline but they were good for the back and firm, but soft, giving you some sort of posture you don’t receive anywhere else. Save for the 25 8-year olds who wouldn’t shut up or stop climbing seats, it was a good flick, just too long at 80 minutes.
Possibly? Creek had other Hartford and West and East Hartford venues as well. Maybe they were tapping into a market venue they knew would pay off later on in the years, which it did.
Fantasyland
/theaters/9949/
Dreamland
/theaters/2200/
Was the Barn Theater in the same building?
There are 620 seats per the website.
I think I read it being the flagship in the Cinema Treasures book?
Oh yeah, oops! The real entrance to that school is from the courtyard. Sometimes when you’re biking and exploring all day, you miss some things. I didn’t have time to write down all the theaters and what’s in their place, just the addresses.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. Just like I remembered it. For a 10-screen theater it still looks pretty quaint. When you walk in, there are wax or plaster statues of Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi as a Blues Brother and Charlie Chaplin. The ticket booth is in the middle with the concession behind it. I asked the worker how many seats there were and he said 1,075.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. I couldn’t find this building on the right side of the street.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. Right, 1989 was when the Church of God moved in. I was there and it was beautiful. Quite a trek to get there and the marquee is still there. When you enter the main auditorium, the sound is so muted, it’s amazing. And it’s really hot! The stage is huge and the ceiling is kind of curved like tunnel. The original seats are still there, the flip up kind. There are 4 aisles and it’s about 600 seats as it says on here. The sections on the sides have 4 seats across and the two middle ones have 5 across. The patrons there who spoke a little english let me know they were going to renovate the lobby to make it look like a church more but they would keep the marquee.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. I couldn’t find the number of this building as it was demolished but 236 wasn’t anywhere.
Oh well.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. There is a building on Phoenix Avenue right near the main drag that looks like a movie theatre on the left up the hill but that’s not the location.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. I looked for it and it’s obviously demolished and there are either houses on it or just vacant land. Where North Main starts the uphill on the left is where it could have been, near a recreation field.
I was in Waterbury on Monday and decided to visit every listed Waterbury movie theater, living or deceased. This one was in a strange feeling neighborhood on North Main not too far from downtown, but up a steep hill near abandoned houses, buildings and businesses. The sign in front on the building says it’s open 2 days a week. It must have been a neighborhood movie house because from the side, it’s pretty plain. The “Alhambra” name was in perfect condition in the frieze at the top of the building. I could make it out perfectly!
I’m on my way there now.
I’m here in Waterbury today continuing my urban exploration of abandoned houses and factories and finally saw the Capitol. If you look through the front doors you see the sanctuary but it only extends about 75 feet to the wall. The rest of the auditorium isn’t visible and I wonder if they use it as a rec center or something. It was closed but I plan to call up and ask. The rear stage/screen space is more narrow than most theaters. In the very back, the basement door on the ground was closed, but there was no lock. I lifted it back and saw it was clean underneath. Their property has no fence between them and the house next door so I felt sketched out a little bit. But that shouldn’t stop one of you!
It does have the best acoustics in the state from the soundmen i talk to who run the soundboards at shows. It was also the flagship Palace of the country and the largest in CT. I saw Huey Lewis and the News there last nite, my third show there this summer. It really grows on you. Even if you’ve seen every square inch and don’t think you need to look like a “tourist” when you go in, you still ogle like crazy.
Just talked to my friend Liz who is co-manager at Bethel Cinema. She said the new owner is pumping some money into the place for renovations in September, hopefully getting it done before the Bethel Film Festival. They will revamp the concessions and the ticket booth. Since people coming in the front door build up so many people and the line stretches in all directions and bottles up (and crosses in front of theatres) they will make it so you can stand in front of it, not to the left side when you walk in and then put the main entrance door on the other end. That was my suggestion.
Nothing that important, but the co-owner Billy just sold the place to his friends who are already the co-owners who’ve been there since the beginning. Nothing changes.
If you’ve never been here, it’s an amazing time. I was there 3 years ago and again on Saturday night for a concert. Since about 2 years ago, they have been doing live shows 3-4 times a month. They charge about $500 to rent out the space which is pricey, compared to VFW halls for $100 but this space is older and needs the money. The stage is not too wide but pretty deep. It’s hot in there and there are a few overhead fans. The soundbooth in back, upstairs is stocked and the acoustics are very nice.
There were originally 3,036 seats. It had an organ which was a 4/20 Publix 1 opus 1831 similar to the Seattle Paramount Wurlitzer. The instrument was shipped from the factory in January 1928 and the installation was supervised by Wurlitzer employee Harry E. Carruthers.
The theater opened on Thursday March 8, 1928 at 7:00pm. Liborius Hauptmann directed the Portland Grand Orchestra in selections from Faust. Following the overture came a short novelty film and the Paramount News. As the velvet curtain closed, a white spotlight caught the ivory and gold Wurlitzer as it rose from the pit with Ralph Hamilton playing “Organs I Have Played.” After the console had slowly sunk from sight, Alex Hyde and the Portland Stage Band appeared to accompany “A Merry Widow Revue” direct from the New York Paramount Theatre and produced by Frank Cambria. This revue consisted of six acts… then the curtains opened on the feature picture which was “Feel My Pulse,” starring Bebe Daniels, William Powell, and Richard Arlen.
The Portland Theatre was designed by C.W. and George Rapp and was built by the Association of Publix and Loew under the direction of West Coast Theatres. After about a year, the theatre was renamed the Paramount. The Wurlitzer console was presided over by such well-known artists as Oliver Wallace, Stanleigh Mallotte, and the popular team of Don and Iris Wilkins, among others. As a matter of fact, the organ was used regularly well into the 1930’s.
The Paramount Theatre building still exists and was acquired by the City of Portland in the early 1980s. After extensive refurbishing, it reopened in 1984 as the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, home of the Oregon Symphony. The City owns the building which is part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. The marquee was restored to the original theatre name: “Portland.”
I know this is off topic, but that incredibly long url can be shortened at www.tinyurl.com, which results in http://tinyurl.com/bh8hd
Try calling the theater.
The theater is in its next phase of restoration and expansion. There’s a story in the July issue of CT Business Times but I can’t find the story on their website. It’s on page 24 if you pick one up.
Here’s the text.
Warner Announces Manager for Next Phase of Restoration
The Warner Theatre has announced that United Construction and Engineering, Inc. of Torrington has been hired to serve as construction manager for Phase II of the planned renovation and expansion of the theatre’s facilities. Construction is slated to begin in October 2005 and is estimated to be completed by fall 2006.
The Phase II plans focus on adapting the historic Mertz building, adjacent to the theatre on Main Street, to include a brand new state-of-the-art 200-seat black box-style theatre, an expanded and renovated center for arts education and renovated retail space. The project will also include an addition to the main stage house that incorporates augmented dressing room facilities, support space to accommodate set construction and technical requirements for productions and a modern stage rigging system. Phase II also includes several non-bricks and mortar components that focus on financial and operational efficiencies.
Phase I of the Warner Theatre Restoration project was completed in November 2002 and featured a complete restoration and renovation of the theatre’s public spaces and administrative offices. The combined cost for Phases I and II of the Warner Restoration is estimated at $15.85 million. The theatre, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary with the upcoming 2005-2006 season, is in the process of completing its fundraising efforts to raise the remaining $2 million needed to fund the project.
The rest of the article is quotes and the usual repeated paragraphs.
I went to Criterion yesterday to see March of the Penguins. What a great moviegoing experience and the real butter was amazing. In front of the theater they were grilling tons of veggie and hot dogs, had potato salad, salad and condiments for people going to see “Bad News Bears” and actually for anyone who wanted some. They seem to be doing some good outreach. Joining the Criterion Club will also save you lots of money. There are 5 screens. On the left is the small ticket line which seems like it could fill too quick. Big concession stand with food and beer/wine, to the left a lounge area with tables and chairs. Straight ahead at the back wall is a windowed room with film reels and other gadgets that are working live. To the left are 2 theaters and to the right 3 theaters. To the left are the bathrooms and on either side of the men’s and women’s is a control panel of gauges that don’t work and the plaque says this was found while renovating the building from the old utility building. The key word was “Frankenstein-esque”. The bathrooms were spacious and nice and the sinks had stainless steel bottoms and they were deep! The seats in the theater didn’t recline but they were good for the back and firm, but soft, giving you some sort of posture you don’t receive anywhere else. Save for the 25 8-year olds who wouldn’t shut up or stop climbing seats, it was a good flick, just too long at 80 minutes.
There was a capacity for 500 cars.
Possibly? Creek had other Hartford and West and East Hartford venues as well. Maybe they were tapping into a market venue they knew would pay off later on in the years, which it did.