While earlier directories give the address of the Europa as 196 Somerset, Polk’s New Brunswick (Middlesex County, N.J.) City Directory 1946 has the following listing: Europa Theatre Scott nr Somerset. That is, on Scott Street near Somerset Street. Somerset Street is a major street in New Brunswick. Scott Street was a side street perpendicular to Somerset. Judging by current maps, I think that Scott Street has virtually disappeared due to hospital expansion. I remember the entrance to the theater being on the side street; that’s the way it was in the early 50’s; I don’t know if it was always that way.
Go to the Amazon website. Search the book title “highland park borough of homesâ€. You will see a reproduction of the book cover. Click on it to enlarge it, then click on it a second time to enlarge it further. You will see the RKO Park Theater.
This is definitely the Strand, facing Albany Street. You can see the sign of the Rivoli on George Street. Beyond the Rivoli, crossing George Street, is the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (now Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor Line).
Here is an earlier view of the same corner. What is to become the Strand is still a church. In the background the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad crosses the Raritan River.
I remember seeing a version of “Alice in Wonderland” there when I was a kid, probably in the early 50’s (I think it must have been the 1949 version, judging by the description at IMDB).
I grew up around New Brunswick and I remember this theater. I thought that “New Opera House”, not “Opera House”, was actually the name of it. But maybe that was just what people called it. If someone has access to old issues of the Home News (newspaper then published in New Brunswick) they could check what name appeared in its advertisements.
The Methodist Church was already there, on the corner of George and Liberty Streets and facing George Street. The theater was on Liberty Street, behind the church (I’m not sure if there was anything between them).
According to an article published in the New York Times, Jan. 18, 1952, the theater was destroyed by fire on Jan. 17 of that year.
While earlier directories give the address of the Europa as 196 Somerset, Polk’s New Brunswick (Middlesex County, N.J.) City Directory 1946 has the following listing: Europa Theatre Scott nr Somerset. That is, on Scott Street near Somerset Street. Somerset Street is a major street in New Brunswick. Scott Street was a side street perpendicular to Somerset. Judging by current maps, I think that Scott Street has virtually disappeared due to hospital expansion. I remember the entrance to the theater being on the side street; that’s the way it was in the early 50’s; I don’t know if it was always that way.
Go to the Amazon website. Search the book title “highland park borough of homesâ€. You will see a reproduction of the book cover. Click on it to enlarge it, then click on it a second time to enlarge it further. You will see the RKO Park Theater.
View link
This is definitely the Strand, facing Albany Street. You can see the sign of the Rivoli on George Street. Beyond the Rivoli, crossing George Street, is the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (now Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor Line).
Here is an earlier view of the same corner. What is to become the Strand is still a church. In the background the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad crosses the Raritan River.
View link
I remember seeing a version of “Alice in Wonderland” there when I was a kid, probably in the early 50’s (I think it must have been the 1949 version, judging by the description at IMDB).
I grew up around New Brunswick and I remember this theater. I thought that “New Opera House”, not “Opera House”, was actually the name of it. But maybe that was just what people called it. If someone has access to old issues of the Home News (newspaper then published in New Brunswick) they could check what name appeared in its advertisements.
The Methodist Church was already there, on the corner of George and Liberty Streets and facing George Street. The theater was on Liberty Street, behind the church (I’m not sure if there was anything between them).
According to an article published in the New York Times, Jan. 18, 1952, the theater was destroyed by fire on Jan. 17 of that year.