Acme Theatre

50 E. 14th Street,
New York, NY 10003

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Keith-Albee, Proctor's

Previous Names: Union Square Theatre, Keith & Proctor's Union Square Theatre, Bijou Dream Theatre

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Acme Theatre

Built in 1870 as a variety theater called the Union Square Theatre. In 1893 Keith and Albee purchased the theatre for use as a vaudeville theatre. By the early-1900’s it was operated by Keith & Proctor’s until the partnership was dissolved in 1911. It became a movie house in 1908, known as the Bijou Dream Theatre

In 1921 the name was changed to the Acme Theatre. The Acme Theatre closed in 1936 following a period of years screening Russian films.

Contributed by Lost Memory

Recent comments (view all 7 comments)

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on July 3, 2005 at 12:27 am

The Acme Theater was advertised in its later years as the only ‘American-Soviet Kino’, playing Russian movies. The address was 50 East 14th Street and the Film Daily Yearbook for 1926 give a seating capacity of 600. In the 1930 edition of F.D.Y. it is listed as having 597 seats.

br91975
br91975 on July 3, 2005 at 9:58 am

The entire block bordered by 4th Avenue, Broadway, 13th, and 14th Streets had been cleared by the summer of ‘95; I remember passing by the then-boarded-off site at the time.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on May 16, 2008 at 5:00 pm

A 1908 NYT article names the Keith & Proctor on 23rd Street as being renamed Bijou Dream, not this one.

jflundy
jflundy on November 9, 2008 at 4:24 pm

View link
This link is for 1905 story of fire at theater.

Life's Too Short
Life's Too Short on February 20, 2009 at 2:46 pm

I seem to recall there being a really nice Marquee Magazine article on the Union Square back in the 80’s.

wstmark
wstmark on March 9, 2009 at 8:15 pm

Here is a New York Times article on the theatre in the 1980’s:

View link

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on February 9, 2010 at 1:24 am

There are some old pictures of the theater as the Union Square here on this web page well as some history: View link

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