Castle Cinema
1039 Chalkstone Avenue,
Providence,
RI
02908
1039 Chalkstone Avenue,
Providence,
RI
02908
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 41 comments
The pizza place is now closed according to their Facebook page.
Pizza joint. No cinema.
The place is now Federal Hill Brick Oven Pizza.
This theatre was used on February 22, 1987 by the Italian Film Society of RI for a showing of the Italian film comedy “Pizza Triangle: A Drama of Jealousy.”
Is this property currently for sale or in the process of being renovated?
I am owner of Cabaret, SpeakEasy, Big Band, Vaudville and Circus types entertainment love to see The Castle alive with entertainment of this type. If interested love to discuss joint ventures you may contact me 401 641 2234. Thank you for your attention to this matter
I recently purchased the Castle Cinema at 1039 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence and would welcome the opportunity to speak with anyone who owned or worked for the Castle Cinema when it was in operation. I can be reached at 401-413-7489.
From time to time I check in to see new comments. The Castle is still standing,although in ruff shape. Seeing the marquee gone is sad.I assume it was removed for safety reasons.I remember the summer I spent up on a ladder, gently removing the neon letters, scraping off the chipped paint and gently replacing each letter. It was important or me to have the “Castle” letters light the night. When we sold the theater in 2000, the marquee was in decent shape. Over the years the front had been hit by city snow plows,but it was always repaired.
RKQ I really hope you’re still active on this site. I’m a graduate of entrepreneurship and intend to go to grad school for Historic Preservation. My focus has always been on historic theaters. I would love to speak to you about your time owning and operating Castle Cinema. Does anyone know what happened to the original Marquee.
From Boxoffice magazine, February 4, 1956:
“In the most extensive cooperation promotion ever seen in this area, 14 Providence and nearby houses used record-breaking newspaper advertising space in heralding the joint premiere of "The Day the World Ended” and “Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.” Virtually taking over the amusement pages of the local press for several days, the following houses united in the ad: Elmwood, Hope, Uptown, Liberty, Castle, all in this city; Community, Centredale; Strand, Pawtucket; Union, Attleboro; Hollywood, East Providence; Palace, Cranston; Community, Wakefield; Park, Auburn; Palace, Arctic and Stadium, Woonsocket. A brief checkup of local houses indicated that opening days were solid."
17 years is a good and respectable run Ralph.
I had the pleasure of owning and operating this theater. We bought it in 1983 from the SBC corp. for $150000(wow) which also ran the Cinerama Theater now a CVS. We owned it from 1983 until 2000. It was a single screen until SBC twined it in the early 70s. In 1989 we made use of the balcony as a third screen. The building opened Thanksgiving weekend 1926. I actually have a flier from that date, a customer gave to me. Unfortunately due to a decline in the neighborhood, the time we had to wait to get product and the mall with its new 16 screens……it was time to sell. Sad to see the marquee was removed, but the two terracotta lion heads are still guarding the building……….
I worked here in the 60’s and 70’s when it was an SBC single screen. It was nothing special, and parking was definately an issue. They used to lease an empty lot diagonal to the theatre and towards the city. I drove by on Thanksgiving when I was back in town and couldn’t spot that lot.
I can’t imagine this ever getting off the ground again.
The Castle is featured in the Providence Preservation Society’s Most Engangered Properties photo exhibit at Butterfield, 232 Westminster Street. According to the exhibit, the building was purchased by the RISPCA, who in turn plans on leasing it to Rhode Island College to use for drug treatment programs. The marquee was removed per orders of the buildings department. There was talk of donating the building to AS220 about nine months ago, which apparently fell through.
Tiles now cover the area where the marquee was, which was bare brick last month. Something is definitely going on.
The marquee is gone! The front of the building is still plastered with No Trespassing signs, as well as McKenna for Senate signs. There is a building permit posted in the window of the restaurant on the corner, but it’s too high up to read. The lobby of the theater looks just like it did when open.
I am in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood and interested in getting this place open again – to the point where I am doing some research on ways this could happen. My background is in education, so I am thinking of ways it can be opened as a cultural/community center. Any news on what it’s status is at the moment?
Still sitting dormant, with No Trespassing signs posted on the front doors. Some of the “CASTLE” letters on the right side of the marquee have fallen backwards.
Any word on anything happening with this theatre? I think it would be great if the people who owned the Revival House in Westerly could do something with this building.
Groundbreaking for renovations, October 10, 2001
for sale $699,000
The Castle briefly reopened in August to host part of the 2006 Rhode Island International Film Festival.
for sale $775,000.00
Updated: Castle Cinema auction canceled
Providence Journal 7 to 7 News Blog, April 21, 2006
PROVIDENCE — An auction planned this morning for Chalkstone Avenue’s Castle Cinema has been canceled.
The restaurant and neighborhood cinema was scheduled for a foreclosure auction at 10 a.m., after its owners, New Concept Entertainment, failed to get the theater up and running since assuming ownership in January.
The auction company, Irving Schechtman & Co., confirmed this morning that the auction has been “completely canceled, not postponed.”
The proceedings were canceled because New Concept Entertainment filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection yesterday. By federal law, the filing automatically halts foreclosure auctions, pending a review of the company’s assets and liabilities by a judge.
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Castle Cinema goes on the block again
Providence Journal, Wednesday, April 19, 2006
“ The Chalkstone Avenue neighborhood cinema is scheduled to be sold at a public auction at 10 a.m. on Friday … The scheduled foreclosure sale comes less than four months after Anthony Gemma and his partners in Chalkstone Realty LLC sold the property to New Concept Entertainment Inc. on Jan. 6 in hopes that the new owners would reopen the three-screen theater. ”
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