Circle Theatre

4650 Frankford Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA 19124

Unfavorite 5 people favorited this theater

Showing 23 comments

spectrum
spectrum on August 3, 2023 at 5:54 pm

2019 google street view shows new retail stores in the front, otherwise no change.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on March 6, 2022 at 7:04 pm

Stanley Warner closed the Circle on December 6, 1953 with a double feature of :Blowing Wild" and “Sea of Lost Ships.” According to the local paper, the theatre building was repurposed for retail stores in July of 1954 and then sold in late April 1955.

rivest266
rivest266 on October 7, 2016 at 1:01 pm

This opened on April 30th, 1929, just one day after the opening of the State. Grand opening ad for both theatres can be found in the photo section.

spectrum
spectrum on June 23, 2014 at 8:22 am

The link for Howard Haas’s photo of the Circle Theatre interior has been moved. Here is the link for the blog posting:

http://www.historictheatres.org/philadelphias-circle-theatres-atmospheric-auditorium-seen-again/.

Here is a link directly to the photo: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150225757800818&set=a.10150225757795818.339858.51659460817&type=1

Alan_at_Circle
Alan_at_Circle on January 5, 2012 at 9:04 pm

Thanks for the link Howard!

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on December 17, 2011 at 7:07 pm

Perhaps because links don’t auto link, I neglected in June to post this link here of current photo of auditorium facing stage! follow link to photo of lighting control panel, too http://theatrehistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/philadelphias-circle-theatres-atmospheric-auditorium-seen-again/

Alan_at_Circle
Alan_at_Circle on December 17, 2011 at 6:24 pm

On May 17, 2008, peregrinearts visited the Circle Theatre and Sang Koo Park, one of the Circle’s present owners, mentioned that the 1929 Kimball theatre organ is still intact (to some unconfirmed degree). Eleven days later, diaphon comments that the organ “appears” to have been removed in the 1950’s. Diaphon also comments that he “was told an apocryphal story”, meaning the story is questionable. The Park’s have owned the theatre since 1991. Why would Mrs. Park report that the organ is still intact if in fact it was removed? After seeing the recent photo of the stage and proscenium, it is believable that the organ is still in the Circle!

Alan_at_Circle
Alan_at_Circle on November 24, 2011 at 4:09 am

It would be interesting to see a photo of the original facade of the Circle Theatre. Also a photo of the auditorium and balcony as they exist today. I do know that the present retail stores occupy the theatres former vestibule, lobby, and foyer. I do not beleive that the retail stores extend under the theatres balcony. This area was sealed off as was the rest of the theatre. .

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on September 12, 2009 at 6:51 pm

Here is an interior photo circa 1929 from the Irvin Glazer theater collection:
http://tinyurl.com/o2s7l5

HowardBHaasEsq
HowardBHaasEsq on August 22, 2008 at 7:20 am

Photos 8-21-08 of pinnacle of front facade of Circle by Rob Bender:
View link

diaphon
diaphon on May 30, 2008 at 2:13 pm

The Kimball organ from the Circle Theatre appears to have been removed and reinstalled in Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Malden, MA sometime in the 1950’s based on this and other links…

http://www.pellandorgan.com/news.htm

I was told an apocryphal story that most of the Stanley-Warner organs (virtually all S-W organs were Kimballs with six notable exceptions) were removed from theatres and stored in the basement of their flagship Mastbaum theatre, and that row after row of Kimball consoles were seen, waiting to be sold off.

peregrinearts
peregrinearts on May 19, 2008 at 7:33 am

On May 17, I visited the Circle Theater, which is now owned by one couple, including adjacent 1-story shops. Bong Ho and Sang Koo Park have own the properties encompassing 4648 – 4662 Frankford Ave (which include the Circle) since 1991. I spoke briefly with Sang Koo, who confirmed that the theater exists in some state above the retail outlet. (They have a sporting goods and remaindered electronics business in the former vestibule and lobby spaces.) She even mentioned that the 1929 Kimball theatre organ is still in tact (to some unconfirmed degree).

She was very circumspect and rather suspicious of my interest. (They currently have $90,000 in tax liens against these properties according to the BRT.) A few more visits may be necessary to gain access to the theatre space.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on January 16, 2008 at 9:44 am

So it was the Circle, as west would have been on the left going north. Thanks.

Michael R. Rambo Jr.
Michael R. Rambo Jr. on January 16, 2008 at 9:17 am

Around the Market-Frankford Line’s Margaret-Orthodox Station’s area, on the westbound side platforms was the Stanley Warner’s Circle Theatre, and just north of the Eastbound side platform were the Frankford Theatre (which was demolished), and the Roosevelt Theatre (which is still standing)

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on January 16, 2008 at 7:46 am

One of the PAB thumbnails posted by LM on 12/4/04 implies that New Garden was an aka. I recall seeing an old theater from the Market-Frankford el, approximately in this area, in the early 1980s. The theater was visible on the left side of the train if you were going northbound. I wonder now if that was the Circle:

Michael R. Rambo Jr.
Michael R. Rambo Jr. on March 16, 2006 at 11:22 am

The former Stanley Warner’s Circle Theatre was the theatre that had the Spanish-like porticoes around the interior walls.

iobdennis
iobdennis on March 16, 2006 at 4:22 am

Maybe I have The Circle and The Roosevelt mixed up, but I thought The Roosevelt was the one that had the Spanish-like porticoes around the walls of the theater.

LedZep2147
LedZep2147 on August 31, 2005 at 7:27 am

I drive by the old Circle Theatre everyday on my way to work. It’s now a shoe and athletic clothes store. If you look above the store’s sign, you can see the artwork and columns on the building to this day.

atmos
atmos on January 14, 2005 at 11:03 pm

The Circle Theatre should now be listed as closed.The building still stands.

Scholes188
Scholes188 on January 14, 2005 at 5:21 am

Here is a link for a partial view of the Circle Theatre.

http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?16583

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on January 9, 2005 at 5:33 am

MikeRa;
Thanks for the update on the status of the Circle Theatre. It is good to know the building still stands, I wonder what condition it is in nowadays?

I will go back and check my source regarding it’s demolition which I ‘think’ I got from a Theater Historical Society of America document.

Michael R. Rambo Jr.
Michael R. Rambo Jr. on January 8, 2005 at 11:47 pm

Just to let you know, but the Circle Theatre was not demolished. I can tell you for a fact that the Circle Theatre is still standing. The theatre on Frankford Ave. that had the auditorium demolished was the Eliis Theatre, which was located across from SEPTA’s Frankford Transportation Center.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on December 4, 2004 at 1:16 pm

The Circle Theatre was Philadelphia’s only ‘Atmospheric’ styled theatre (the Circle was Spanish atmospheric). It closed as a movie house in the 1950’s and the area under the balcony and all the lobbies were converted into retail use, with the rest of the theatre sealed off intact. Sadly all is now gone with the subsequent demolition of the building.