For some reason this does not show up on the 1905-06 Sanborn. It’s very hard to tell when the volumes of the Pittsburgh map were created. At any rate, the theater was located in a very old 4 story block of shallow storefronts (built sometime before 1884) which ran the entire block, and around the corner onto 5th. I assume that the theater was closed in 1911 to allow the construction of the current building.
Dates are wrong, or at least misleading. This theater opened in 1906, replacing the Avenue, previously on this site, which had been destroyed by a fire in June 1905. The original architects were MacClure & Spahr. The Avenue was apparently showing films before the fire. It’s unclear what the 1918 opening refers to, but possibly the Grand Opera House stayed away from film initially. If the auditorium was at the very back, facing Forbes, then that was likely a refurbishment of the original Grand Opera House, built sometime before 1884, which survived the 1905 fire with some damage.
As far as the theater near Magee (not Mages), that must have been the later Avenue. There is a 1924 Sanborn which should show it, but the volume containing downtown is missing from the Penn State online collection. I can confirm that 1108 is a parking lot, and has been since at least 2008, and likely much longer. That area of town is in very rough shape, and entire blocks of it has been turned into surface parking.
This listing is confused. I’m not sure which theater caught fire in 1903, but the Avenue was destroyed in a fire in June, 1905. That theater was at about 330-340 5th Ave. It was built sometime before 1884, and was a 4 story brick building about three storefronts wide. It was joined at the rear to another opera house (later the Grand), which faced Diamond St (now Forbes Ave).
The 1884 map shows it as ‘Opera House’ with a Lyceum on the second floor. The 1893 map calls it the Harris Theatre, and the 1906 map shows an empty lot noting that the Avenue was destroyed, with the Grand Opera House to the south damaged by the same fire.
The theater at 1108, if there was one, must have opened much later, and the low capacity matches what must have been a marginal little neighborhood house.
The listing needs to be split. I’ll add a Sanborn view of the older, much larger, theater, and that can be moved if needed.
Here is a good article about the fire, full of interesting detail: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-crisfield-fire-of-1928-m/83007419/
Looking at streetview, what I think is today 16219 is a small older house which likely is from the 1920’s at the latest. It is possible that the museum building is located where the theater was. It’s hard to tell how old that is. At any rate, the map will need to be adjusted. I think the problem is that the map we are using has the wrong name for the street (calls it W Ridge Rd, which makes no sense since it runs N-S). If the Grand really was directly across from the church, the location must have been where the old grey/green house is. That style looks ‘40s or '50s, but could date to the early '60s. That site is well north of this theater. Someone with better information will hopefully create a listing.
Here is a good article about the fire, full of interesting detail: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-crisfield-fire-of-1928-m/83007419/
Here is a good article about the fire, full of interesting detail: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-crisfield-fire-of-1928-m/83007419/
It’s been city hall much longer. That ugly front looks like it dates to the ‘70s or '80s, and it was definitely city hall before 2010, when I photographed it.
I won’t swear to the address being correct, given the source, but the map is way off. There is a Main Ridge Rd, and 16215 is the museum, so 16219 is at least plausible, although the location would not fit such a large building as is described.
I also don’t think the new Lyric opened in 1940. It’s hard to tell, since the architecture of the replacement is very dull, and neither the 1931 or 1940’s Sanborns can be found online, but I don’t find it listed before 1951. Some of the late ‘40s Yearbooks are useless garbage that only have circuit information, so it may have opened any time after 1945. Previously, a Lyric is listed in the '30s, but never with a capacity.
That would be the new Lyric, which at least still exists (as a building). I’ve added a 1923 map view of the Lyric illustrated. This listing will need to be rewritten, and I will add a new Lyric listing. The capacity of the old Lyric was 350 as of 1927.
This listing is a confusing mess. The correct address was 411-413 W Main. The later Lyric was a completely different building at the same address. The old wooden building was destroyed in the same 1928 fire that burned the Opera House at the other end of the block. The current building may have been a replacement Lyric, but should have its own listing, since all the photos are of the older building, which was constructed sometime between 1904 and 1911.
The capacity is also wrong. According to the FDY entries, the capacity was 800. I suspect it closed after the 1965 fire, and may have been torn down at any point thereafter.
The address is wrong, and this has been demolished for a long time. The correct address was 401-403 W Main. It’s just a vacant lot across from the post office. It was gone sometime before 2014.
According to the picture DMT added some time ago, this closed sometime in the ‘60s, became a bowling alley/billiard hall, and burned down in February 1968.
Built between 1884 and 1893, replacing a two-story building. Very drab and unattractive wooden facade, shown as of the 1906 map, which has this building as a store with a photo studio above. Closed by 1914-15, when the AMPD lists two Fairylands (not on Carson), but no Fairy Dream.
If this was at 1120, it has been demolished. 1120 initially was the other half of 1122, and was replaced sometime after 1924. The 1906 map does show 1122 as an ‘Amusement Arcade’, and the 1924 shows it as a drugstore. 1120 is just a generic ‘Store’ on both maps.
This history is confusing. The 1914-15 AMPD has three Lyrics in Pittsburgh. None are on Carson. The Diamond is listed at 1120 Carson. The other problem is that what was 1211 is using the 1209 address that belongs to the small two story building, and that the present 1211 was historically 1213.
Going back to 2007 on streetview shows no indication of a ceramics shop, but does show what was 1211 being remodeled into a bar. It’s likely the contributor meant that structure. It’s impossible to give a history without knowing where this actually was.
Now a bowling alley, and just recently the beautiful original marquee was replaced by cheap tacky plastic trash.
By the way, the plaque marking the site of the theater, which was by the entry to the ‘new’ building, was removed between 2012 and 2014.
For some reason this does not show up on the 1905-06 Sanborn. It’s very hard to tell when the volumes of the Pittsburgh map were created. At any rate, the theater was located in a very old 4 story block of shallow storefronts (built sometime before 1884) which ran the entire block, and around the corner onto 5th. I assume that the theater was closed in 1911 to allow the construction of the current building.
Dates are wrong, or at least misleading. This theater opened in 1906, replacing the Avenue, previously on this site, which had been destroyed by a fire in June 1905. The original architects were MacClure & Spahr. The Avenue was apparently showing films before the fire. It’s unclear what the 1918 opening refers to, but possibly the Grand Opera House stayed away from film initially. If the auditorium was at the very back, facing Forbes, then that was likely a refurbishment of the original Grand Opera House, built sometime before 1884, which survived the 1905 fire with some damage.
As far as the theater near Magee (not Mages), that must have been the later Avenue. There is a 1924 Sanborn which should show it, but the volume containing downtown is missing from the Penn State online collection. I can confirm that 1108 is a parking lot, and has been since at least 2008, and likely much longer. That area of town is in very rough shape, and entire blocks of it has been turned into surface parking.
This listing is confused. I’m not sure which theater caught fire in 1903, but the Avenue was destroyed in a fire in June, 1905. That theater was at about 330-340 5th Ave. It was built sometime before 1884, and was a 4 story brick building about three storefronts wide. It was joined at the rear to another opera house (later the Grand), which faced Diamond St (now Forbes Ave).
The 1884 map shows it as ‘Opera House’ with a Lyceum on the second floor. The 1893 map calls it the Harris Theatre, and the 1906 map shows an empty lot noting that the Avenue was destroyed, with the Grand Opera House to the south damaged by the same fire.
The theater at 1108, if there was one, must have opened much later, and the low capacity matches what must have been a marginal little neighborhood house.
The listing needs to be split. I’ll add a Sanborn view of the older, much larger, theater, and that can be moved if needed.
Does anyone know if the current vertical is a reproduction or restored?
Here is a good article about the fire, full of interesting detail: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-crisfield-fire-of-1928-m/83007419/
Looking at streetview, what I think is today 16219 is a small older house which likely is from the 1920’s at the latest. It is possible that the museum building is located where the theater was. It’s hard to tell how old that is. At any rate, the map will need to be adjusted. I think the problem is that the map we are using has the wrong name for the street (calls it W Ridge Rd, which makes no sense since it runs N-S). If the Grand really was directly across from the church, the location must have been where the old grey/green house is. That style looks ‘40s or '50s, but could date to the early '60s. That site is well north of this theater. Someone with better information will hopefully create a listing.
Here is a good article about the fire, full of interesting detail: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-crisfield-fire-of-1928-m/83007419/
Here is a good article about the fire, full of interesting detail: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-crisfield-fire-of-1928-m/83007419/
It’s been city hall much longer. That ugly front looks like it dates to the ‘70s or '80s, and it was definitely city hall before 2010, when I photographed it.
The picture should be thrown away.
This building apparently existed in 1990 when the NRHP listing for the Crisfield Historic District was created.
I won’t swear to the address being correct, given the source, but the map is way off. There is a Main Ridge Rd, and 16215 is the museum, so 16219 is at least plausible, although the location would not fit such a large building as is described.
I also don’t think the new Lyric opened in 1940. It’s hard to tell, since the architecture of the replacement is very dull, and neither the 1931 or 1940’s Sanborns can be found online, but I don’t find it listed before 1951. Some of the late ‘40s Yearbooks are useless garbage that only have circuit information, so it may have opened any time after 1945. Previously, a Lyric is listed in the '30s, but never with a capacity.
That would be the new Lyric, which at least still exists (as a building). I’ve added a 1923 map view of the Lyric illustrated. This listing will need to be rewritten, and I will add a new Lyric listing. The capacity of the old Lyric was 350 as of 1927.
This listing is a confusing mess. The correct address was 411-413 W Main. The later Lyric was a completely different building at the same address. The old wooden building was destroyed in the same 1928 fire that burned the Opera House at the other end of the block. The current building may have been a replacement Lyric, but should have its own listing, since all the photos are of the older building, which was constructed sometime between 1904 and 1911.
The capacity is also wrong. According to the FDY entries, the capacity was 800. I suspect it closed after the 1965 fire, and may have been torn down at any point thereafter.
The address is wrong, and this has been demolished for a long time. The correct address was 401-403 W Main. It’s just a vacant lot across from the post office. It was gone sometime before 2014.
According to the picture DMT added some time ago, this closed sometime in the ‘60s, became a bowling alley/billiard hall, and burned down in February 1968.
I’ve added a 1924 view of the theater.
Built between 1884 and 1893, replacing a two-story building. Very drab and unattractive wooden facade, shown as of the 1906 map, which has this building as a store with a photo studio above. Closed by 1914-15, when the AMPD lists two Fairylands (not on Carson), but no Fairy Dream.
If this was at 1120, it has been demolished. 1120 initially was the other half of 1122, and was replaced sometime after 1924. The 1906 map does show 1122 as an ‘Amusement Arcade’, and the 1924 shows it as a drugstore. 1120 is just a generic ‘Store’ on both maps.
This history is confusing. The 1914-15 AMPD has three Lyrics in Pittsburgh. None are on Carson. The Diamond is listed at 1120 Carson. The other problem is that what was 1211 is using the 1209 address that belongs to the small two story building, and that the present 1211 was historically 1213.
Going back to 2007 on streetview shows no indication of a ceramics shop, but does show what was 1211 being remodeled into a bar. It’s likely the contributor meant that structure. It’s impossible to give a history without knowing where this actually was.
I’ve added a 2010 photo of the theater, which again is not demolished.