Opened about 1929, the architects were Schlanger & Ehrenrich.
Looking at photographs and plans published in the book “American Theatres of To-day” Volume Two (1930), an unusual feature of the building was provision for a small musicians box on the left side of the proscenium arch (instead of the usual centrally place orchestra pit in front of the screen). The right hand side of the proscenium arch had a decorative grille, behind which were the theatre organ pipes. There was no stage at this theatre, so it was designed and built specifically for the showing of motion pictures.
The 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook gives a seating capacity of 200 for the Colonial Theater. In the 1943 edition it is listed as 200 seats (closed), but there is a New Colonial Theatre listed with 675 seats.
By the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. the Colonial Theatre (having dropped ‘New’ from the name) is listed with 550 seats. This could mean the theatre was either closed and rebuilt (enlarged) or a totally new theatre built on another site in around 1942. I have no record of a street address.
Listed in Film Daily Yearbook in the 1940’s as being operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary Joe Cooper. The seating capacity had been reduced from the 1,500 given in 1941 to 1,226 in 1950.
Listed in the 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook with a seating capacity of 1,042 seats. In subsequent editions of F.D.Y. the capacity is given as 592.
Listed as the Prince in editions of Film Daily Yearbooks that I have; 1941 through to 1950. Seating capacity is given in the 1940’s as 160 and in 1950 is given as 205.
Listed in Film Daily Yearbook’s edition 1941 and 1943 as having a seating capacity of 1,000 and operated by Paramount Pictures Inc through their subsidiary Carl Bamford. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. a seating capacity of 759 is given.
The street address must have been re-numbered as in 1951 it is located at 118 ½ College Street.
The Van Buren Theater is a low rise single storey structure which barely rises to the height of the El train tracks. It is located on the corner of Broadway and Van Buren Street (actual given address in F.D.Yearbooks is 1216 Broadway). It is also listed at this address and operating as a movie theatre in the 1914/15 edition of American Motion Picture Directory.
For many years it was in use as a bedding/mattress warehouse and I managed to gain entry and take a look around the building a couple of years ago. There was still quite a lot of architectural decoration to be seen and traces of the proscenium opening were visible between piles of matresses.
It was currently empty when I viewed it a few weeks ago in June 2005. There is a ‘To Lease’ sign on the building for future use as storage.
I have no records of an Idle Hour Theatre in Detroit. There is no theatre by this name in any Film Daily Yearbooks that I have (between 1941 and 1950), nor is there a theatre by this name in the Stuart Galbraith IV book “Motor City Marquees”.
I do however see there was the Atlas Theatre, 15832 Plymouth Road, Detroit, which maps out 3 blocks west of Greenfield Avenue. The Atlas Theatre, opened in 1939 and has its own page listing on Cinema Treasures.
The theatre looks the same today, minus signage and a blank marquee. Also, it looks like the exterior has been re-painted recently.
I was passing by with a group of other cinema enthusiasts the other week and taking exterior photo’s when a side door opened and the care-taker came out and invited us inside. Very nice lobby and auditorium and the original proscenium arch and painted mural on the ceiling are still intact.
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.
The Mount Eden Theater is mentioned as being ‘planned or under construction’ in the 1927 edition of Film Daily Yearbook (published in 1926), so a December 1926 opening is feasible. It was a project of Milnat Realty Corp. and had a planned seating capacity of 1,700. Later editions of F.D.Y. give a seating capacity of 1,745.
The exterior of the theatre looks great. All terra-cotta stonework cleaned, even the brickwork on that massive rear wall has been steam cleaned and years of graffitti removed (although already some has re-appeared on the lower sections). The signage with the Paradise name is all freshly painted. It looks almost ready to open. There are still workmen doing repairs in the front lobby and main entrance to the theatre.
I can’t wait to see a show there when I return to NYC.
Thanks TC;
Time is running out on me for this current trip to NYC (I leave for LA on Monday) but thanks for the offer of a ride around and directions to some NJ theatres. Hopefully we can do this together next time I am over next year?
I have done the Stanley, New Jersey tour a couple of times. It is wonderful. I also went to see the movies at the Leow’s, New Jersey last week, plus touring the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan theatres. Still many more to go. Too little time, too many theatres!
Let me know if you ever come over to London…that goes for any other Cinema Treasures posters on here!
Now called the Playhouse Theatre. When I passed by the other day it was closed (nothing being staged) and the building is up for sale. It seems like it is a multiple use building with the Cafe Wha? restaurant in the basement, a theatre at first floor level and a reheasal space above
lostmemory;
I have just returned from taking a look at the Peerless Theatre. To my trained eyes, it is definitely the original building still there, currently in use as a church. The facade matches with others in the block along Myrtle Avenue and the rear of the auditorium (screen end) viewed from Waverly Avenue is certainly the original theatre auditorium. I took photos of both the entrance facade and auditorium exterior.
The Peerless Theatre opened pre-1920 and closed in 1961.
Opened about 1929, the architects were Schlanger & Ehrenrich.
Looking at photographs and plans published in the book “American Theatres of To-day” Volume Two (1930), an unusual feature of the building was provision for a small musicians box on the left side of the proscenium arch (instead of the usual centrally place orchestra pit in front of the screen). The right hand side of the proscenium arch had a decorative grille, behind which were the theatre organ pipes. There was no stage at this theatre, so it was designed and built specifically for the showing of motion pictures.
Listed as the Universal Theatre in the Film Daily Yearbook, 1926 edition with a seating capacity of 245.
The 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook gives a seating capacity of 200 for the Colonial Theater. In the 1943 edition it is listed as 200 seats (closed), but there is a New Colonial Theatre listed with 675 seats.
By the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. the Colonial Theatre (having dropped ‘New’ from the name) is listed with 550 seats. This could mean the theatre was either closed and rebuilt (enlarged) or a totally new theatre built on another site in around 1942. I have no record of a street address.
Listed in Film Daily Yearbook in the 1940’s as being operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary Joe Cooper. The seating capacity had been reduced from the 1,500 given in 1941 to 1,226 in 1950.
Listed in the 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook with a seating capacity of 1,042 seats. In subsequent editions of F.D.Y. the capacity is given as 592.
Listed as the Prince in editions of Film Daily Yearbooks that I have; 1941 through to 1950. Seating capacity is given in the 1940’s as 160 and in 1950 is given as 205.
Listed in Film Daily Yearbook’s edition 1941 and 1943 as having a seating capacity of 1,000 and operated by Paramount Pictures Inc through their subsidiary Carl Bamford. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. a seating capacity of 759 is given.
The street address must have been re-numbered as in 1951 it is located at 118 ½ College Street.
Listed in Film Daily Yearbook editions 1941 and 1943 as having a seating capacity of 300. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. seating is given as 328.
The Van Buren Theater is a low rise single storey structure which barely rises to the height of the El train tracks. It is located on the corner of Broadway and Van Buren Street (actual given address in F.D.Yearbooks is 1216 Broadway). It is also listed at this address and operating as a movie theatre in the 1914/15 edition of American Motion Picture Directory.
For many years it was in use as a bedding/mattress warehouse and I managed to gain entry and take a look around the building a couple of years ago. There was still quite a lot of architectural decoration to be seen and traces of the proscenium opening were visible between piles of matresses.
It was currently empty when I viewed it a few weeks ago in June 2005. There is a ‘To Lease’ sign on the building for future use as storage.
I have no records of an Idle Hour Theatre in Detroit. There is no theatre by this name in any Film Daily Yearbooks that I have (between 1941 and 1950), nor is there a theatre by this name in the Stuart Galbraith IV book “Motor City Marquees”.
I do however see there was the Atlas Theatre, 15832 Plymouth Road, Detroit, which maps out 3 blocks west of Greenfield Avenue. The Atlas Theatre, opened in 1939 and has its own page listing on Cinema Treasures.
The theatre looks the same today, minus signage and a blank marquee. Also, it looks like the exterior has been re-painted recently.
I was passing by with a group of other cinema enthusiasts the other week and taking exterior photo’s when a side door opened and the care-taker came out and invited us inside. Very nice lobby and auditorium and the original proscenium arch and painted mural on the ceiling are still intact.
The Granada Theatre opened in 1927.
Richard;
Which one of the three architects listed on the link you gave, is responsible for the Capitol Theatre?
The church moved out of this theatre around 6 months ago and the building is currently closed/unused.
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.
The Mount Eden Theater is mentioned as being ‘planned or under construction’ in the 1927 edition of Film Daily Yearbook (published in 1926), so a December 1926 opening is feasible. It was a project of Milnat Realty Corp. and had a planned seating capacity of 1,700. Later editions of F.D.Y. give a seating capacity of 1,745.
Listed in the 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook as the Robert Treat Theatre with a seating capacity given as 600.
I was outside this theatre a few weeks ago and the name on the building is; Brooklyn Heights Cinemas I & II
Stripped out=All vestiges of the theatre interior have been removed.
I have found the opening year of the Peerless Theater was 1914.
The exterior of the theatre looks great. All terra-cotta stonework cleaned, even the brickwork on that massive rear wall has been steam cleaned and years of graffitti removed (although already some has re-appeared on the lower sections). The signage with the Paradise name is all freshly painted. It looks almost ready to open. There are still workmen doing repairs in the front lobby and main entrance to the theatre.
I can’t wait to see a show there when I return to NYC.
Thanks TC;
Time is running out on me for this current trip to NYC (I leave for LA on Monday) but thanks for the offer of a ride around and directions to some NJ theatres. Hopefully we can do this together next time I am over next year?
I have done the Stanley, New Jersey tour a couple of times. It is wonderful. I also went to see the movies at the Leow’s, New Jersey last week, plus touring the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan theatres. Still many more to go. Too little time, too many theatres!
Let me know if you ever come over to London…that goes for any other Cinema Treasures posters on here!
Now called the Playhouse Theatre. When I passed by the other day it was closed (nothing being staged) and the building is up for sale. It seems like it is a multiple use building with the Cafe Wha? restaurant in the basement, a theatre at first floor level and a reheasal space above
lostmemory;
I have just returned from taking a look at the Peerless Theatre. To my trained eyes, it is definitely the original building still there, currently in use as a church. The facade matches with others in the block along Myrtle Avenue and the rear of the auditorium (screen end) viewed from Waverly Avenue is certainly the original theatre auditorium. I took photos of both the entrance facade and auditorium exterior.
The Peerless Theatre opened pre-1920 and closed in 1961.
The Tuxedo Theater is still in use today as a post office.