Crest Theatre
244 Main Street,
Binghamton,
NY
13905
244 Main Street,
Binghamton,
NY
13905
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 32 of 32 comments
Binghamton was indeed home to the Link Piano and Organ Company. Known better for it’s aviation and undersea exploration devices, many people don’t realize that Link started out manufacturing coin-operated automatic pianos as well as theater organs and photoplayers. Link actually began as a continuation of the Automatic Musical Company, a firm founded in 1900. Automatic manufactured coin pianos until about 1910, when it almost went bankrupt. Ed Link Sr. came over from Huntington, Indiana and took over the company, which became the Link Piano and Organ Company. Link’s main products were the coin pianos, although some theater organs (sold as “C. Sharpe Minor Unit Organs”) and photoplayers were produced for the movie trade. Link manufactured all these instruments until 1930, when it switched to the field of aviation. There are a few Link theater organs still in existence. The only Link theater pipe organ left in the Binghamton area is the instrument that is located at the Roberson Museum and Science Center. It was originally used in the Capitol Theater on Exchange St. It was removed from the Capitol in the 60’s just before the theater was razed and installed by Ed Link Jr. in the Roberson, where it was enlarged from 11 ranks to 18 ranks. This organ is now maintained by the recently-formed Binghamton Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society(www.theatreorgans.com/btoc/). I’m not sure if any Link photoplayers still survive, although I recently came across a Link piano in a local library that may have been a photoplayer at one time.
I’ve been told by a fellow CT member that Binghamton was the home to the Link organ.
H Rahner: Often times CT member, “lostmemory” supplies photos so perhaps this will be the case for the Crest. Another sad scenario concerning the Crest Theatre demise.
I worked at the Crest in the 80’s when it had 804 seats. Although it may have been modified through the years. It was a very large theater.
The Crest was torn down so a Revco Drug store could be built on the site. Revco went out of business before the store ever opened for business. At the same time CVS bought a large old house on the adjacent corner to build their drug store. A auto parts store has since taken up residence on the site of the old Crest.
I’ll have to look for pictures. I’d love to see anything anybody would have.
Any photos?
“…..destroyed to make room for a drug store that never opened”?
Film Daily Yearbook’s (1940-1950 editions) give a seating capacity of 1,015 for the Suburban Theatre.