Crescent Theatre

3114 Mount Ephriam Avenue,
West Collingswood, NJ 08104

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: A.M. Ellis Theaters Co,, Hunt's Theaters Inc.

Functions: Auto Repair Shop, Retail

Previous Names: Venus Art Theatre

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Inside

Built in the 1920’s as the Crescent Theatre, this was a neighborhood theatre that mostly served the Fairview section of Camden. It had a one-level auditorium and capacity was 834 (in 1951). By 1931 it was operated by Hunt’s Theaters Inc. By 1957 it was operated by A.M. Ellis Theaters Co. chain.

The Crescent Theatre closed around January 24, 1971 with “Soldier Blue”. It reopened a few months later as the adults-only Venus Art Theatre. Real estate records in the 1970’s showed the owner as A.M. Ellis Theatres of Philadelphia. The Venus Art Theatre closed in the mid-1980’s. By 1986 the building had been remodeled for its present use as a tire store and automotive service facility.

Contributed by Rick Burger

Recent comments (view all 7 comments)

teecee
teecee on March 11, 2005 at 8:24 pm

Listed in the 1951 FDY as having 834 seats.

JBon
JBon on February 1, 2006 at 5:26 pm

I had my oil changed in the place a couple time’s. The theatre part itself has been completely gutted. I mean no sign’s of any seat’s, screen, stage, curtain’s nothin! It’s all been replaced with car lift’s, tool boxes and angry mechanic’s. The front door’s look pretty much original and the projection room probably store’s tire’s and motor oil who know’s? Very iffy neighborhood. Restoration as a theatre is well out of the question on this one. If the current tire store should ever pull out the old Crescent may see use as something else “auto repair related” or as a warehouse of a sort. As long as it doe'nt become a pile of rubble!

teecee
teecee on March 2, 2006 at 5:42 am

Listed as part of A.M. Ellis Theatres Co. in the 1961 Film Daily Yearbook.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on July 4, 2010 at 3:44 pm

Too bad no photos.

RickB
RickB on October 31, 2010 at 5:05 pm

Google Books has the Images of America South Jersey Movie Houses book here, and it includes three photos of the Crescent; one from 1939 on the front cover, one from 1941 on page 25 and one from 2005 as tire store on page 111.

RickB
RickB on January 17, 2011 at 7:47 pm

On the page for the Forest Theatre someone noted that it was the only theater he’d been in where the concession stand was in the auditorium instead of the lobby. The Crescent was another one of those, and unless my memory has seriously failed me it was because this theater had no real lobby at all! All it had was a vestibule between the doors to the street and a set of windowless doors at the back of the auditorium. Walk through the second set of doors and there were no walls between you and the screen—restrooms were off in the left and right corners and the refreshment stand was dead ahead behind the last row of seats. I don’t remember where the ticket taker was stationed. I think the floor sloped up a bit from the sidewalk level to the last row of seats, which may have helped keep light from the street from getting in. There was some empty space inside the inner doors to allow for concession lines and general milling about, and that was as close to a lobby as it got.

RickB
RickB on February 21, 2017 at 9:17 pm

Last day of operation as the Crescent was on or about January 24, 1971, with “Soldier Blue” on the screen.

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