Stanley Theater (Newark, New Jersey)
United States historic place From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Stanley Theater is a former 2,000-seat movie theater located in Newark, New Jersey. It was built in 1927 and was turned into a social hall in the 1970s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1986.
 | This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations. (January 2025) |
Stanley Theater | |
 | |
   | |
| Location | 985 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°44′48″N 74°13′46″W |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Grad, Frank; MacEvoy, Warren |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 86001957[1] |
| NJRHP No. | 1338[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 28, 1986 |
| Designated NJRHP | July 17, 1986 |
"The Stanley Theater opened on May 26, 1927, as the latest suburban addition to the progressive chain of Stanley-Fabian Theaters, a local branch of the Stanley Company of America. The idea of a Spanish influenced theater was conceived by Louis R. Golding, an executive of Stanley-Fabian. Golding hired local architect Frank Grad, builder Warren MacEvoy, and supervised the construction himself. The choice of the Spanish influence for theater design was a reflection of the tastes of the times, when luxury and elegance in movie palace architecture were necessities." [3]
"The Stanley Theater contained all the ingredients of an "atmospheric" theater: a magnificent amphitheater canopied by a glorious moonlit and star-studded sky in a Spanish patio. To produce the elaborate settings and atmosphere, lighting and weather equipment such as the cloud machines, was located on platforms behind the elaborate three-dimensional facades, concealed from public observation. Satisfactory lighting for the great span of sky was created by a combination of reflectors, lighting units, and small openings in the ceiling for producing star effects." [4]
The Stanley Company of America merged with Warner Bros. Pictures in a move that unified the assets of Warner, Vitaphone, and Stanley. Stanley also controlled First National Pictures, and what is now famously known as the Warner Bros. Studios Burbank.[5]
Warner Bros. operated the theaters until the anti-trust decree of the late-1940’s calling for separation of theaters from production and distribution. The theater portfolio was spun off as Stanley-Warner, with Warner Board of Directors S.H. Fabian and associates taking control in 1953, who already operated a circuit from New York to Virginia.[6]
From 1980, it was the Newark Tabernacle.[7][8]
As of November 2024, it's reported that after years of abandonment, "the owners of the building want to restore the 97-year-old theater’s lobby along with its historic marquee...The proposal, which came before Newark’s Landmarks Commission, was approved last month. The theater’s restored lobby will eventually become the entrance into a new five-story mixed-use building with 16 residential units on the top stories."[9]
See also
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.