Abandoned

Commodore Hull Theatre – Derby, CT

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This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

The Commodore Hull Theatre opened on May 4, 1927, on Elizabeth Street, extending through the block to Minerva Street, in Derby, CT. It was built with a seating capacity of approximately 1,270. The theater was named for Isaac Hull, who was born in Derby in 1773 and later commanded the USS Constitution during the War of 1812.

The building was constructed during a period when smaller industrial cities supported large single-screen theaters. Derby and the surrounding Naugatuck Valley had an established manufacturing base, including brass and metal production, which contributed to a steady local audience. The Commodore Hull Theatre followed the standard design of the period, with a main floor, balcony, and stage area for film exhibition and limited live use.

The theater opened at the end of the silent film era and was adapted for sound within a few years, as synchronized dialogue became standard across the industry. It continued operating through the 1930s and 1940s as a primary movie house in Derby, presenting feature films along with newsreels and short subjects.

Attendance declined during the 1950s as television ownership increased and downtown moviegoing patterns changed. The Commodore Hull Theatre closed on November 23, 1959. After closing, the building was converted for commercial use. The lobby became retail space, and the auditorium was altered into a parking garage.

Capitol Theatre – Rockford, IL

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The Capitol Theatre stood at 1122 S. Main Street on the south side of Rockford, Illinois. Built in 1928 by Anthony Domino and Theodore Ingrassia at a reported cost of $175,000, it seated approximately 1,000 patrons. Rockford architect Wybe J. van der Meer designed the building in a Spanish Colonial style. The facade featured buff colored brick, a red Spanish tile roof, and four terra cotta portrait medallions mounted high on the front elevation. Inside, the auditorium followed a Spanish garden theme consistent with the atmospheric theatre movement of the 1920s.

As an atmospheric theatre, the interior was designed to simulate an outdoor setting rather than a traditional enclosed hall. The auditorium created the illusion of sitting in a courtyard under an open sky. A deep blue ceiling was punctured with small lights to represent stars, and a cloud machine projected drifting clouds across the surface. Decorative elements, murals, and architectural details reinforced the feeling of a Spanish garden environment.

The Capitol Theatre opened on February 4, 1928, with the silent film “The Sky Raider”, starring Charles Nungesser. Tickets cost 35 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. The program included vaudeville acts in addition to the feature film, reflecting the mixed format common at the time. Musical accompaniment came from a Kilgen pipe organ, a 3 manual, 9 rank instrument installed in the theatre for live performance.

For several decades, the Capitol Theatre operated as a neighborhood movie house. Operations as a theatre ended in the 1970s. Subsequent commercial uses included a billiard hall and later a Mexican restaurant. Over time, original theatrical elements were removed or relocated, including the cloud machine, which was installed at the Coronado Performing Arts Center.

By 2019 the building stood vacant and was deteriorating fast. The Rockford City Council approved a plan for partial demolition in August 2025 due to the condition of the auditorium. In mid December 2025 the auditorium was demolished but the front portion along South Main Street remained standing for stabilization and potential redevelopment.

The Stanley Theatre – Newark, New Jersey

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A close up of the stage and proscenium.

The Stanley Theatre opened on May 26, 1927 in Newark, NJ. It was built for the Stanley Fabian circuit and designed by Newark architect Frank Grad. The theater seated roughly 2,000 people and was built as an atmospheric movie palace with a Spanish courtyard interior. Its facade used Spanish inspired details, including stucco, terra cotta ornament, tile, and wrought iron. Storefronts were incorporated into the South Orange Avenue frontage.

The lobby as seen from the second level.

Inside, the auditorium was arranged as an outdoor courtyard, with architectural fronts, balconies, tile roofs, towers, loggias, grilles, and awnings along the side walls. The ceiling was painted deep blue and equipped for cloud and star effects. The theater also had a Wurlitzer organ for silent film accompaniment. The Stanley opened with “The Fire Brigade”, starring May McAvoy and Charles Ray. In 1928, a stage curtain fire damaged the organ console, and a replacement console was installed.

The theater’s entryway was filled with trash.

The theater operated as a neighborhood movie house for several decades. By the late 1950s, it was no longer operating profitably as a cinema. It was later acquired by Seton Hall University and became Casa Italiana, also known as the Father Vincent Monella Center of Italian Culture. The building was adapted for cultural and social events, including dinners, dances, films, and stage programs. Portions of the seating were removed during this period, but much of the auditorium decoration remained intact.

Water damage covers much of the interior of the building.

In 1986, the Stanley Theatre was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination cited the building’s architecture and its role in Newark’s entertainment history. At the time of listing, the building retained much of its original exterior and interior design, including the atmospheric auditorium.

The projection booth was largely intact.

The building later became Newark Gospel Tabernacle. In 2004 and 2006, the New Jersey Historic Trust awarded grants for preservation work, including roof repairs, skylight work, and exterior restoration. By 2023, Newark Gospel Tabernacle had vacated the building, and the former theater was listed for sale. In 2025, plans were reported for redevelopment of the site, with the theater building to be demolished and the facade retained.

The Stanley Theatre was demolished in early May 2026.

Print Store Update + 25% Off Current Prints

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The auditorium of the adams theatre in newark new jersey years after it closed.
Auditorium, Adams Theatre – Newark, NJ

25% off all current prints.
Use code FINALCURTAIN25.
Ends 4/5/26. None of these prints will be available again after that.

Shop what’s available here: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/shop

I’m moving all prints 12×18 and under in-house. I’ll be printing them myself going forward. This gives me full control over paper, color, and consistency, and keeps the work closer to how I want it to look.

Before that switch happens, I’m clearing out everything currently in the store.

Once the new store goes live, these are gone. No reprints.

If you’ve had your eye on something, now’s the time.

Bell’s Opera House – Hillsboro, Ohio

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  • View of the auditorium from the orchestra level

Bell’s Opera House officially opened on November 20, 1895, after just seven months of construction in Hillsboro, Ohio. It was built on South High Street, on a site once known as Rats’ Row, with a nearly 1,000-seat second-floor auditorium. The total construction cost came in at $40,000—about $1.5 million in today’s dollars—funded primarily by local manufacturer and philanthropist C.S. Bell.

  • View of the auditorium from the stage.

Bell agreed to cover most of the cost if Hillsboro residents could raise $3,000 toward the project. Once the money was secured, work began in April 1895. The opening celebration stretched across two nights due to ticket demand, with performances of Friends by Edwin Milton Royle and a four-act romantic drama titled Mexico.

  • Unfortunately, the fire curtain was stuck.

The Opera House began showing silent films in 1903, starting with The Great Train Robbery. In the 1920s, it was converted into a sound-equipped movie house and rebranded as Bell’s Theatre. Ownership passed to Chakeres Theatres in 1939, but the venue closed just a few years later in 1942.

While there were brief revivals—including a return to live theater in 1957 for Ohio’s sesquicentennial—the building mostly sat dark for the second half of the 20th century. Its doors opened occasionally for festivals and local events through the 1990s.

Many of the theater’s original metal-frame seats were removed and sold for scrap during World War II. Others were reused in local schools or theaters. By the 2000s, Bell’s Opera House was largely forgotten, its interior aging but still structurally sound.

  • View of the auditorium from the projection booth.

In 2006, comedian and former mayor Drew Hastings purchased the building and began light restoration work in 2010–11. While stabilized, the building still needs significant investment to return it to public use. Hastings has said he hopes to sell it to a nonprofit that can complete the work and bring it back to life.

  • The projection booth was mostly cleaned out.

Kirsten Falke-Boyd, a classically trained singer and the great-granddaughter-in-law of C.S. Bell, visited the Opera House in 2023. Falke-Boyd was part of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra and has performed across the world. She described the space as both fragile and hauntingly beautiful, with its pressed tin ceiling, private box seats, and faded wallpaper still intact For her, it was more than a building—it was family history.

  • Some of the seats remain in the lobby.
Bells Opera House Ohio

The Sampson Theatre – Penn Yan, New York

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View from the side of the balcony.

The Sampson Theatre in Penn Yan, New York originally opened on October 12, 1910. Built by local benefactor Dr. Frank Sampson, it was designed as a vaudeville house and entertainment venue. The grand opening featured a speech by President Theodore Roosevelt and a performance of Louis Mann’s comedy, “The Cheater.” The event drew a sell out crowd, with reserved seating priced at $3 and balcony seats available for 25 to 50 cents. 

The exterior of the theater in 2021.

For nearly two decades, the Sampson Theatre showcased major theatrical productions, including adaptations of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” George M. Cohan’s “Broadway Jones,” and operettas like “H.M.S. Pinafore.” The venue also featured silent films such as D.W. Griffith’s controversial “The Birth of a Nation” and popular serials like “The Perils of Pauline.” Vaudeville acts brought renowned performers to Penn Yan, including Joe Yule, father of Hollywood star Mickey Rooney. Local talent also graced the stage, with students from Penn Yan Academy participating in performances.

View from the stage area, with some remnants of the false ceiling framing still visible.

The theater’s use began to decline in the late 1920s as motion pictures gained popularity. In 1928, Harry C. Morse purchased the building and converted it into an indoor miniature golf course. In 1936, Wells Jewett repurposed it as an automobile garage and showroom, leading to significant alterations, including the removal of parts of the balcony. Over the decades, the building housed a car dealership and later a tire warehouse, operated by the Trombley family. Despite these changes, the structure retained its historic identity and significance.

In 2004, the Trombley family gifted the building to the Penn Yan Theatre Company (PYTCo), which began efforts to restore the theater to its original function as a performance venue. The Sampson Theatre has been recognized as an important historic site, listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Its early use of reinforced poured concrete construction was innovative for a small-town setting, contributing to the building’s longevity despite years of modifications.

The Sampson Theatre revitalization project has received significant support, including grants from the Rochester Area Community Foundation’s Historic Preservation program and the Keuka Area Fund. The funding aids restoration efforts such as installing vestibule doors and a box office. The theater was also selected as one of the Landmark Society’s inaugural “Five to Revive” preservation priorities. PYTCo continues to work toward its mission of enriching the community by reviving this historic entertainment center, bringing live performances and cultural events back to the heart of Penn Yan.

Shea’s Theatre – Ashtabula, Ohio

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This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in January 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

Shea’s Theater, located in the heart of Downtown Ashtabula, Ohio, opened its doors in 1949 during the height of the city’s industrial boom. Designed by Michael J. DeAngelis in the Streamline Moderne style, the theater was a $1 million investment by M.A. Shea with seating for 1,530 guests.

The theater’s heyday coincided with Ashtabula’s economic peak in the 1950s, when the city thrived as a bustling port town along the Great Lakes. Iconic stars like Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Clark Gable graced its screen, while live performances by artists like “Polka King” Frank Yankovic drew record-breaking crowds of nearly 1,700 people.

Despite its initial success, Shea’s began to struggle by the 1970s. Newer theaters in Saybrook Township provided stiff competition, and declining attendance, coupled with financial woes, forced the theater to close in 1973. At the time, the corporation owed significant back taxes and rent, signaling the difficulties of maintaining such a large venue. Efforts to revive Shea’s were made throughout the late 1970s, with the building reopening as a public auditorium in 1977. It briefly hosted live theater, concerts, and community events, but poor attendance and insufficient funding led to its final closure in 1982.

Though its auditorium went dark, Shea’s remained a part of Ashtabula’s community in a limited capacity. A portion of the building became the Ashtabula Senior Center, while the theater’s iconic seats were refurbished and repurposed for the Ashtabula Arts Center. Behind a makeshift wall, the grand main hall sat untouched, a reminder of the theater’s former glory.

The current owner of the theater plans to revive the building in phases beginning with the restoration of its façade and marquee. The hope is to create excitement and community engagement by hosting smaller events in the revamped space while generating momentum for a full-scale restoration. It was recently given a a $500,000 grant from Ohio’s capital budget Although significant funding is still needed, local leaders believe the revitalization of the Shea’s could serve as a catalyst for bringing new energy to Downtown Ashtabula. Work has begun restoring the entryway and lobby of the theater.

Highland Theatre – Los Angeles, California

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This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in December 2024. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

Photographed prior to its purchase by Kristen Stewart.

The Highland Theatre, located in Highland Park, Los Angeles, was designed by prominent theater architect Lewis A. Smith. Renowned for its Moorish-style interior, it opened on March 5, 1925, with a special appearance by actress Norma Shearer and the premiere of the film Lady of the Night. Originally seating 1,432 patrons, it was constructed for local banker Clyde M. Church on what was then Pasadena Avenue (now Figueroa Street).

Highland Park, once a bustling entertainment hub, was home to eight theaters, including the Arroyo, Franklin, and York theaters. The Highland Theatre quickly became a centerpiece of the neighborhood’s vibrant culture, operated initially by West Coast Theatres (later Fox West Coast Theatres). Like most suburban theaters of its time, it showcased several films a week.

The venue went through various transformations, including a period as an adult theater, before pivoting to family films in 1975 under operator Arman Akarakian. In 1983, it was converted into a triplex, reducing its capacity to 465 seats across three screens on the main floor, while the balcony and stage areas were left unused.

Designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1991, the Highland Theatre retained much of its original decor in the balcony area. Despite challenges, it thrived as a triplex by offering affordable prices and friendly service.

In August 2022, the theater building was listed for sale by the family that owned it for nearly a century. It was purchased in December 2022 by Cyrus Etemad, who also owns nearby properties like the Highland Park Bowl. While Etemad has expressed a commitment to preserving the building as a theater, no specific renovation plans have been announced.

The operator’s 99-year lease, originally signed in 1924, expired in February 2023. Etemad allowed the operator to continue running the theater rent-free for a year. However, on February 29, 2024, the Highland Theatre abruptly closed, citing financial difficulties exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The final films shown included Bob Marley: One Love and Dune: Part Two.

In June through August 2025, the theatre was used as a stand-in for a 1977 version of the New Beverly Cinema during filming of The Adventures of Cliff Booth (Netflix, 2026), the Tarantino-penned sequel to Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Exterior and lobby scenes were shot at the Highland, with auditorium scenes filmed elsewhere. Closed since February 2024, the theatre is slated to be renovated by its new owners.

The Berry (White) Theatre – Fort Worth, Texas

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This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in January 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

Auditorium, Berry Theatre Fort Worth, Texas

The interior of the auditorium was gutted a few years before the building was demolished.

The Berry Theater, originally known as the White Theater after its owner, M.S. White, was located in Fort Worth, Texas at the intersection of W. Berry and Hemphill Streets. The 682 seat theater officially opened its doors on April 3, 1940.

Empty projection room, Berry Theatre Fort Worth, Texas

The projection room was largely stripped of equipment.

The building’s design featured a three-story facade that tapered down to a two-story stage house. The theater included a balcony and a distinctive exterior, with the first floor clad in burgundy ceramic tiles and a freestanding box office. The upper levels of the facade were painted stucco, accented with neon lighting that outlined and highlighted its architectural details.

Doors, Berry Theatre Fort Worth Texas

The doors that lead into the auditorium from the lobby.

After decades of vacancy, a commercial demolition permit for the building was issued on July 18, 2023. Demolition began shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2023. The site is now a vacant lot.

The exterior of the theater.

Grand Theatre – Los Angeles, California

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View from the center of the balcony.

The Grand Theatre at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College opened in 1927 as part of the Los Angeles Polytechnic High School campus. Designed by A.C. Martin & Associates, the 30,000-square-foot auditorium featured a stenciled ceiling, original light fixtures, and a painted fire curtain showing Arrowhead Peak. After the high school relocated, the theater was absorbed into LATTC and used for student productions, lectures, and campus events.

Looking back at the auditorium from the stage.

It shut down in 2009 when seismic retrofit work was abandoned, and it never reopened. Over time, water damage and mold took over. By 2022, the Los Angeles Community College District formally proposed demolition as part of a campus redevelopment plan. While the building was considered potentially historic under CEQA, the official word was that reuse wasn’t feasible or compatible with the college’s long-term goals.

Demolition began earlier this month. As of now, only the facade is still standing — but not for long. It’s all coming down to make room for a new entry plaza along Washington Boulevard, which the college says is needed for pedestrian safety and visibility. There are no immediate plans to build a replacement theater.

A longtime professor in the Humanities and Theatre department put it this way: “While the Grand Theatre was once a magnificent space, it had become infected with mold and had to be demolished for health reasons. It would have been far more expensive to attempt to save it rather than tear it down and build something new… We need a space suitable for large campus events like graduations and a theatre to accommodate our extensive fashion-design program.”