Avenue Theater

For many years, 2713 Germantown Avenue was home to many theatres (under an array of names). The building was designed by Philadelphia architect A.E. Westover. The theater first opened as the Amusement Parlor in 1912, showing silent movies with live piano music for 5 cents admission. The Amusement Parlor became the Temple Theatre, then the Elmer Theatre, and then The Avenue Theatre in 1932. They were known for their “last-run” movies and Saturday ‘kiddie matinees’ with admission of $2.50 for adults and $1.25 for children, and their seating capacity of 500. Unfortunately, on October 7, 1984 a fire - later determined to be arson - ravaged the Avenue Theatre, taking 3 hours to put out. The theater closed shortly after the incident. The lot is now part of the Little Village Academy child care center located at 2711 Germantown Avenue.

Works Cited

1. B, Rick, and Howard B. Haas. “Avenue Theatre.” Cinema Treasures, http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/13297.
2. OCF Realty. “05 Clothing Store on Germantown Avenue Looks Like an Old Theater… But It Isn’t.” 5 March 2020, http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/temple-area/clothing-store-germantown-avenue-looks-like-old-theater-isnt.
3. Philadelphia Buildings and Architects. “Avenue Theatre.” https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/8276.