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Imperial Theater in West Philly Faces a Bright Future
Development

Imperial Theater in West Philly Faces a Bright Future

Plans to incorporate a 100-year-old landmark into affordable housing and a community hub move forward

After The Trocadero’s Closing, Preservationists Ponder Saving The Interior
Preservation

After The Trocadero’s Closing, Preservationists Ponder Saving The Interior

Philly’s famous Trocadero Theater closed in May after 149 years of continuous use. Protections are already in place for the facade of the building, but can the interior be saved too? Kimberly Haas takes a look

A Life Of Community Service For Theaters In North Philly
Preservation

A Life Of Community Service For Theaters In North Philly

The legendary Uptown Theater is gearing up for its 90th anniversary this month with a new fundraising campaign and the lighting of its original marquee. To mark the occasion, cinema scholar Joan McGettigan gives us a social history lesson on the neighborhood movie houses near North Broad Street

LIGHTS! MUSIC! ACTION! Historic Lansdowne Theater Poised For A Comeback
Preservation

LIGHTS! MUSIC! ACTION! Historic Lansdowne Theater Poised For A Comeback

After 30 years’ slumber, Lansdowne’s sumptuous Art Deco movie palace is ready to wake up, and rouse Main Street too, with music and community spirit. Ben Leech has the story

Unlisted Philadelphia: Locust Theatre
Architecture

Unlisted Philadelphia: Locust Theatre

Ben Leech spotlights unique and significant buildings not listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places with his architectural illustration series, Unlisted Philadelphia. In this installment, a marvelous movie house in West Philly

A Royal Loss On South Street
Photography

A Royal Loss On South Street

In the midst of demolition, Michael Bixler takes a walk inside the brittle bones of the Royal Theater with this photo essay

Marked Potential: Roosevelt Theater
Architecture

Marked Potential: Roosevelt Theater

In Frankford, the Roosevelt Theater faces the El like a careworn sentry guarding the legacy of the city’s last movie palaces. Shila Griffith invigorates the empty, ivory giant with a photography and filmmaking center for teens in this month’s Marked Potential

First Run: Camden’s Claim As Birthplace Of The Drive-in Theater
History

First Run: Camden’s Claim As Birthplace Of The Drive-in Theater

Drive-in theaters were once synonymous with American automobile culture, summertime, and Saturday night. Now, only approximately 338 are still in operation today. Contributor Bart Everts takes us across the river to Camden where the world’s first drive-in was designed and patented


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