Preserving the Neighborhood Theatres of William Harold Lee
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Theses (Historic Preservation) Graduate Program in Historic Preservation 2010 Preserving the Neighborhood Theatres of William Harold Lee Mark Edward Donofrio University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses Part of the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons Donofrio, Mark Edward, "Preserving the Neighborhood Theatres of William Harold Lee" (2010). Theses (Historic Preservation). 140. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/140 Suggested Citation: Donofrio, Mark Edward. (2010). "Preserving the Neighborhood Theatres of William Harold Lee." (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/140 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Preserving the Neighborhood Theatres of William Harold Lee Abstract The American cinema tradition faces pressures to adapt architecturally, economically, and culturally to the postmodern age as Hollywood-oriented megaplexes, the internet, satellite/cable television, and DVD mail delivery services such as Netflix compete with the communal neighborhood theatre. Consequently, each year numerous historic theatres are either demolished or gutted to provide more commercially viable alternatives, prompting the National Trust for Historic Preservation to designate historic American movie theatres as one of the “11 Most Endangered Places” in 2001. Without concentrated efforts to preserve and to adaptively reuse these endangered movie theatres, many theatre proponents argue that cinematic experience will soon become depersonalized and placeless, and communities will lose an important anchor institution to stimulate their urban environments. However, relatively few academic resources offer guidance on how concerned stakeholders can effectively preserve and adaptively reuse such scarce historic resources. Keywords Historic Preservation; Philadelphia, Theatres, William Harold Lee Disciplines Historic Preservation and Conservation Comments Suggested Citation: Donofrio, Mark Edward. (2010). "Preserving the Neighborhood Theatres of William Harold Lee." (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/140 PRESERVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRES OF WILLIAM HAROLD LEE Mark Edward Donofrio A THESIS in Historic Preservation Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION 2010 Advisor David Hollenberg, AIA Lecturer in Historic Preservation Program Chair Randall F. Mason Associate Professor I dedicate this thesis to my parents and to my Breton muse. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I thank my advisor, Mr. David Hollenberg, for his patience, prompt edits, and holistic insights, as well as for his willingness to let me define my research proposal. This thesis would not have been possible without his support. Second, although they were not directly involved with my thesis, Mr. Michael C. Henry, Dr. John Dixon Hunt, Dr. Michael A. Larice, Dr. Randall F. Mason, and Dr. John D. Landis also deserve a special thanks for their dedication to teaching and to critical thinking. The material that I learned from their demanding courses served as the foundation for my research. Finally, I would also like to single out Mrs. Betty Ann Fellner, Mr. Howard B. Haas, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, the Hiway Theatre Corporation, the Garden of Prayer World’s Prayer Center, the Historic Lansdowne Theatre Corporation, the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Free Library Architectural Archives, the American Institute of Architects Architectural Archives, the Old York Road Historical Society, and the Radnor Historical Society for graciously assisting me with my research. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................vii PREFACE.........................................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................1-7 Introduction............................................................................................................1 Decline of the Neighborhood Theatre................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW......................................................................8-24 Introduction............................................................................................................8 Why Preserve the Neighborhood Theatre?........................................................8 Conclusion..............................................................................................................11 How to Preserve the Neighborhood Theatre...................................................12 Sponsorship.................................................................................................13 Financing....................................................................................................16 Conclusion............................................................................................................23 CHAPTER 3: THEATRE SURVEY..........................................................................25-35 Introduction..........................................................................................................25 William Harold Lee..............................................................................................25 Remaining Neighborhood Theatres..................................................................31 Operational Theatres..................................................................................32 Converted Theatres.....................................................................................33 Potentially Operational Theatres...............................................................34 Conclusion............................................................................................................34 CHAPTER 4: OPERATIONAL THEATRES.........................................................36-79 Introduction..........................................................................................................36 The Main Line Suburbs.......................................................................................36 Bryn Mawr Theatre Timeline.............................................................................38 iv Anthony Wayne Theatre Timeline....................................................................41 Hiway Theatre Timeline.....................................................................................42 Narberth Theatre Timeline.................................................................................45 Bryn Mawr Theatre Discussion....................................................................48-53 Events Leading to Continued Use..............................................................48 Current State of Preservation.....................................................................50 Impact of Preservation Ordinances.............................................................51 Anthony Wayne Theatre Discussion...........................................................53-56 Events Leading to Continued Use..............................................................53 Current State of Preservation.....................................................................55 Impact of Preservation Ordinances............................................................56 Hiway Theatre Discussion............................................................................56-62 Events Leading to Continued Use..............................................................56 Current State of Preservation.....................................................................60 Impact of Preservation Ordinances............................................................61 Narberth Theatre Discussion........................................................................62-65 Events Leading to Continued Use..............................................................62 Current State of Preservation.....................................................................64 Impact of Preservation Ordinances............................................................64 Philadelphia County............................................................................................65 Walnut Street Theatre Timeline.........................................................................67 Walnut Street Theatre Discussion................................................................71-77 Events Leading to Continued Use..............................................................71 Current State of Preservation.....................................................................74 Impact of Preservation Ordinances............................................................76 Conclusion............................................................................................................77 CHAPTER 5: CONVERTED THEATRES..............................................................80-90