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Levoy Theatre
Levoy Theatre is located in New Jersey
Levoy Theatre
Location126-130 North High Street, Millville, New Jersey
Arealess than one acre
Built1908-1927
ArchitectWrifford, William
Architectural styleClassical Revival, Late Gothic Revival, Art Deco
NRHP reference No.98001064[1]
NJRHP No.3077[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 14, 1998
Designated NJRHPJune 26, 1998

The Levoy Theatre is an operational performing arts center located in Millville, New Jersey. The original building was built in 1908, replacing the Wilson Opera House, which burned down in 1898. It quickly became famous on the vaudeville circuit.

When Warner Brothers purchased the theater around 1930, it was transformed into a 1930s movie palace. It often competed with the Peoples' Theater, which closed in c. 1950. It reached the height of its popularity during WWII, where it had block-spanning crowds frequently. During this time, the theater became arguably the most famous South Jersey theater of all time, screening such films as The Towering Inferno, Holiday Inn, Blazing Saddles, Psycho, White Christmas, Brother of the Wind, The Poseidon Adventure, 1776, and The Trial of Billy Jack during its lifetime.

However, as the years passed, Vineland multiplexes and other factors began to "eat away" at the aging theater's profits, and after several problems arising from its plaster framework and structural elements, it finally closed on December 22, 1974. It remained vacant for 36 more years, losing most of its interior surfacing and theater seats, when finally the Levoy Theater Preservation Society purchased the theater in 1998 and completed its financial package for renovation in April 2010 at long last. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1998. The theatre was scheduled to re-open around July 2011.

The renovation project suffered a setback on January 3, 2011.[3] A section of the building's north wall collapsed, followed by the front wall, leaving most of the 100-year-old structure in rubble. One building nearby was deemed a total loss due to damage from the collapse. One firefighter, already on the scene investigating a gas leak prior to the incident, was struck and injured by falling debris.

The Levoy Theatre construction renovation project restarted in May 2011, [4] five months after the partial collapse, and continued until August 2012. The facade and marquee of the theater was replicated to match an incarnation of the theater from the late 1920s, and much of the interior of the theater has been modeled and matched to the historic features of the century-old venue. Upon entering is a small lobby, followed by a larger ground-floor lobby and a grand staircase leading to a mezzanine lobby. The new theater seats about 700 patrons, has state-of-art sound and lighting, and a levitating orchestra pit. [5]

The Levoy Theatre successfully re-opened on September 9, 2012 with a performance by the Peacherine Ragtime Orchestra underscoring the films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, just like the original Levoy offered. [6]

A grand opening gala is scheduled for September 22, 2012.

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Cumberland County". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help) | Year of abandonment = 1974 | Year of re-opening = Unknown url=http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/lists/cumberland.pdf | publisher=NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office | page=12 | date=April 1, 2010 | accessdate=June 15, 2010}}
  3. ^ Thomas Barlas, Millville's Levoy Theatre collapses during renovation work, Press of Atlantic City.com, accessed January 30, 2011.
  4. ^ Jim Cook Jr., Levoy Theater foundation and wall construction moves forward News of Cumberland County, NJ.com, accessed September 15, 2011.
  5. ^ Jim Cook Jr., Levoy Theater construction preparing for August opening News of Cumberland County, NJ.com, accessed June 8, 2012.
  6. ^ Chris Torres, Levoy Theatre opens in style The Daily Journal, thedailyjournal.com, accessed September 9, 2012.

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