Abandoned theatres of the USA
Modern conveniences are constantly making our lives easier, however it may come at a cost; losing some beautiful structures to history as they become abandoned places. Paramount Theater
Opened on October 11, 1886 as H.C. Miner’s Newark Theater. It was originally a vaudeville house managed by Hyde & Behman Amusement Co., a Brooklyn based theater management company. After H.C. Miner’s death in 1900, his surviving relatives retained ownership of the theater for several years until its sale in 1916 to Edward Speigel, the owner of the nearby Strand Theater. Speigel also purchased the building next to the theater with intent to use the space to expand the theater. To accomplish this he hired famed theater architect Thomas W. Lamb to do the alterations. In 1917, Thomas Lamb remodeled the theatre in an Adam style. The former Paramount Theater still boasts the vertical ‘Paramount’ sign, as well as the ‘Newark’ marquee. The Paramount Theater was closed on April 1, 1986. Although a retail store operated out of the former lobby until around April 2011, a store employee confirmed that behind the drop ceilings and walls remains much of the old theater, complete with stage area and balcony seating intact.