Monday, February 15, 2010

Then and Now: The Ardmore Theater, Ardmore

1993-2010

The Ardmore Theater, one of the Main Line's grandest historic cinemas, opened in 1926 on W. Lancaster Avenue. With over 1200 seats, the single-screen theater reigned as Ardmore's largest for over seven decades, and in 2000 also became its last one to close. In a surprisingly fast turnover, the Beaux-Arts style building was almost immediately purchased by Town Sports International, which then gutted the interior and reopened the building in 2002 as a Philadelphia Sports Club.

Though its original interiors have been removed, the facade remains quite well preserved, including its glazed transom windows. PSC can also take some credit for restoring the large fanlight over the marquee. Unfortunately, of the four retail spaces which once flanked the main entrance, two have been completely removed, and those on the opposite side have sat dark and vacant for nearly a decade.

Source: Quirk, George. "Ardmore Theater." Cinema Treasures. 13 Feb. 2010. http://cinematreasures.org/theater/2596/
Original photo: Leatherberry, Earl. "Pennsylvania, Ardmore, Eric (The Ardmore Theater) (14,006)" Online photo. Flickr. 30 Apr. 2009. 13 Feb. 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/3488821339/

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