Strand Theatre, Movie palace in Times Square, Manhattan, US
The Strand Theatre was a movie palace at the corner of 47th Street and Broadway featuring grand architecture by Thomas W. Lamb. The building offered a dedicated experience purely for cinema, distinguishing it from entertainment theaters of its era.
Brothers Mitchell and Moe Mark opened the Strand Theatre in 1914 with a one million dollar investment as the first large dedicated cinema. It pioneered approaches to film presentation that other venues would later adopt.
The name references a famous street in London, reflecting its aspirations to be a world-class venue. As one of the first major picture houses, it became a gathering spot for movie enthusiasts throughout the city.
The theater sat at a busy corner easily accessible from Times Square with good transit connections. After its conversion into three separate cinemas in the 1960s, it could show multiple film genres at the same time.
The theater hosted countless film premieres including Captain Blood in 1935, making it a significant date on the entertainment calendar. Its demolition in 1987 marked the end of an era and gave way to a modern office tower.
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