© Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
Located at the crossroads of Warren County, The Washington Theatre has been entertaining people for over 7 decades. Built in the final years of silent movies, this majestic old theatre features a classically styled lobby along with two modern auditoriums and the best of current motion picture technology.
The Construction began on The Washington Theatre back in April of 1926 and was completed by January of 1927. Built for both silent movies and vaudeville, the theatre held 800 seats and proudly proclaimed itself “The Showplace Of Northwestern New Jersey.” Just four years later in 1931, the theatre was “modernized” with the addition of sound.
Since its founding by the Lyons Theatre Circuit, The Washington Theatre has had many owners. In the 1970’s, the theatre was “twined”, at which time much of its ornate style was covered over or destroyed. Over the subsequent years, the once majestic theatre fell into a state of disrepair, until in 1997 the theatre finally closed. The Washington Theatre did not die however. Briefly reopened by a local community group, in August of 1998 the theatre was acquired by the New Jersey based Galaxy Theatre Corporation. After extensive renovations to restore the remaining grandeur back to the lobby areas, and extensive repairs and cleanup to the auditoriums, The Washington Theatre is once again The Showplace Of Northwestern New Jersey. Charles Van Bibber – Cinema Treasures dot org
