Information is sketchy on this place. From a blob I read, first hand accounts confirm this theater specialized in British Comedy in the fifties. The orignial marquee is still out front and I only pulled over because it still possesses the character of a vintage theater. Since at least 1988 it has been a church. An excellent article/blog offers first hand accounts of the doings of the theater in the 1950s. A member of the cinematic theater website wrote about an article which highlighted this theater. That anecdote about the article which first appeared in the 1945 Theater Catalog on page 64 reads as follows:
On the western fringe of the Philadelphia city limits, and the first community at the bottom of the famous “Main Line” section of suburban homes, this 750 seat theatre is being constructed by neighborhood interests to serve a high-type clientele which demands conservativiely good taste instead of extreme theatricalism. An irregular lot 120 feet by 155 feet and verging on the triangular was readily adaptable to a theatre plan that would permit an adequate lobby and foyer plus the addition of five stores along the main street which is the heavily traveled Lincoln Highway to the West. Sufficient ground was available to permit an auditorium shaped to create ideal conditions for sound, sight and atmosphere, and still provide adequate parking facilities adjacent to it and on the less desireable areas at the rear. The theatre portion of the building will have a content of 155,000 cubic feet. In compliance with the city’s building code the theatre will be completely fire-proof and possess six emergency exits in addition to the main doors. Above the masonry foundations and concrete flab floor, the walls will be double-thick brick. The two tones of face brick used on the front will be further enhanced by the use of glass, porcelain and stanless steel. An orthodox marquee will provide sufficient changeable letter selling space for the use of large size letters to attract the passing motorist.
Because the entrance doors will be lined up immediately in front of the screen, a motorized curtain at the read of the standee area will eliminate daylight flashed on the screen during matinee performances. The manager’s office and the box office communicate, thereby facilitating the handling of receipts and tickets, and providing greater protection for the cashier and her cash.
This was the descriptionm of this theatre from 1945 so the opening date could not have been 1938 and seating given was 750. The architect listed in the article is W.W. Lee.