Apollo Theater (Washington, D.C.) facts for kids
| Industry | movie theatre |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
|
Key people
|
A. Clark Jones W.B. Avery |
The Apollo Theater was a movie theater in Washington, D.C.. It was located at 624 H Street NE. This theater showed silent movies. It was built in 1913. The Apollo Theater was part of the popular Crandall movie theater chain. The building was torn down in 1955. Today, a residential building called "Apollo" stands there. It is named in honor of the old theater.
Contents
History of the Apollo Theater
Early Days and Growth
The land where the Apollo Theater stood was quite large. It was first owned by a group called the Kidder Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. They leased it to the Apollo Amusement Company. On April 2, 1913, the Apollo Amusement Company got permission to build a theater. The architect was A. Clark Jones. The builder was W. B. Avery. Both an open-air movie garden and the theater were built on this spot.
In 1922, the Apollo Theater got a big makeover. A balcony was added. This meant more people could watch movies there. In October of that same year, Harry Crandall bought the land. He paid $65,000 for it. He had already bought all the shares of the Apollo Amusement Company two years before. At that time, the buildings and improvements were worth $200,000.
Harry Crandall owned many movie theaters. Newspapers often wrote about his business deals. Buying the Apollo was seen as a big step for the neighborhood. It encouraged others to invest in H Street too.
On June 29, 1930, Warner Bros. Theaters of Washington announced a plan. They wanted to tear down the old Apollo Theater. They planned to build a much bigger one. This new theater would hold 2,500 people. It would have a balcony and air conditioning. To make it bigger, they bought land next to the theater. The main reason for a new building was that the old Apollo could only show silent movies. The new theater would show "3 Dimensional Films" on a wide screen. The old theater was supposed to be torn down once new plans were ready. However, it seems this big plan never happened.
The Theater's End
On December 29, 1949, the company that owned the Apollo Theater sold the land. It was sold to Ourisman Chevrolet, Inc. Ourisman Chevrolet had been a neighbor since the early 1920s. They were located across the street. They had bought land next to the theater earlier. Buying the Apollo Theater allowed Ourisman to grow even more.
The Apollo Theater was torn down in 1955. A five-story service center for Ourisman replaced it. Later, in 1966, the location became a Buick car dealership. The dealership eventually moved. But the service center stayed at that spot.
The land changed owners several times from the 1960s to the 1990s. On August 1, 1997, the land was sold to the Pilgrim Baptist Church. On January 15, 1999, the building was leased out. It became the "H Street Self Storage Center."
The land was sold again on June 3, 2014. The storage building was torn down soon after. In 2017, a new residential building opened there. It has a Whole Foods Market on the first floor. This new building was named "Apollo." It is a tribute to the old movie theater that once stood there.
Movies and Other Events
The Apollo Theater showed many silent movies. Some of these included "The Honeymoon" (1917). It also showed Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917) with Mary Pickford. Other movies were The Mystery Girl (1918) and Cheating Cheaters (1919). These movies were advertised in local newspapers. Many of these old films are now lost and cannot be seen today.
Other interesting events also took place at the theater. For example, on October 21, 1922, young visitors could meet Ezra Meeker. He was a famous American pioneer. He had traveled the Oregon Trail. The theater also hosted events to raise money for good causes. One such event was held on June 19, 1920. It helped support the Casualty Hospital.
