Crandell Theatre facts for kids
The Crandell Theatre is a special movie theater in the village of Chatham, New York. It's a nonprofit organization, which means it's run for the community, not to make money. This theater is nearly 100 years old and is the biggest single-screen movie theater in Columbia County. It gets support from ticket sales, donations from members, and grants from groups like the New York State Council on the Arts. The Crandell Theatre aims to make the area more exciting by showing movies that make people think, learn, and have fun.
History of the Crandell Theatre
Building a Dream Theatre
The Crandell Theatre was built by Walter S. Crandell, who grew up in Chatham. He was a stockbroker and later a banker in the area. The theater is considered a beautiful building because of its unique style. It was built in the Spanish Renaissance style, which was popular in Spain in the 1500s. This style mixes ideas from Moorish designs with those from the Italian Renaissance.
The Crandell Theatre opened its doors on Christmas Day in 1926. The first movie shown was a silent film called Michael Strogoff. Many parts of the theater are still the same as they were back then. It has a large stage that is 26 feet wide and 13 feet deep, with dressing rooms for performers. There's also a balcony with 112 seats, a space for an orchestra, and special spots on each side of the stage for an organ. In 2017, the Crandell was added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
From Silent Films to Talking Pictures
The theater was built on the land where the Crandell family's house used to be. It cost $100,000 to build, which was a lot of money before the Great Depression. Walter Crandell imagined it as a place for traveling vaudeville shows and silent movies. Vaudeville shows were live performances with different acts like comedy, music, and dance. However, movies quickly became very popular, so vaudeville acts never performed at the Crandell.
After the movie The Jazz Singer came out in 1927, talking movies became a big deal. In 1929, the Crandell Theatre installed a new RCA Photophone system. This was a very advanced technology that allowed movies to have sound.
The Quirino Family and Community Support
The Crandell Theatre has been open for 99 years without stopping. For almost 50 of those years, the Quirino family was involved. Anthony Quirino bought the theater in 1960. His son, Tony Quirino, owned and ran it until he passed away in 2010.
In 1998, a group of movie lovers in the area started the Chatham Film Club (CFC). They wanted to show more independent and foreign films. They talked to Tony Quirino and arranged to rent the theater for Sunday afternoon movies once a month. In 2000, the Chatham Film Club teamed up with another local arts group to create the first FilmColumbia festival. This was a weekend of movies shown at the Crandell.
After Tony Quirino's death in 2010, the Crandell Theatre closed, and its future was uncertain. But the community really wanted to save it! With a lot of support from local groups and leaders, the Chatham Film Club raised about $600,000. This money was used to buy the theater and make important repairs. They fixed the roof, installed new heating and cooling systems, and repaired the front of the building and the marquee sign. They also added digital projection and sound systems. This allowed the Crandell to show new movies just as the filmmakers intended.
A Nonprofit Community Hub
The Crandell Theatre reopened just six months later, on July 9, 2010. It became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, meaning it serves the community. In August 2018, the organization officially changed its name to the Crandell Theatre. This brought together all its different programs and shared goals. These goals include a love for movies as an art form, putting on the popular FilmColumbia festival, and keeping the theater as a central part of Main Street in Chatham. It's a special place for the entire Hudson Valley, especially Columbia County.
What's Happening at the Crandell Today?
The Crandell Theatre shows both new movies and older favorites. It also has many family-friendly films. The theater hosts special events like question-and-answer sessions with actors, directors, and editors from movies and TV shows.
Film Festivals and Special Programs
The Crandell Theatre is the main place for the FilmColumbia Festival. This is an annual 10-day film festival held every October. Over the past ten years, the festival has shown more than 650 movies that were not yet released to the public. Many of these films have even won Academy Awards!
The Crandell also hosts the Farm Film Fest. This is a day of movies about local farming in the Hudson Valley. It's supported by several local groups. In January 2023, a new seasonal series called Crandell Kid Flicks started. This program shows children's films and includes fun activities related to the movies.
Theatre Features and Famous Visitors
The Crandell Theatre has a large auditorium with a balcony. It also has a stage and several rental spaces on the street level and offices upstairs.
In 2016, Al Roker, a well-known TV personality from the TODAY Show, visited the Crandell. He showed viewers what a typical night at the theater was like. He even tried working at the ticket booth, the concession stand, and in the projection room! He called the Crandell "the lifeblood of the community."
Looking to the Future
A full restoration and modern update of the historic theater is happening in 2025. The theater is temporarily closed for these improvements. However, it still offers movies and events for its members and the community at other locations. It partners with groups like PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance and Morris Memorial. There are also outdoor movie screenings planned for the summer.
Articles
- https://www.npr.org/2008/10/24/96124905/small-town-festival-focuses-on-films-not-stars
- [1]
- http://blog.timesunion.com/realestate/report-crandell-theater-may-have-a-new-owner/3335/
- http://www.ruralintelligence.com/index.php/arts_section/arts_articles_movies/chatham_film_club_prevails_crandell_theatre_set_to_re-open_july_4/
- [2]
