Two-For-One Theatre, USA

Two-For-One Theatre is a rare example of a double-decker American theatre. Interestingly, there are two auditoriums inside this narrow 10 storey building. The lowest two floors, previously the lobby area, have been renovated and are currently a retail outlet. The theatre was built in the early 20th Century, and closed in the late 1960s and currently are decaying and collapsing as the decades pass.

We visited this theatre in the spring of 2018, as part of our USA 2018 Tour. This was the final location of this road trip across East Coast America.

The Grand Abandoned Two-For-One Theatre

Like most American theatres, this grand theatre originally showed Vaudeville shows. The owners would run these theatrical performances continuously from morning when the theatre doors open, until late a night. Towards the end of the 1920’s the theatre was adapted to a more modern entertainment media, the increasingly popular motion picture feature films.

The lower area of Two-For-One Theatre was the main attraction here. It is very dark and has no windows, the only light enters from open fire escapes on the upper levels. There are over 2000 seats in this immense auditorium; a lowermost orchestra seating area in front of the stage, with two steep balcony levels above. There were also several private box areas, for VIP’s and those with the extra cash to spend on the best seats in the house.

The Penthouse Cinema

The penthouse of Two-For-One Theatre occupies the uppermost two levels with nearly 1500 seats. Little information is available about this upper auditorium during the theatres early days. When the lower theatre made the transition towards showing movies in 1920’s, it seems this theatre was still seldom used. This rooftop theatre was renovated in the 1960’s where it then saw regular use, mostly showing foreign films and art-house productions. nearly 1500 seats.

The once billowing cloth ceiling drapes, now hang torn in disarray and blow in the breeze. These would have lined the ceiling, hiding the industrial-looking arched iron girders that support the roof of the building. Numerous bulbs can be seen mounted along the curved iron beams, which would have brightly lit the auditorium in between movie showings.