Founding Director John Toner on the history of the County Theater and on other theaters in Doylestown.
Before the County Theater opened in 1938. Looking back, movies have been in Doylestown a long time. It began in 1907 when Hellyer's Movie House opened on South Main Street in the back of what is now Main Street Marketplace (formerly County Linen). In 1909, Hellyer's moved across the street to Lenape Hall where it operated until 1925 when the Strand Theatre, Doylestown's first "real" movie theater, was opened at 20 East State Street, the site of the current County Theater.
The County Theater opened in 1938. In the summer of 1938, the Strand was razed and construction began on the new County Theater. The state-of-the-art County opened on September 5, 1938. It was a fine example of late art-deco style and, more importantly, it was air-conditioned.
The 40s, 50s, and 60s were golden years for the County Theater. As an important town center and gathering place, it worked its Hollywood magic. But by the 70s, the usual suspects (TV, shopping centers, and multiplexes) were beginning to take their toll and the theater was in a slow downward spiral. In the early 80s, the County Theater building was almost converted from a movie theater to a commercial mini-mall. Instead, the back third of the building was “cut off” and converted into apartments. A year or so later, the County’s smaller auditorium was twinned, resulting in two auditoriums of 150 and 120 seats. Adding insult to injury, the theater lost its air conditioning, as well! The neon letters on the marquee tower went dim one by one. Then in 1990 the theater closed for six months. After reopening, it closed again in 1992, this time for nine months.
The County was saved in 1992. In late 1992, the County Theater was leased by Closely Watched Films, a local film society that had been showing art films in Doylestown since 1982. The theater reopened on February 5, 1993 as a non-profit community-based project with the screening of Enchanted April. Success was immediate and overwhelming. The community responded financially and with volunteer work sessions. The building was cleaned, painted, and pampered by its new family of supporters.
In June 1996, we launched a capital campaign to raise the money to purchase and further renovate the County Theater. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Board of Directors, community volunteers and staff, we were able to meet and exceed our initial goals. On April 1, 1997, the nonprofit County Theater, Inc. purchased the building and (our non-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation) became the official owner of the County Theater.
Major Renovations - 1997. On September 8, 1997 the County Theater was closed for nine weeks to make the major renovations promised by our capital campaign. New seats and screens were installed in the auditoriums. A new concession stand was constructed for the inner lobby. The upstairs rest rooms were renovated. New HVAC was added for the auditoriums and projection booth. We completely rewired the entire building. The renovated projection booth included some new projection booth equipment. New auditorium doors were installed. New emergency exit ramps in each auditorium and a new emergency system were installed. The outer lobby received a new floor cover, the administrative office and the theater ticketing systems were upgraded. The exterior saw a new sidewalk and a new roof for the marquee. After nine weeks of work, the theater held a Grand Re-Opening. The building and its major systems were now in good shape.
Restoration of the Exterior - 1998. In 1998 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded the County a Keystone Grant that allowed much needed restoration to the exterior of this historically significant building (together with support from The Grundy Foundation and individuals). The Neon Tower was removed from its perch above East State Street in May of 1998 and returned in September of 1998 completely restored. The Marquee was removed October of 1999 and was completed and re-installed in May of 2000. Both should be good for another 60 years.
Interior Renovations - 2009. Renovations to the lobby were completed in June 2009. The lobby change was cosmetic and long overdue. In keeping with the art deco origins of the theater, new carpets were installed and fresh paint was added. In addition, new entrances to the two auditoriums were made by creating double door vestibules. An additional improvement included an upgraded video projection system to accommodate the latest in digital media and high quality projection.
County Expansion opened in 2021. The County purchased the adjacent property in January of 2016. Together, our board, members, and staff spent four years planning, consulting with the community, and fundraising. Construction on a major expansion began on January 16, 2020. We reopened on June 16, 2022. That expansion was very well documented. To read about it in detail, together with seeing hundreds of pictures and videos, go to its special website HERE.
Membership. Membership support is crucial to our ongoing projects, which include upgrading booth equipment, expansion of programming, and outreach to the community. If you are not already a member of the County Theater, please join today!
County Theater, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt non-profit organization. Being non-profit allows us to accept charitable contributions to keep the theater running and to make needed renovations. Our non-profit status also allows us to do special programming and educational outreach. Our mission is to show great films, serve the community, and maintain our historic movie theater.