Warner Theatre (Atlantic City, New Jersey) Explained

The Warner Theatre
Former Names:The Warner's Embassy Theatre, The Warren Theatre
Address:2015 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
Type:Movie palace, live theater space
Opened:1929
Renovated:2023
Demolished:1960s-1970s (auditorium, lobby; facade saved)
Capacity:4,270 (former); 422 (current)

The Warner Theatre is a former movie palace and live theater venue built in 1929 on the Atlantic City boardwalk. It reopened as a performance venue in 2023.[1]

Background

Designed by Philadelphia architectural firm Hoffman-Henon Co. and commissioned by Warner Bros., the Warner Theatre opened in June 1929 on the boardwalk near what is now ACX1 Studios (then the Million Dollar Pier).[2] It was built on the site of the former Great Northern Opera House.[3] Opening as the Warner’s Embassy Theatre, its first showing was the 1929 film On with the Show! plus a live stage show.[4] The venue was built in a Spanish Moorish-Atmospheric style in the auditorium and a Venetian-style lobby. It hosted the Miss America pageant and Bess Myerson was crowned there in 1945.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

In the 1950s, the venue was renamed Warren Theatre and later became a live venue for performing artists. The bulk of the theater was demolished in the early 1960s due to lack of revenue. During this period it was owned by George A. Hamid Jr. of the Hamid Circus who converted it to a bowling alley, Boardwalk Bowl, which opened in 1963. Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello appeared at the alley to plug their film Beach Party in the summer of 1963.[5]

By 1978, the lobby was being used as a pizza joint.[10]

2020s renovation as The Hook

In 2023, Caesars Atlantic City and Australian theater producer Ross Mollison's Spiegelworld restored the site as a theater venue, incorporating the original ocean-facing facade, adding stained glass and opening an outpost of Las Vegas's Superfrico restaurant, serving "Italian-American psychedelic" cuisine.[11] [12] [13] [14] The permanent resident show is the adults-only "The Hook," based around Atlantic City's entertainment history.[15] Belfast-born comedy director Cal McCrystal directs the show.[16] [17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New theater, restaurant, bars coming to Atlantic City boardwalk next summer. Asbury Park Press.
  2. Web site: Warner Theatre opening. June 19, 1929. 17. newspapers.com.
  3. Web site: Remembering The Warner Movie Palace on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City | Tiki Lounge Talk. January 16, 2010.
  4. Web site: Warren Theatre in Atlantic City, NJ - Cinema Treasures. cinematreasures.org.
  5. Web site: Warner Atlantic City. incinerama.com.
  6. Web site: Magnificent Atlantic City Theatre Has Endured For Almost 100 Years. Harry. Hurley. September 18, 2023. WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM.
  7. Web site: Bess Myerson, New Yorker of Beauty, Wit, Service and Scandal, Dies at 90. Enid. Nemy. William. McDonald. January 5, 2015. NYTimes.com.
  8. Web site: Victory Of Bess Myerson In 1945 Pageant Celebrated in Documentary. Marty. Gold. September 9, 2020.
  9. Web site: Miss America 1945: Rare Photos From the Old-School Jersey Shore. September 6, 2012.
  10. Web site: Warner Theater, 2015 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
  11. Web site: Las Vegas Impresario Bets Big on Atlantic City with The Hook (Exclusive First Look). Melinda. Sheckells. July 15, 2023.
  12. Web site: Atlantic City's Newest Italian-American Restaurant Promises 'Psychedelic' Cuisine. New Jersey. Monthly. June 26, 2023. New Jersey Monthly.
  13. Web site: 3 restaurants to try in Atlantic City before the summer is over – Metro Philadelphia. Molly. Given. August 8, 2023. metrophiladelphia.com.
  14. Web site: Where To Eat in Atlantic City This Summer.
  15. Web site: The Hook, Superfrico are key components to Atlantic City’s renaissance - Shore Local Newsmagazine. August 3, 2023.
  16. Web site: The Hook is an entertainment venue full of intimacy, history and one-of-a-kind experiences – Metro Philadelphia. Molly. Given. July 19, 2023. metrophiladelphia.com.
  17. Web site: Spiegelworld banking on 94-year-old Atlantic City theater. January 18, 2023.

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