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Monday, February 7, 2011

Colonial Theatre - Canaan, Connecticut


When this photo was taken in October 2010, the Colonial Theatre of Canaan, Connecticut was in its last days of operation. It’s currently closed and up for sale.

The wood frame construction is not as flashy as, say, Art Deco, but its staid Georgian-inspired columns and respectable gray clapboard with white trim is certainly an example of what the closest thing to a “downtown” would look like in a remote New England village.

Built in 1923, this old movie house is on the National Register of Historic Places. Weathering the decades and changes in film, and audience, the Colonial was closed in 1997, but later re-opened to include live theatre as well as movies. Have a look here at this website more photos, including the nifty interior, and at this website for more history on this theater. Hopefully somebody will see possibilities for the future while respecting its past.
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8 comments:

  1. Elizabeth Kerri MahonFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    Ooh, I would love to own this to run old movies, with a little cafe or wine bar attached to make it a gathering place. Perhaps run a festival. A friend of mine once wrote a romance novel about a similar theater up for sale in Maine.

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  2. Jacqueline T. LynchFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Go for it. That sounds like a fun novel, by the way.

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  3. Classic Film and TV CafeFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:39 PM

    Jacqueline, the photos were amazing. I love the old movie theatres. We celebrated some of our favorite old theatres at our blog site a few months ago and it was fun to read tthe personal memories of great old movie houses.

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  4. Jacqueline T. LynchFebruary 9, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    I agree, I love to read the personal memories of people who attended those old theaters.

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  5. Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.comFebruary 9, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Just found your site, and this post by doing a Twitter search for The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville PA.

    Thanks for posting about this theatre being for sale- I'll make sure to mention it to my RetroRoadmap readers - and link to your blog!

    Wish I could buy it :-)

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  6. Jacqueline T. LynchFebruary 9, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    Thanks Mod Betty, and I love your site RetroRoadmap.com. I urge our readers to pop over and visit.

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  7. Nathanael HoodFebruary 10, 2011 at 5:09 AM

    Ah...old movie theaters....

    I have an old one about 2 miles from where I live. It's small, only two screens (used to be one but they chopped it in half in order to show twice as many films), but it has a distinct charm to it. THESE are not just theaters...they are palaces and temples.

    Anyhow...hello! I'm Nathanael from Forgotten Classic of Yesteryear! I'm a new member of the CMBA and I wanted to say that you're site REALLY impresses me. I'd love to know what you think about my site! Take a look and drop me a comment!

    http://forgottenclassicsofyesteryear.blogspot.com/

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  8. Jacqueline T. LynchFebruary 10, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    Thanks for stopping by, Nathanael. We seem to have a lot of old movie theater fans. Good luck with your site.

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