The movie theater no one will ever restore

We lost a lot of theaters in the Capital District over the past few decades.  Several theaters were knocked down to make the Empire State Plaza.  Several drive-ins were repurposed for the expansion of urban sprawl.  The few regional theaters in the Capital District have been chopped up into multiplexes. There’s a building on Central…

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May 30, 1929 – Opening Night at the Madison Theater

Of the dozens of movie palaces and theaters that populated the Capital District, from the beginning of silent film until the creation of shopping mall-based theaters, only three movie palaces have survived to today.  The Spectrum on Delaware Avenue was once called the Delaware Theater, and is the oldest building that still shows films.  The…

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When the Beatles Played in Albany… their movies, that is…

There’s a store in Crossgates Mall where, if you’re feeling nostalgic about Albany’s past history, you can purchase an old photograph of Albany’s legacy, and hang it on your wall.  Want a picture of downtown from the early 20th century?  They’ve got it.  Want a picture of the Empire State Plaza’s Egg in mid-construction?  They’ve…

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