Category:Allen Theater, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Object location	40° 36′ 33″ N, 75° 28′ 51″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	40.609167; -75.480833

Allen Theater 

former movie theater in Allentown, Pennsylvania
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Instance of	movie theater
Location	Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Street address	608 N. New Street, Allentown, PA 18101
Inception	1915
Date of official opening	1915
Date of official closure	1989
Dissolved, abolished or demolished date	2000
40° 36′ 33″ N, 75° 28′ 51″ W
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The Allen Theater first opened in August 1914 as the "Nedsen Theater". It was located at 608-610 North New Street in Allentown, just north of Allen street, between 9th and 10th.

Throughout its existence, the Allen was a local, second-run theater which, unlike its contemporaries in downtown Allentown, played popular films in a residential neighborhood after they ended their first run at the larger theaters in the entertainment district. Prices were considerably less: during the Depression of the 1930s, admission was 20 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

The Allen was one of several "neighborhood" second-run theaters in residental districts of Allentown. It had a number of owners over the decades, and was moderately successful even during the age of television in the 1950s and 1960s. Primarily because of its low prices, it had a reputation as a place to go to see movies a little later but at a cheaper admission. As late as the 1980s, a film could be seen at the Allen for $1 admission. "Wait until it comes to the Allen," was its slogan.

The theater was first owned and operated by R. E. Bowen and H. E. Kelser. It was initially opened with a seating capacity of 416 seats in August, 1914. In June, 1915, it was taken over by James K. Bowen who owned the Pergola Theater at Ninth and Hamilton Street. Bowen expanded the theater to 700 seats and added a second projector. Bowen also added evening showings of films shown during the day at the Pergola. In November 1925, the name of the theater was changed to the "New-Allen Theatre", which reflected it's location at New and Allen streets.

The theater closed in June, 1928 and did not reopen until May 1931. During that time an RCA sound system was installed. When it reopened, the New-Allen showed German-language films until Feburary 1932 when it closed again for renovations. The interior was complely re-done and also a new front was constructed, with a new entrance and lobby. In October 1932, it re-opened showing Hollywood films. In September 1936, the "New" was dropped from its name, simply becoming the "Allen Theatre". In the 1950s a faux-permastone front along with new signage and a marquee was added.

Rising film rental costs and other overhead expenses, however, could not be ignored, and as time passed the Allen did not draw the crowds it once did. As it showed older films, attendance was affected negatively by the advent of home video, in which tape rentals for home viewing would be available at times of the films being shown at the theater. Another factor that affected attendance was that the Allen Theater was built at a time when Allentown was a pedestrian city. Built in a neighborhood of row homes, there was little or no place for people to park their cars nearby, and in the age of mall multi-cinemas in the suburbs, the charm of a small-single screen theater showing second-run films built in a neighborhood that was in decline.

The 1987 death of the theater's last owner, George Restum, led to its closure in November 1989 due to a legal dispute. One of the last films shown at the theater was Martin Scorsese' film, "The Last Temptation of Christ". The Allen recieved the film early as another area theater cancelled its scheduled run of the film, which some condemned as blasphenous.

After its closure, the building stood vacant for just over a decade, with its fate tied up in a property dispute. Several attempts to sell the theater fell-through due to one reason or another and the theatre fell into disrepair. In 1997, a building inspection found the theater's marquee was close to collapse and the city ordered it removed. Suddenly, in July 2000 the empty theater had a building structural failure when the back wall and roof caved in due to deteriorating conditions. It was subsequently ordered by the city to be torn down as an unsafe structure. The land subsequently was sold and it became a neighborhood parking lot