Loew's Jersey Theatre - Overview and Description

Overview and Description

The Loew's Jersey opened September 28, 1929. It was one of five "Loew's Wonder Theatres" that opened in 1929 and 1930 in the New York City area. Journal Square, a neighborhood in Jersey City, New Jersey, was a popular entertainment and shopping destination. In addition to the Loew's Jersey, two other entertainment theatres were present in Journal Square: the State Theatre and the Stanley Theatre.

The theatre was built on land purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad and located on a main commercial avenue that ran the full length of Hudson County, New Jersey from Bayonne, New Jersey at one end through to Union City, New Jersey. Journal Square also served as a terminus for many Public Service Railway trolley and bus lines. And the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, now known as the Port Authority Trans-Hudson or PATH, has a major station at Journal Square with lines to New York City, Hoboken, New Jersey and Newark, New Jersey.

The cost of construction in 1929 was US$2 million. The capacity of the theatre on opening day was 3,021 patrons. The theatre opened with the film Madame X, a live musical performance by Ben Black and his Rhythm Kings and the Loew's Symphony Orchestra. Tickets to view the movie plus live performances were $0.35. Additionally, the theatre was equipped with a 4 manual/23 rank Robert Morton "Wonder Morton" pipe organ.

The theatre was built with the intention of presenting both live performances and films. The stage of the theatre was equipped with a full counterweighted fly system with the 50'-0" wide screen rigged to be flown in and out. In front of the stage, a three segment orchestra pit was installed. One segment, on left side of the pit as viewed from the audience, contained the pipe organ console. The organ lift could rise independently and rotate. The remaining width of the orchestra pit could also raise, lifting the orchestra up to the stage level. The third segment was an integrated piano lift in the center of the orchestra lift that could either rise independently or with the orchestra lift.

The theatre was equipped with a stage lighting system that controlled a system of lighting fixtures and units on the stage and in the auditorium.

Beneath the stage, two levels of dressing rooms, along with a trap room and rehearsal hall were provided.

The auditorium was laid out with approximately 1,900 seats on a sloping ground floor, divided into sections by aisles running from the entrance of the auditorium to the stage. An additional 1,200 seats were placed on a steeply sloped balcony.

The lobby of the theatre was built as a three story oval with restroom facilities on the second level. Both the Ladies' and Men's restroom featured elaborate decoration and additional spaces for makeup application and socialization. The lobby also possessed a grand chandelier and a promenade.

The exterior of the theatre was dressed with terra cotta tiles and large marquees. A large vertical sign announcing the theatre's name rose on the righthand tower of the building's face and a marquee with interchangeable lettering was installed over the entrance.

At the apex of the front facade of the building, a Seth Thomas animated clock was installed. The clock featured a white faced clock that was illuminated from behind with a statue of Saint George and a statue of a dragon. On the quarter hour, the clock would chime and the statues would perform. The dragon was equipped with red light bulbs in its mouth to represent fire and the statue of Saint George would be tilted by a motor toward the dragon, simulating a spear lunge.

The theatre was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on August 15, 1985. It also received a Determination of Eligibility from the National Register of Historic Places on October 17, 1985 but was not listed due to an objection by the owner.