Movie theaters

Andover's first movie theater, the Wonderland, opened in 1909 at 7 Elm Street. The Colonial Theater on Essex Street opened in 1912. The building was owned by Sam Resnick and had previously housed a livery stable, walsh's tin shop, a train station, and then a post office. It was later named the Andover Playhouse.

When the movie house closed in the '60s, the building was converted to office use, and it housed the part of town government that wouldn't fit into the town hall. Finally, the building, then called the "Theater Building," was torn down in 1984 for parking space at the Library.

...The Andover Playhouse.... click to enlarge

...The Theatre Building.... click to enlarge

See

• "Another theater becomes a memory," Andover Townsman, 1984.

• Andover Townsman, August 31, 1995.

• "Remember When: The Andover Playhouse," Andover Townsman, August 19, 2004

• "Joys of the town movie theaters," Andover Townsman, March 7, 2013, p.12.

• Andover a Century of Change:1896 - 1996 by Eleanor Motley Richardson, (974.45 Ric) page 138.

--Glenda 14:42, November 24, 2006 (EST)
--Kim 11:02, November 30, 2011 (EST)
--Kim 13:28, March 15, 2013 (EDT)

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