Garden Theater
 | |
Location of the Garden Theater in Pittsburgh | |
| Location | 12 West North Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°27′19.76″N 80°0′26.16″W / 40.4554889°N 80.0072667°W |
| Built/founded | 1915 |
| Architect | Thomas H. Scott |
| Architectural style(s) | Beaux Arts |
| Governing body/ | City of Pittsburgh[1] |
| CPHD designated | March 25, 2008 |
The Garden Theater (or Garden Theatre) is a 1,000-seat theater that was built in 1915[1] at 12 West North Avenue in the Central Northside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Formerly a movie theater, it closed in 2007[1] and has not been in use much since that time, except for a scene in the movie adaptation of One for the Money starring Katherine Heigl filmed in July 2010.[2] The city of Pittsburgh hopes to revitalize the theater, and it was placed on the List of City of Pittsburgh historic designations by the Pittsburgh City Council on March 25, 2008.[3]
History
Film depictions
- The 1979 sports/cult classic The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh used the Garden Theater and its surrounding neighborhood as the home of the film's astrologist heroine Mona (Stockard Channing) to depict a gritty inner-city gypsy fortune teller's residence.
- The 1995 TV adaptation of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson used the Garden Theater in a scene where Boy Willie and Lymon attend a movie in Pittsburgh.
- The 2010 film One for the Money starring Katherine Heigl[2] uses the same exact buildings complete with the Garden Theater marquee to once again depict a gritty inner-city former burlesque district. This time, the theater and area around it are used to recreate a seedy Trenton, New Jersey, inner-city neighborhood.
Redevelopment
In 2007, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh purchased the building for $1.1 million.[4] The theater along with several other buildings including the former Masonic Hall located in the same block along North Avenue, were later sold to a Philadelphia-based development company.[4] The Theater has now been purchased and redeveloped by Trek Development and Q Development. The building now features 76 apartments that will open July 2023.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 McNulty, Timothy (2007-05-20). "Former North Side porn theater awaits restoration as a possible arts space". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 North Side theater is X-rated — for Hollywood Archived 2011-01-17 at the Wayback Machine, by Bill Vidonic, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ↑ "Garden Theatre given historic status". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Diana Nelson Jones (2012-01-28). "Progress takes big step on Pittsburgh's North Side". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
