Then and Now. Saved for the next Generation to enjoy.
For over 100 hundred years people have been entertained at the Grand Theatre. Built in 1902 as a Vaudeville Playhouse, the Grand Theatre eventually converted to a silent movie house, then "talkies", and then the big screen movies we know today.
In it's heyday it was the place to be in downtown Elizabeth. People lined the sidewalk to get into the latest motion picture.
Unable to compete with the cinemaplex construction boom, the Grand Theatre closed its doors in the late 70s. Abandoned and left dark for nearly 20 years, it was purchased by the Kolodziej family who spent three years restoring it back to a venue for live entertainment, movies, and community events.
In it's heyday it was the place to be in downtown Elizabeth. People lined the sidewalk to get into the latest motion picture.
Unable to compete with the cinemaplex construction boom, the Grand Theatre closed its doors in the late 70s. Abandoned and left dark for nearly 20 years, it was purchased by the Kolodziej family who spent three years restoring it back to a venue for live entertainment, movies, and community events.
It's all about the MAGIC!
Like the theatre in the movie "The Majestic" the Grand Theatre got a second chance at life when the Kolodziejs reopened it in 2000. The people who are lucky enough to come through the doors realize what a magical place it is. In 2011 the Grand Theatre was named one of the Top Ten Preservation Opportunities in Pittsburgh by the Young Preservationists Association.
"That's why we call it The Majestic. Any man, woman, child could buy their ticket, walk right in. Here they'd be, here we'd be. "Yes sir, yes ma'am. Enjoy the show." And in they'd come entering a palace, like in a dream, like in heaven. Maybe you had worries and problems out there, but once you came through those doors, they didn't matter anymore. And you know why? Chaplin, that's why. And Keaton and Lloyd. Garbo, Gable, and Lombard, and Jimmy Stewart and Jimmy Cagney. Fred and Ginger. They were Gods. And they lived up there. That was Olympus. Would you remember if I told you how lucky we felt just to be here? To have the privilege of watching them. I mean, this television thing. Why would you want to stay at home and watch a little box? Because it's convenient? Because you don't have to get dressed up, because you could just sit there? I mean, how can you call that entertainment, alone in your living room? Where's the other people? Where's the audience? Where's the magic? I'll tell you, in a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it." - From the movie The Majestic
