The Beach Theatre Foundation, Inc.

About the Beach

In September of 1950, the Beach Theatre delighted audiences with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor in Father of the Bride, the first film shown in the beachfront movie house. The 860-seat theater built by architect William Harold Lee, known for his theater designs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was part of the William C. Hunt chain of theaters. Hunt commissioned a custom design for the theater's carpeting and wood paneling. The projection and sound technology at the time was considered state-of-the-art.

According to historian Joan Berkey, "The exterior of the building retains many original features, including the semi-circular transom windows over the theater entrance doors, bas-relief swags, the original sign, the Chippendale balustrade, and the columned portico across the façade...On the whole, the theater and shops still convey and embody the original design in which they were built and thus retain a high degree of integrity."

The lobby once featured original murals of an 1880s beach scene and the steamer Republic, depicting President McKinley, Buffalo Bill, and John Wannamaker on board.

The Beach Theatre was demolished in early October 2011.

The Beach Theatre lobby circa 1950. The mural of the steamer Republic is visible to the left.

The Beach Theatre lobby circa 1960, with the Victorian beach scene mural visible to the right.

Front lobby mural of a Victorian beach scene (visible in the 1960s photo above), uncovered in 2009

Lobby mural uncovered in 2009 (visible in 1950s photo above)

The auditorium in the 1960s

Original swag details and windows on the Beach Theatre's Neo-Colonial Revival exterior

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