Crescent Theater

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Details
Name
Crescent Theater
Address
215-217 N Aurora St Ithaca
Year Built
1916
Building Type
Public
Construction
not specified
Description
The Crescent Theater (215-217 N. Aurora Street), built as a movie palace in 1916, served as one of Ithaca College's gyms from 1946 to 1965. It replaced a house, 217 N Aurora St, previously at this location.
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Tax assessment photograph taken in 1954 for the purposes of government appraisal by Roy Wenzlick & Co.

Tax assessment photograph taken in 1954 for the purposes of government appraisal by Roy Wenzlick & Co. 1954

Tax assessment photograph taken in Oct. 1965 for the purposes of government appraisal.

Tax assessment photograph taken in Oct. 1965 for the purposes of government appraisal. 1965

Tax assessment photograph taken in Oct. 1965 for the purposes of government appraisal.

Tax assessment photograph taken in Oct. 1965 for the purposes of government appraisal. 1965

Add Source/NarrativeSources & Narratives
"Nine movie houses operated in Ithaca in 1910. The Wharton brothers, Chicago film producers, operated a studio in what is now Stewart Park until the 1920s. The Wharton Studio brought leading stars such as Lionel Barrymore and Irene Castle to Ithaca, and residents often played as film “extras”. The Crescent Theater (1916) is Ithaca’s oldest surviving theater. Designed by the important local architectural firm of Gibb and Waltz, the theater has been used as a dance hall, an Ithaca College gym, a nightclub, and offices. It retains its original clay tile roof." 

Historic Ithaca, DeWitt Park Historic District and Downtown Ithaca: An Architectural Walking Tour, 24. http://www.historicithaca.org