Theater Row at 11th and State in Erie, PA

Theater Row in Erie, PA postcard courtesy of Tom DiLuzio.

Talk about competition! How about three movie theaters in a row between 11th and 12th on State Street. When the show was finished, you could walk a few doors south and shop for a brand new Cadillac. No kidding!

This block was called "Amusement Row" or "Theater Row."

The three theaters were on the east side of the street, pretty close to the kid on the bike in the lower right corner, around 1912 or 1913. The one closest to him was the Star Theater at 1113 State St. It was managed by James D. Allen. In the middle was the Grand Theater at 1111 State, managed by William J. Fairgraves. Finally, the Princess Theater at 1109 State., managed by Potter & Burgess. These buildings might look familiar, because they have been occupied by the Plymouth Tavern since 1973.

The kid on the bike leads to another good story. Otto Maya lived at 1103 State from 1888 to 1892. He went on to become a nationally-known super star on the bicycle racing circuit shortly thereafter. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed a marker in front of the dry cleaners in 2001, but it went missing a couple of years ago. Let's hope it turns up somewhere.

Here's an article about the the Bicycle craze in Erie: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/10/bicycle-races-and-cycling-craze-1890s.html

This article shows Roth Cadillac, which was located at 1117 State Street: http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/10/roth-cadillac-1117-state-street-and.html