Overview

The 2,000-seat theatre opened with The Fire Brigade (1926)  starring May McAvoy and Charles Ray.

The Spanish courtyard style auditorium was modeled on the interior of the larger Stanley Theatre in Jersey City.

By the late 1950’s, the theatre was no longer profitable and was sold to an Italian-American cultural organization that turned it into a social hall called Casa Italiana. All of the Atmospheric style decor was retained, but the single floor auditorium was cleared of seats so it could be used for dining and dancing.

In the early 1980’s the building changed ownership and became the Newark Gospel Tabernacle.

The church vacated the building by 2023 when its condition was seen to be deteriorating. The building was subsequently put up for sale .