Strand Theater (Lakewood, New Jersey)

The Strand Theater is a vaudeville theater located at 400 Clifton Avenue in Lakewood Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 1982, for its significance in architecture, art, and theater.^[3]

Strand Theatre
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
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Location	400 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood Township, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°5′39″N 74°12′57″W
Built	1919
Architect	Thomas W. Lamb
Architectural style	Art Deco, Adamesque
NRHP reference No.	82003292[1]
NJRHP No.	2310[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 22, 1982
Designated NJRHP	March 27, 1981

History

The theater was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, and built for the Ferber Amusement Company in 1922 as a place for pre-Broadway runs of shows.^[4] The first event at the theater was a showing of a silent film, Peacock Alley starring Mae Murray.^[5] The next show was a pre-Broadway run of "The Devine Cook" starring Florence Reed.

Within a few years of its opening, the Strand began to host vaudeville shows and silent films. Among the stars who appeared on the Strand's stage early in their careers included Burns and Allen, Milton Berle, and Ray Bolger.^[4]

During World War II, the theater became a cinema house, and omitted the vaudeville acts. As suburban multiplex movie theaters were built, the single screen theater lost its audience. During its economic decline it became an adult movie theater in the 1970s.^[5] In 1981 the theater was added to the List of Registered Historic Places in New Jersey. The theater received a $2.4 million grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority in 1994 for restoration of its Neo-classical and Art Deco interiors.^[6] The theater serves as the Ocean County Center for the Arts.^[7]

References

1. "National Register Information System – (#82003292)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Ocean County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. September 29, 2022. p. 6.
3. Bing, Herbert J. (September 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Strand Theatre". National Park Service. With accompanying 11 photos
4. "Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
5. Blay, Joyce. "Revitalized octogenarian still going strong", CentralJersey.com, October 31, 2002. Accessed December 2, 2022. "Silent screen star Mae Murray inaugurated the Strand with her performance in the movie Peacock Alley, followed by a series of five vaudeville acts."
6. "Strand Theatre". nj.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
7. Music & Performance, Township of Lakewood. Accessed December 2, 2022. "Total renovation of the theater began in 1993 and was completed in 2003. The Strand is on the NJ Register and National Register of Historic Places and serves as the Ocean County Center for the Arts."

External links

• Official website