Doylestown’s County Theater

Where you can always feel like a kid at heart.
By Brenda Lange

The year was 1938. Big box office movies included “Robin Hood”—the original version with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland—“Holiday” with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn and “Angels with Dirty Faces” with James Cagney. With the country in the middle of the Great Depression, folks still dug deep for the 15 cents it cost to see one of these films and others that provided a welcome escape from the challenges of everyday life.

1938 also saw the birth of Doylestown’s County Theater. Fashioned in the late art-deco style, the goal was to attract as many passersby as possible using large posters and a box office street-side.

“This was all part of the ‘show starts at the sidewalk’ philosophy,” says Jim Sanders, development director for the theater since 1995, “where money wasn’t put into big, fancy lobbies, but rather outside, where you could grab peoples’ attention—fast!”

This also was the era of neon lights—known as “liquid fire” when first used in this country for advertising. The County’s distinctive blue tower with yellow neon lettering drew audiences like moths to a flame. For decades, the County Theater grabbed lots of attention, pulling in crowds through WWII, and into the 1970s. But then the tide of good fortune began to turn for the little movie house on State Street.

“Larger theaters took away business and the downtown area was neglected by patrons and visitors,” explains Sanders.  Downtown Doylestown was joining the ranks of small towns across the country, which lost out to suburban sprawl, with its shopping centers, strip malls and multiplexes.

The County closed its doors twice between 1990 and 1992, and its future was uncertain.

Enter Closely Watched Films and the Doylestown Revitalization Board. The board was a brand-new group of volunteers—residents and business owners—whose mission was to bring Doylestown back to life through business, economic and community development initiatives. This group approached CWF, a Doylestown-based film group that had been showing obscure and independent films for about a decade, and asked them to take over the theater’s operations.

They agreed, and when the theater’s doors re-opened in February 1994, The County was a non-profit, membership-based organization that was embraced by the community immediately.

Lots of elbow grease went into putting the theater back in operation. “It had been neglected and needed to be scrubbed, cleaned and painted,” says Sanders. “Volunteers and members used lots of sweat equity.”

A membership drive was successful and the rolls grew from 1993 to 1995, allowing projection equipment and air conditioning to be added. In 1996, CWF bought the building for $350,000 and undertook some major renovations—rewiring the entire building, updating the projection booth and installing a complete new HVAC system, new bathrooms, flooring, new seats, screens, concession stand and alarm system. A capital campaign raised $750,000 to make the upgrades, which were completed while the theater shut down for three months.

In 1998 CWF won a Keystone Grant from the Pennsylvania History and Museum Commission, allowing for the installation of a new neon tower and marquee, which remained true to the original, and which have been featured in numerous magazines and advertisements.

Changes—2009
The original theater was one room, with a half wall at the rear that had a curtain across the top. The County was “twinned” in the 1970s, and just underwent another major renovation this summer, with changes that Sanders calls “practical things.” These renovations amounted to $300,000 and included upgraded projection booth technology and new hi-def digital projection in the left auditorium, new lobby wall treatments and art deco styling by interior designer Celeste Callaghan and a custom podium with computerized access to the digital projector allowing the speaker to control the video along with the house lighting. And the formerly lovely wool carpeting that has born the brunt of more than 1.2 million pair of feet since 1993’s renovation was replaced too.

The renovation also corrected an issue that had plagued movie-goers since the theater opened. “Noise and light seepage from the lobby created a big problem inside the two theaters,” says Sanders. “Now we have two double door entrances, which will make the biggest difference for our guests.”

Focus groups help guide new renovations
“I love going to the County,” muses Cheyenne Mease, a wellness educator from Springtown. “I love that they show movies that make you think and that might not otherwise be seen. Going there I feel like a kid again because of the atmosphere, and I hope it never closes again.”

Similar feedback was gleaned through focus groups held prior to the renovation planning. Sanders says it was important to know what people’s perceptions were and what they wanted in their local theater. “The County was the linchpin to the town’s revitalization in the ‘90s—bringing restaurants and evening visitors back—we know people want to support their community and so we just wanted to give them a say.”

“These new changes allow for a more professional, streamlined operation and a better experience for our audience,” Sanders says. “There is power in being in a room full of people enjoying a movie on the big screen, and we’re happy to give them that experience.”

The allure of larger-than-life images and illusion—a place where you can lose yourself to another place and time, whether to escape from life for a little while or to learn—The County, going strong in its 71st year, provides all that and more.

“I’ve loved the County forever!  I give memberships as gift, I go to Monday night members’ nights and Tuesday’s thank you nights in the summer with free popcorn and a ticket for a guest,” says Pipersville resident Beth Schindele, enthusiastically. “Going there is just more enjoyable; the staff is friendly, the theater is clean and the audience is always respectful. It’s a great experience.”

Ambler Theater

The Ambler Theater opened its doors a full decade before its sister theater, The County, in Doylestown. Built in the Spanish Colonial style, The Ambler’s terra cotta exterior is adorned with twin spires and carved curlicues, providing a decorative landmark on Butler Avenue in Ambler.

Classically designed inside, it originally seated 1800 and included several spacious lobbies, a pipe organ, stage and proscenium arch. “Our Dancing Daughters” with Joan Crawford was the debut film shown Dec. 31, 1928 in this huge and ornate theater.

By 1970, 35 mm films shown there for decades had given way to 16mm Christian films, and parts of the auditorium were screened off. Operations ceased from 1997 until 2001 when the non-profit group, Ambler Theater, Inc. bought the theater and devoted $2M to renovate it.

The theater reopened two years later, after major renovations were made, including splitting the interior into three auditoriums, with two smaller theaters closest to the street and one large auditorium at the front of the theater, which includes the original stage and organ loft. The largest theater opened in 2007.

An exact replica of the original 30-foot vertical neon sign was constructed, funded in part by a Keystone Grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The new neon tower was installed in September 2005.

Everything possible was done to replicate the theater’s original styling, including paint colors, 1920’s era carpeting and a retro style ticket booth. The installation of stadium seating—the theater can now accommodate 520—completed the improvements.

“This was the best use of the space, while keeping the architectural detailing, including the proscenium and organ loft,” explains Jim Sanders, director of development.

“It was an issue of practicality,” he continues. “While we still attract a large audience, there are so many other things we compete with now—the computer, television, sports—t that we just don’t have the same scale of audience they had in 1928.

Renovations continued this year with construction of a new canopy, designed to look like the original, but narrower to keep it away from the street and traffic. Repairs to the façade are ongoing and a new concession stand is under construction.

The Ambler is a nonprofit, community-based theater showing independent, art, and foreign films. Special events such as classic Hollywood films, discussion groups and lectures with local filmmakers and Saturday matinees for kids also are offered. See www.amblertheater.org for schedules and more information.

Brenda Lange is a Doylestown-based freelance writer (www.brendalange.com).