Century MovieTheater in Audubon NJ is coming down

[Teegate]

All,

As with the pines time marches on, and the 82 year old former Century MovieTheater in Audubon NJ is coming down. An Eckerd drugstore is being built there. Ironically a CVS megastore is located directly across the street. I visited there tonight to photograph it before it's demise.

http://www.southjerseynews.com/issues/april/b041503a.htm

Guy

 

[BEHR655]

I saw that they were doing something last week but I thought maybe a remodel. Jeeze, just what this area needs, another drug store.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Jeeze, just what this area needs, another drug store.

expecially right across from another one...

 

[annie]

My mom used to live in Haddon Heights, and everytime we went passed there, my aunt would tell me how they used to go there when they were younger. They went to the Catholic School across the street. The theatre is/was a costume shop now, right? My insurance agent used that as a landmark when I had to go to their office. Now what am I gonna do? lol.

 

[Teegate]

My mom used to live in Haddon Heights, and everytime we went passed there, my aunt would tell me how they used to go there when they were younger. They went to the Catholic School across the street. The theatre is/was a costume shop now, right? My insurance agent used that as a landmark when I had to go to their office. Now what am I gonna do? lol.

The costume shop sold it and is now located at the former Ellisburg circle at the former Atlantic book store. Hmmm I see a pattern.

Now you can use the new Eckerd drugs as a landmark!

Guy

 

[andy1015]

The eckerd drug store was only opened for about a year

 

[Teegate]

The eckerd drug store was only opened for about a year

So true.

Here is something interesting. Rob at work bought the book on the history of the White Horse Pike, and there is a great aerial photo in it from I believe 1946 that shows that corner and quite a bit of the adjacent area. On the corner across the street where Acme was, there is shown one of those modular steel diners like the ones made by Jerry O'Mahoney. It sat on an angle right at the corner. It turns out that Haddon Heights had a tornado later in the 40's and it was destroyed. I assume Acme purchased the property after that and used that portion as they're parking lot.

Guy

 

[andy1015]

Wow, I have never heard that and i have lived in that area all my life and so has my whole family. Thats crazy. I still remeber the horse troph that used to be at 8th and high, but than they moved it back to its original spot on that corner. Thanks for the history Guy.

 

[Teegate]

http://www.amazon.com/White-Horse-P...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197415120&sr=8-1


Guy

 

[Jerseyman]

Folks:

To lose the Century Theatre to a drugstore that only lasted two years is beyond stupid!! Now we've lost the Mount Ephraim/Harwan theatre for the same reason. I think Mount Ephraim should consider renaming itself Mount Drugstore! Ridiculous!! Here are a couple of images of the venerable Century Theatre: one from soon after its opening and one from the 1950s.

And although I do not have a post card of the diner across Kings Highway, I do have a matchcover in my collection:

I hope this madness of tearing down historic buildings for box-style drugstores comes to an end in the immediate future!!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Teegate]

Very nice Jerseyman! Thanks. Somehow I don't see the destruction of these places ending.


Guy

 

[andy1015]

Thanks guy and jerseyman. i was just trying to find out more about that tornado, i did find one that happened in 1956, but thanks for that link i belive i am going to pick that up. Yea i saw several movies in the harwan the last one being Cliff Hanger with stallone, and shortly after that it closed for repairs, than they knocked it down. 3 drug stores within a mile, 4 if the eckerd hadn't closed down, but that damage has already been done. I was to young to go to that theatre but my parents and aunt and uncles did, i think they said it was a nickel to see the movie, now its 9.50

 

[andy1015]

No I don't think it is going to end anytime soon

 

[Jerseyman]

Thanks guy and jerseyman. i was just trying to find out more about that tornado, i did find one that happened in 1956, but thanks for that link i belive i am going to pick that up. Yea i saw several movies in the harwan the last one being Cliff Hanger with stallone, and shortly after that it closed for repairs, than they knocked it down. 3 drug stores within a mile, 4 if the eckerd hadn't closed down, but that damage has already been done. I was to young to go to that theatre but my parents and aunt and uncles did, i think they said it was a nickel to see the movie, now its 9.50

Andy:

The 1956 tornado is the correct one for taking out the diner. I know that, in reality, demolition will continue unabated until our politicians learn to cherish the history of the communities they serve. Only then will a historical renaissance occur, although by that time it may be too late and the elected prostitutes will build replicas like the casinos in Las Vegas has done. It is a real shame!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[andy1015]

It is, and it will continue, just hope they don't decide the pines would look better with no trees, and put homes and strip malls all over the place

 

[bobpbx]

And banks too. I see so many woods torn down for a shopping center site, and they always put some stupid bank out in front. Some bank you likely never heard of, like "Centurion" or "Liberty Savings".

I don't get it.

 

[Stu]

Walgreen's is being built in Bayville. They actually bought up 3 of the houses on the street and immediately knocked them down.
Because the 2 Rite Aids and the CVS all within a 2 mile radius weren't enough.

One of those Rite Aids was Lehr's Deli when I was growing up. That got knocked down too to make way for a drugstore which apparently still isn't good enough, so now they have to resort to buying out houses and knocking down those instead.


That's a good part of why I left. Too much is being built, and most of it's just copies of each other. Do we really need 3 drugstores at one intersection? Do we have to have a 7-11 next to every Wawa? If one fast food place goes up, you can bet 2 or 3 more will be next to it within a year.


Wow, this is an old thread. My wife actually has a post in it.

 

[LARGO]

It is, and it will continue, just hope they don't decide the pines would look better with no trees, and put homes and strip malls all over the place

Well,
Like Joni Mitchell said.................................

 

[Aaron]

Unfortunatly i live right down the street from both of these locations. Nothing makes me want to leave NJ more (especially Camden county) than this type of crap. Well that and having to drive for 20 mins to go 5 miles because of traffic

 

[Stu]

Well that and having to drive for 20 mins to go 5 miles because of traffic

It took me about the same amount to drive 3 miles from Bayville to Toms River as it now takes me to drive 25 from my town to Wilkes-Barre.