Exploring A Massive Abandoned Theater

[@MobileInstinct]

I'll be posting some photos of this place on Instagram - mobileinstinct instagram.com/mobileinstinct

[@outdoorinfluencer]

I have a place you should look into exploring it’s called the Arizona domes. I can get you permission in there if you want to check that spot out.

[@johnmatthews4717]

Newark doesn't deserve nice things.

[@jillmarsh8256]

First thank you for taking us where we will probably never get to go. Secondly it’s a shame these places just crumble to nothing. Next I want to say you’re brave to go certain places. Have you ever seriously gotten hurt and have you witnessed any spirits aka ghost any place you’ve been?

[@MrPvtrandall]

I love you videos. Going where no sane person would go. Lol! However, you do realize the main reason these old buildings are not torn down is because there is no safe way to contain the asbestos that would contaminate the air in the surrounding communities. Remember 9/11 and all the 1st responders. This is the one time I would highly recommend and wish you you wear an N95 masks and do a voiceover for your videos.

[@k.george8722]

Another old theatre you should check out is the old RKO Keith in Flushing, Queens. Your not that far. Another beauty in ruins.

[@cyrysvonnachtseite4546]

The Proctor theater in Schenectady has been completely restored. Even with the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ. Absolutely beautiful

[@dennisud]

First I'm so surprised this building hasn't either been torn down or set on fire. Wow, like a time capsule even with all the damage!

[@MaxZomboni]

Give it time. The building two doors down is burned out.

[@terrynixon2758]

Looked like a lot of the chairs had been set of fire

[@mikkinikki1902]

The new economy of The Federal Reserve and Income Tax did not help its viability and survivability...interesting a tax bill was found...

[@rockintetster]

@@mikkinikki1902 Please, what killed these kinds of theaters is simple. Television

[@nickshipway8199]

The large lever you pulled (and there were more earlier on the other stage) was one of the old lighting controls. Inside that panel would have been large wire wound resistance coils and the lever moved a slide to change where the power was picked up from on the coil. The nearer to the feed, the less resistance there was, so the brighter the lights would be. Up the top was the remains of a gearing system that could be used to move levers together in groups, allowing one person to dim out several channels at once. Great exploration!

[@cjc_0167]

Newark has many abandoned theaters. In that part of town alone there is the Adams Theatre & Paramount within walking distance of the Proctor. Both in similar shape.

[@whatyoumakeofit6635]

Probably the most amazing building ive ever seen of that era. So amazing. All the years it took to perfect a kraft to tge point of tgat building/machine. The absolute pinnacle of that world. Imagine walking into to equivalent of a ancient roman theater, in the condition of this building. Just amazing

[@Suddenlyits1960]

That Disney movie “So Dear to my heart” was from 1948. The song “Lavender Blue” was sung by Burl Ives. It later became a hit for Sammy Turner in 1959. I would have saved that advertisement.

[@terrynixon2758]

It closed a year before my mum was born. I'm nearly 30. Stuff like this blows my mind. I wonder who was the last person to play that piano to an audience, and what song it played

[@jillsmith633]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@robertrosicki9290]

I'm sure if the trades guys that built it and craftsmen that put their hearts and souls into the ornate finishing details could come back and see it today there'd be some stomachs turning and real tears shed . It's like a giant monument to a fantastic vision and huge dreams that slowly withered and died .

[@navalhistoryhub3748]

Nobody even comes close when it comes to Abandoned/historical exploration. Man is in a league of his own... What a place you can almost feel the history echoing out the walls through the video! Absolute mastery.

[@CeeLiberty]

Great job guys. What a theater!!! Whenever I see these old places I continue to think.... that really was a better time.

[@whatyoumakeofit6635]

That check from 1932. 200 and something dollars. That was ALOT of money back then.

[@ImTheCrew]

$200 in 1932 would be $3,818.72 today.

[@Lockbar]

The check was paying for advertising in the local paper. I will guess that was a monthly amount. If that was every week that was ALOT of money in those days.

[@MarksKicksOnRoute66]

Appreciate you letting me walk through with you on this exploration. Great job as always brother!

[@SueGirling68]

Hi Chris, wow that place would have been stunning back in the day, it would have been a special treat for ordinary folk to be there. A real shame in a way that it couldn't have been saved, a bygone era now sits in ruins. Thank you for sharing, much love. xx 🙏💖

[@P00katube]

The Echoes Of Old Applause 😢

[@BGRRecords]

I absolutely love this channel. The best of KZbin.

[@stepps511]

Will, I totally agree!

[@nickcancelliere5638]

First overlap of you and the Proper People Cool

[@lisacherrypie3683]

All the detail!!! Just gorgeous! I was worried about you guys though! 🙏😊

[@gee1502]

Yeh me to, walking around the catwalk above the stage, and in the elevators 🤪👇😭ohhhh 💩

[@jillsmith633]

And when the camera dropped I actually gasped out loud lol. My heart jumped out and said, girl you're too old for this.

[@gee1502]

@@jillsmith633 ha ha, come on Jill, never to old, but you clearly need to explore area 51, as you're look very out of this world in your profile picture 👾

[@equarg]

This reminds me of that TV series, “Life after People”. Fascinating, and scary how quickly nature can destroy what we make if you remove humans and regular maintenance.

[@Queendreamer]

Theres a proctors theater in schenectady NY. Still open. Well currently closed cuz of covid but you get the idea

[@ellemichelle]

I was about to comment the same thing!

[@Al_Dente-d1p]

unnecessarily closed.

[@Queendreamer]

@@Al_Dente-d1p right if they can open amusement parks and movie theater they can open proctors

[@timippolito1182]

Nice! That's close enough for me to check out sometime..

[@richardthompson9836]

Thanks for this. One can just imagine how this looked back in the day. It's a real shame that these old places are rotting away. It's an icon of our history but sadly in today's climet no one wants to remember anything from our past. Whoever owns this place could sell off the good remaining seats, windows, and orher architectural embellishments and earn a nice piece of change. I bet folks would like to own some of this stuff. I've just subscribed.

[@opiealvin]

What an interesting building that was left to rot. Such a shame. New Jersey is such a fragment of its former glory. There was a beautiful theater called the Harwan in Mt. Ephraim on the Black Horse Pike that they knocked down and put up a Walgreens. Sad.

[@maggiesjourney3877]

I got to explore an old theater in Aberdeen, WA that was very similar. Not as large, but had the stage, rows of seats hooked together and cherub paintings peeling from the walls.

[@journeywithjay]

Awesome

[@williamturner7580]

I subscribe to many YT channels (addict) this one is always the one I look forward to most. The content is so varied and interesting, never a dull moment at all. Keep up the fantastic work mate.

[@SONORSQ2guy]

The check you found for $188 in 1932 is worth about $3800 today. 👍👏

[@sugarandpennythepooh1211]

Absolutely AWESOME! Thank you for the fantastic tour! You have GREAT videos!!! 😊❤️🙏🏻

[@lisablack9634]

When you mentioned rehabing the old fire door and having it hung in your home...i was thinking the same thing.

[@gee1502]

Hi guys, fantastic video, real shame this building wasn't saved, such a beautiful place, and the fact that it's still mainly untouched even after the riots never mind after all the years on, it just goes to show that things way back when was built to last, let's hope them windows keep on keeping on and protect this beautiful old gateway back in time, great video once again guys, hope you get to go back there again soon 👍

[@Derek-tk4wf]

Times like 13:40 is where my hands instantly start to sweat and I get a feeling of falling forward down the abyss.

[@vaccumsealed]

We have the Tennessee theater and bijou here n knoxville TN. They renovated both of them years back, so the 2 here in Knoxville are pristine full of different acts that pass through town along with all the ghost stories, too.

[@jillsmith633]

Fascinating and so sad. It is a shame this could not have been preserved somehow. My mom was a local actress when I was a small child, and the theater she used to act in has been demolished, also. My favorite place in the theater was the prop room. I remember the stuffed life size animals with the glass eyes. They looked real to me. This video brought all those memories back. I was scared and worried for you in there. This was a great video. Thank you so much.

[@ocsrc]

Proctor must have been someone important and famous Schenectady NY has a Proctor's Palace Theater that is still in operation. It is a beautiful palace and they have experience with famous acts. The city has fallen down and violent crimes happen around the place every day. It is a shame. When General Electric was in full operation the city was amazing

[@MobileInstinct]

Yes I think he was a pretty big deal in the theater world

[@Queendreamer]

I live in schenectady.

[@HuhHowboutThat]

The catwalk is making my hands sweat! 😱 Edit: nevermind. Just saw the 80 foot drop of the elevator shaft. Holy Crapola.😵

[@MobileInstinct]

Haha not a good place for people who don't like heights

[@justinkelly7445]

Wait a shame, I'm sure it was a beautiful place in its hay day.

[@williamturner7580]

A lot of horsing around I'd imagine too.

[@ThePursuitofHappiness1988]

Man! I’d love to have one of those old tickets. Goodness.

[@mikkinikki1902]

you have to remember the technology that is required to construct that...past available tech was greater than we are told...

[@kathycagg6531]

Opulence turned ruin - strange and wondrous sight. Thanks for taking me along!

[@richdiscoveries]

Now this was awesome. Place must have been beautiful in its day, it still is beautiful. Great job guys thank you for taking us along

[@jomama5186]

What a terrible shame. You did a beautiful job! God bless

[@strivingx67]

For many reasons this is one of my fave places you have visited. Very interesting place.

[@kmfsinny8436]

Wow! Reminds me of the Stanley Theater in Utica, NY (not sure if it was one of Proctor's). So sad to see it go to waste, I'm sure it was absolutely gorgeous in it's heyday. Thank goodness The Stanley is still in operation.

[@ericmcquiston9473]

Great job and your right “ it’s a shame “ that place is falling apart.

[@karenbignell7060]

I just love old theaters because I used to be a dancer. If this one could have been saved, I can’t imagine the awesome performances that could have happened here. Riots do absolutely nothing but destroy towns and people. Thank you for sharing this gem with us before she further deteriorates. She’s a beauty.

[@gfmeekins]

I love old theatres, and have been in a number of working/restored theatres of this era. This was cool to watch and simultaneously frightening as you went about the building, especially when you were on the grid at the end. Thanks for the explore!

[@valsblackcatsrule8740]

Hope no one got hurt! Great views. So sad to see the deterioration of this once stunning theater. Stay safe and healthy out there! Thank you for sharing a part of your day with us!

[@neptunium7121]

I love your back stories and research. It gives us the viewer a much richer experience.

[@rick49721]

Places like this are what got me excited about Architecture! So sad to see it now. Thanks for showing it to us!❤️❤️❤️

[@JJ-JOHNSON]

Thanks for sharing something I would love to see but probably never get to, Awesome footage and channel.

[@JMVideos7676]

I used to love watching movies while sitting in the front rows of the mezzanine level balconies in Chicago area theaters. No better seat in the house.

[@journeywithjay]

Its just soo brittle and down you go. Famous last words.

[@MobileInstinct]

Haha good times

[@577buttfan]

@@MobileInstinct Takes balls to go into this place being a white dude lol.

[@JohnShinn1960]

Jay, all the kings horsemen and all the kings men, soiled their shorts again.

[@58fins]

Thank You! I love old things, and you did a nice job documenting that place!

[@dplomin1954]

You guys were brave exploring the building! Thanks for sharing!

[@rumrunner1756]

Your uploads never cease to amaze me. Thank you for taking me and all the rest of us on another exploration with you Chris. ☮️🤓

[@marcbrooks3288]

It’s simply a shame Theatre was never maintained and left to fall to pieces for all these years! Astonishing Great video mate! Keep them coming 👍

[@billwrinkle9662]

Definitely one of your best videos.

[@dg2152]

Great find, great shot! What a sad, lost treasure this is. The era of movie palace's, no matter where, these were a childhood dream to visit! So sorry you missed the San Francisco Fox theatre! Thanks Chris, this one brings back very happy memories.

[@cindylou6084]

Such an amazing building! Black in its heyday it had to have been gorgeous. Well, it's still gorgeous! A great tour and great research into its history. Loved the old pictures of how things looked back then. Incredible!

[@orsonboggs7753]

16:25 if you had looked up you would have probably seen some kind of heat vent pipes for the projectors...they generate a tremendous amount of heat

[@mkervelegan]

Chris, thanks for making my Saturday OT during COVID so interesting. Hope you tucked into a good dinner from the Ironbound after your explorations!

[@rtrobinson88321]

Thats so much for this video. Places like this give me goose bumps. Never heard of a double decker theater before. Be careful

[@tashasmith6179]

Oh damn!!! I hope you didn't get hurt too bad. That was a hard fall 😲😲😲 I'm in awww of this place. I don't understand why no one hasn't taken all the stuff out it to preserve them or why it hasn't been torn down yet. This is an awesome explore. I would love to see it personally. I love it. Great video. Thank you

[@cccccc5398]

Thanks for showing. Iv always been interested in old building such as this one. It is a shame that it just got forgotten. However, the history that surrounds it to the point of closure. Just AMAZING....THANK YOU...

[@IratePuffin]

That lobby was beautiful.

[@dpaulwilliams309]

What a great historical loss should've been preserved. We have several old theaters where I live and they have been restored or repurposed.

[@garyjackson9225]

If you were walking through that place in 80s or even 90s it would be amazing but the fact that so many intact historical items remain (1941 Home and Garden!) in the 2020s? Truly remarkable and very eerie.

[@b_shady_22]

Absolutely insane ! Thanks my guy ! 👊🏼💯

[@ColinHarperSummerson]

Absolutely fantastic building, so sad its been left to fall apart, yet lobby got converted and used, thats crazy and guess some point whats above will find it way down, if left to continue 🤔 To imagine the lives of people, who must have really loved that place back in the day, maybe a break from there hard lives, but now, much forgotten, neglected , sadly like many elderly people are? Great place, great video, thank you for sharing 👍🙂

[@RandySchartiger]

awesome dude! thanks for bringing us along!

[@UrbexAndChill]

One of my favorite places

[@patmccamy4126]

Love this old stuff and thanks Chris!! Pat

[@JOYOUSONEX]

Excellent video and a good tour of a sadly decaying old theater. Columbus and Cleveland Ohio still have several of these old theaters that are in excellent shape.

[@zach1810]

Amazing!!! So glad to see you explore this gem. My wife and I went here a couple years ago. I have a ton of photos from the explore. Had I known you where going there I would have wanted to join you. It was so much fun to see places I had been just 2 years ago. June, 2019 to be exact. I was on the edge of my seat for your entire video. Great job!!!

[@Ganiscol]

I've watched explores of this theater before, but you managed to surprise me with details not covered by others. 👍 I especially liked the crisp images of the atmosphere in the small theater with natural light coming in through holes in the walls and roof - thats a most excellent spot in this whole complex!

[@tom_p9075]

I just found your Channel few days ago and as I watch a lot of people visiting abandoned places You do have some of the best locations I've seen.

[@chrisfry7915]

Much like a theater in Erie, PA, the Warner theater. Look it up to see what this place used to look like. I saw a few concerts at the Warner. Great video, Thanks!

[@cclip46]

Sad that no one took it on as a preservation project 😢

[@dankoher4318]

Have you ever been to Newark? There’s lots of beautiful buildings it’s just beyond salvageable. Because there’s no longer a need for it. This was once a very viable and prosperous city.

[@Pantheragem]

I've seen a few videos on this place before. Haunting, and fascinating.

[@JohnShinn1960]

Gosh I don't know what to say! All the kings horsemen don't know either! Most impressive so far! Glad you both made it through ok. ( definitely not my last view ).

[@fhwolthuis]

Amazing this place, sorry to see it deteriorate but still beautiful! Thanks!

[@73beetle19]

Nobody builds with quality like this anymore.

[@adriennehewitt865]

Wow! Must have been amazing to visit back in the day! Thanks for sharing!🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

[@dianejones3811]

Amazing! So glad you share what I would never get to see. Thank you!

[@wendyjohnson8639]

What?! I really didn't think it looked the way it did outside the building. If only someone had the time and money to bring that theater back to life.

[@KingVoss]

I binge watch these videos with popcorn 🍿 better than tv

[@garyporter8153]

This is awesome. Thanks for the adventure.

[@brendakrieger7000]

Thanks so much for sharing this location😊

[@galememeeof6688]

I can't believe you went up so high in the theater and out among the seats. It looked pretty shady from down below. Are you sure that was the wind?? We had an old brick theater in our small town back in the 60s. I was just around the corner at the pool when one day we hear a boom and saw a huge dust cloud rising above the buildings. Turned out the roof of the theater had collapsed onto the building and it caved in. It was blocked off until it could be torn down but it looked like the remains of an implosion until then. The young kids in our little town were pretty bored so we were always mad at the "old fogies" in the town because they wouldn't open the theater so we could have something fun to do. I guess we found out why it stayed locked up that day that the old theater collapsed. Nobody got hurt and we had a new story to talk about that whole summer.

[@SarcasticMary]

Wow! I bet this was beautiful in its day. Great work, thanks for sharing!

[@TrainsOhio]

The beauty put into buildings back then was incredible!

[@1martymcfly298]

Yet another great video. Thank you for taking the time to share this. You're the only person I watch about abondoned places even tho there's other great videos. My favorite was emmett till, but it was a very dark episode.

[@keithspottiswoode5594]

Sad to see such a beautiful building left to rot..

[@bonjourtag]

Loved the video! It was amazing! Thank you! Without your videos, we would never see these amazing places!!

[@Carolbearce]

Very cool building. So sad to see it just rotting away.

[@taslimchoudhary1253]

Beautiful Coverage. Chris. 🌻🇮🇳

[@thomasdailey2924]

Man I love watching your videos you have the most calming voice for narration awaome

[@debbiebynum8086]

Chris, as usual you made my day. Many thanks to you. Keep on exploring and making your fantastic videoa.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Man! I bet that place was beautiful in its haydays! It sure doesn't look that safe in there!

[@finleypatmalcolm]

Such a beautiful build8ng.. its such a shame to see them disappear. It was nice to see the FOX in Detroit be restored by the Illitch family.

[@briandunne7021]

Another Great video Chris , beautiful building such history bit sad too

[@Epicmango7]

I imagine that was beautiful when it was new