Feb. 27, 1928: When the Stanley Theater opened in February of 1928, admission to the silent film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” was 65 cents. That price is long gone. So is the film. No copies are known to exist, and it’s officially considered “lost.” The Stanley is still around, however. In a sense.
“Pittsburgh’s Palace of Amusement” cost $3 million to build and was once the largest theater in Western Pennsylvania. As the Stanley, it had a long and colorful history that stretched from the silent film era to the age of rock ‘n’ roll (the last performer there was rocker Ted Nugent in 1984). After a $43 million restoration, the theater reopened 25 years ago today (Sept. 25, 1987) as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. Now it’s home of the Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
(Photo credit: Unknown)
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