If you’ve been following along even casually over the last number of years, you may have noticed that we here at Naked Philly have a great love for old movie theaters. These buildings once dominated the urban landscape of America, whether on major retail corridors or dotting residential neighborhoods. But we don’t consume media in quite the same way they did a hundred years ago, and the vast majority of these old theaters have met the wrecking ball.

The Columbia Theatre at 2709 Cecil B. Moore Ave. was a notable exception to this general rule. The relatively simple neighborhood cinema was constructed in 1911, according to Cinema Treasures, and operated until 1954. From there, the building was used as a church, a grocery store, a banquet hall, and a community center. We visited the property way back in 2011, when it looked like a new banquet hall would be opening in the building. We’re pretty sure that never happened, incidentally.

Developers purchased the building in 2021 and quickly went to work getting permits to demolish the building and replace it with an 18-unit apartment building. Though the building was historically used for commercial purposes, the property was zoned for residential use, and the 18 units were permitted by right. While we suspect that folks in the neighborhood would have liked to see the old theater building remain, there wasn’t a heck of a lot anyone could do about this particular project. The building, known as “the Columbia,” was completed last year and appears to be fully leased. It’s currently listed for sale for $4.8M.

We confess, we’re a little torn about this project. On the one hand, we love the new density on the Brewerytown fringe and appreciate that the building adds vibrancy to a corridor that’s struggled to get back on its feet for decades. On the other hand, we love old theaters and are always sad to see these interesting old buildings disappear. Perhaps most disappointing is the fact that the new building doesn’t include a commercial component at an address that’s been commercial since the Taft administration. But we can’t blame the developers for following the zoning code – adding commercial would have required a variance and we would never advocate for taking on that kind of additional risk unless it’s absolutely necessary.

You’ll notice, there’s a large vacant lot immediately to the east of the new building. This lot is privately owned, measures a little over 4,000 sqft and would support another medium-sized apartment building. With the Columbia now built and occupied, perhaps we’ll see something appear here in the coming years? We don’t see any permits at the moment, but we’re happy to speculate that something will happen here sometime soon. Or who knows, it could continue to sit vacant for years to come, as it has for decades.