Fox West Theatre – Trinidad, Colorado The Fox West Theatre opened as the West Theatre on March 16, 1908, with a performance of The Bondman. It was built by Ed West, a Trinidad businessman, and designed by local architects I.H. and W.M. Rapp, who were related to the founders of Rapp & Rapp—the firm…

Eleven years ago today, Kings Theatre reopened. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - photographing the restoration was one of my favorite experiences. Watching a theater come back from the brink beats documenting another loss.

My first post of 2026 is a theater buried in scaffolding. I photographed it almost ten years ago, which should give you a sense of how deep the After the Final Curtain backlog runs. This is the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, documented while restoration stalled. Link in bio.

The Columbia Theatre – Sharon, PA The Columbia Theatre opened on November 29, 1922, with 1,732 seats and a construction cost of $350,000 (about $6 million today). It was built by the Columbia Amusement Company, which also operated theaters in Warren, Erie, and Salamanca. Architect Arland W.…

If you thought I disappeared, I did not. Patreon stayed busy. The 2026 prints are about to ship. The blog still gets monthly posts. If you want the good stuff, head over there. If you want occasional shouting into the void, congrats, I am back. Oh, this is the Marathon Opera House.

I photographed this place on a mini road trip with a friend I hadn’t talked to in almost ten years. I’m pretty sure I cold called the owner while waiting for my flight to Ohio. Bells Opera House opened in 1895. Nearly 1,000 seats. Sometimes access is planning. Sometimes it’s timing and dumb luck.

Bell’s Opera House – Hillsboro, Ohio View of the auditorium from the orchestra level Bell’s Opera House officially opened on November 20, 1895, after just seven months of construction in Hillsboro, Ohio. It was built on South High Street, on a site once known as Rats’ Row, with a nearly 1,000-seat…

I’ve been photographing the Victory Theatre in Holyoke MA for fifteen years. The first shot goes back to my first visit, right after I moved an 1860s prospector out of my frame. The seats are gone and the brickwork has been repaired. Things are finally happening.

The Sampson Theatre – Penn Yan, New York This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in February 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at:  View from the side of the balcony. The Sampson Theatre in…

The Demolished White House Theater Where Presidents Watched Movies Image Courtesy of the Obama Presidential Library When I first photographed historic theaters, I learned that much of their power comes from what we don’t see — the rooms behind the walls, the quiet rituals that make them more than…

Shea’s Theatre – Ashtabula, Ohio This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in January 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at:  Shea’s Theater, located in the heart of Downtown Ashtabula, Ohio,…

The Rialto Theatre opened in 1925 with What Happened to Jones and a live orchestra. It closed in 2007 with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Now it’s back as a church—but like any good Hollywood remake, it’s lost a bit of its soul in the process. afterthefinalcurtain.net/2025/09/17/r...

Rialto Theatre – South Pasadena, California This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in January 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: The Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena, California, opened on…

I photographed the Highland Park Theatre in Los Angeles a few times. The theater closed a few years ago, but it recently showed up as a filming location for the Once Upon a Time in Los Angeles spin-off. afterthefinalcurtain.net/2025/08/19/h...

Theater Lobby, before it got covered in tags — not the good kind of graffiti, just the lazy kind. USA.

If someone was born when I took the first photo, they’d be in high school by the second. Sadly, the Lafayette mural on the proscenium arch is fading fast. Hopefully it isn’t too late to save it.

Highland Theatre – Los Angeles, California This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in December 2024. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: The Highland Theatre, located in Highland Park, Los Angeles,…

Another stop from last month’s THS Conclave: the Boston Opera House. Despite the name, it hasn’t hosted an opera since the 1990s. Today it’s home to the Boston Ballet and Broadway Across America.

The Glove Theatre in Gloversville, NY was almost demolished in the '90s to make room for a parking lot. Seriously. I photographed it a few years back… and accidentally jammed the fire curtain mid-descent while I was poking around. Oops. afterthefinalcurtain.net/2025/07/16/t...

The Glove Theatre – Gloversville, NY This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in December 2024. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: The Glove Theatre opened on October 9, 1914, as an 800-seat venue…

Providence Performing Arts Center. Opened in 1928 as Loew’s State Theatre. Designed by Rapp & Rapp—the same architects behind the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, which is still my favorite. It was almost demolished in the late '70s until the infamous Buddy Cianci stepped in.

The Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA — not abandoned obviously, but it did come dangerously close to being the classiest dining hall on the East Coast. Emerson College was ready to convert it into one until Stephen Sondheim and a bunch of angry theater people signed a petition and shut that down fast.

On November 10, 1977, the Loew’s Gates Theatre was sold to the Triumphant Church of Jesus Christ Inc. for a symbolic $10—along with the less symbolic responsibility of paying off a $74,000 tax bill. It's still in use as a church (occasionally) to this day. afterthefinalcurtain.net/2025/06/12/l...

Loew’s Gates Theatre – Brooklyn, New York This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in February 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at:  The Loew’s Gates Theatre in Brooklyn, NY

When you’ve been photographing the same decaying theater for 15 years, you start looking for ways to keep it interesting. This time I used the disco ball mode on my new light—because nothing says “historic preservation” like mood lighting for ghosts.

Shot this a few weeks after my second daughter Ellie was born. I celebrated by dragging myself into a giant stone sweatbox with a camera. The Worcester Memorial Auditorium—“the Aud” if you’re local—was built in 1933 to honor 9,000 locals who served in WWI. This Memorial Day, we remember them.

Peter David was one of those rare writers I’d follow anywhere—publisher, title, didn’t matter. Fallen Angel came on the heels of his Supergirl run, and while it doesn’t seem to get much love around here, it might be my favorite thing he ever did. Condolences to his loved ones. #rippad

The Berry (White) Theatre – Fort Worth, Texas This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in January 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: The Berry Theater, originally known as the White Theater…

Just got back from a week in Florida. No theaters, no peeling paint—just beaches and a growing sense of architectural withdrawal. So to recalibrate, here’s the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. It’s not abandoned. It’s just a fully restored theater that proves preservation actually works.

@jefflemire171.bsky.social Really enjoying your JSA run - one question though. When did Rex Tyler die again?

On vacation, still wide awake at 3 AM because insomnia doesn’t believe in time off. Spent 3–5:30 editing photos of Gary Methodist from 2011 and 2012, because that’s when my brain thinks it’s peak productivity hour. Sleep is for the weak. #GaryMethodist #AbandonedArchitecture #HistoricTheaters

Grand Theatre – Los Angeles, California View from the center of the balcony. The Grand Theatre at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College opened in 1927 as part of the Los Angeles Polytechnic High School campus. Designed by A.C. Martin & Associates, the 30,000-square-foot auditorium featured a…

Hosting a workshop today at the Olympia Theatre — opened decades before color photography was common. Not the most ornate theater ever built — just better than almost everything going up now #OlympiaTheatre #HistoricTheatre #CaptureHistory #AfterTheFinalCurtain #TheaterPhotography #WorcesterMA

The Grand Theatre was built in 1927 as part of LA Polytechnic High School. Los Angeles Trade Technical College proposed the idea of demolition in 2019, then waited until 2025 to actually follow through. Only the facade remains. I don’t usually post two days in a row, but this needed to be seen.

The Crump Theatre in Columbus, Indiana is finally getting the interior upgrade it’s needed for decades. When I shot it, the 1942 black light mural was hidden behind what looked like a yard sale explosion—so yeah, I missed it. Might be time for a redo, minus the junk piles. #ProjectEncore

Last weekend, someone broke into the Roxie Theatre and tunneled into the jewelry store next door. Stole $20 million in valuables. This is the second time this has happened. Ghost Adventures once asked if I had any paranormal experiences here, so I made one up.

The Carolina Theatre in Charlotte reopened on March 24, after being closed since 1978. I photographed it back in 2016. Hoping to get back in soon to document it now. Also, I’m posting this from an 8-year-old’s birthday party on a Saturday night. Living the dream.

Opened in 1925 as the Metropolitan, it was one of the largest theaters of its time. By the 1980s, it was nearly demolished—until Dr. An Wang stepped in with a major donation that helped save and restore it. It’s still standing, and is one of the most ridiculously gorgeous theaters in the country.

The train from L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat will return in AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY

Strand Theatre – Clinton, MA This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at:  View of the auditorium from the orchestra level. The Strand Theatre opened in downtown…

Usually, my subjects are a little quieter, I photographed The Receiving End of Sirens’ reunion show on March 15. Incredible night, incredible band—worth every bit of hearing loss. #TheReceivingEndOfSirens #TREOS #ReunionShow #LiveMusicPhotography #NotAnAbandonedTheater #ConcertPhotography

Here's a look at some of the theaters I've featured on my Patreon lately. Click the link in my bio to sign up to check out their stories before time (or developers) rewrite the ending. Also, I'm pissed about the Pink House getting demolished for no reason. Just me?

Please please please

Just testing out flashes.

🤭🤭🤭

Olympia (Fine Arts) Theatre – Worcester, Massachusetts The oldest surviving theater in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Olympia Theatre originally opened on August 17, 1891, as Lothrop’s Opera House. Designed by architects Cutting & Forbush the theater sits tucked away on a side street in what is now…

A long time ago in Philly… back when a restoration was still possible, the walls had less “artistic expression” and you couldn’t stargaze through the ceiling. #CouldHaveBeenSaved #abandonedtheater #historictheatre

The Fox Theatre in Inglewood, CA got a major "renovation"—AKA they gutted the whole thing (except for the concession booth.) Hopefully, they got rid of the mites too. Nothing like setting up a shot while getting eaten alive.

Not taking another social media break - I just have the flu. Unlike this theater, at least I still have my insides. #FluSeason #cinematicdecay #abandonedplaces