New Jefferson Hotel & Columbia Theater
Historic Brookville
1828
Originally known as the Globe Hotel this early Brookville hotel had a succession of owners in its first few decades of operation. In 1857, the owner of the building at the time, C. N. Kretz, renamed the structure the Jefferson House.
1904
New owner, Philip J. Allgeier replaced the original building with the four story structure that remains standing today. This building was named the New Jefferson Hotel and served Brookville as a hotel until 1918.
1918
Pittsburgh architect Harry S. Blair built a theater addition to the rear of the building and replaced the original two story portico centered on the facade of the building with the theater marquee. The Columbia, as the redesigned building was named, operated as a popular movie theater until the late 1970s.
Brookville's Columbia Theater, which could easily be given the nickname "Brookville's Backward Theater," has been featured as part of Ripley's Believe It or Not! for its unique design. The Columbia is the only theater in the world in which guests enter from behind the screen; two doors on either side of the movie screen funneled people to seats that faced them as they entered. This interesting architecture is the result of the structure being built on a slope.
Erected by Historic
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1828.
Location. 41° 9.608′ N, 79° 4.699′ W. Marker is in Brookville, Pennsylvania, in Jefferson County. Marker is on Main Street (U.S. 322) east of Pickering Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 122 Main Street, Brookville PA 15825, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Brookville YMCA (here, next to this marker); James T. Carroll House and Shop (a few steps from this marker); YMCA (a few steps from this marker); Richard Arthurs Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Main Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Verstine-Sandt Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Judge Henry Truman House (within shouting distance of this marker); Long & Pearsall Building (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brookville.
Also see . . . Brookville PA National Register Historic District Nomination. (Submitted on July 23, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 204 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 23, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
