Welcome to the official timeline of the Strand Theatre's history. As an integral feature of Kutztown's community, the Strand has a colorful and storied history. Read and click through the slideshows below to learn about the lifetime of the Strand Theatre and its impact on the people of Kutztown. Explore its origins, discover its owners, and find out interesting facts about Kutztown's local film history.
The two featured timelines follow the journey of the Strand Theatre from its creation in 1908 up until today. The first slideshow details the inception and creation of the Strand under the ownership of Paul Herman, the theatre's very first owner. The next timeline follows Larry Fenstermacher's and Paul Angstadt's respective ownership and management of the Strand Theatre from 1945 until the present day.
The end of the final slideshow updates readers on Kutztown Community Partnership's current involvement with the Strand Theatre. It is KCP's intention to restore the Strand as an operating movie theater for Kutztown community members and beyond. The Theater will also be expanded into a shared space for performing arts shows, local events, and education/community programs for the Kutztown area.
In tandem with Kutztown University, Kutztown Community Partnership created the following timelines for interested community members to peruse. The information and imaging included in the slideshows are credited to Kutztown University's Dr. Amy O'Brien and her undergraduate students. Click through below and get to know the Strand today!
THE PAUL HERMAN ERA
As both a film enthusiast and local to Kutztown, Paul Herman saw a future for community entertainment back in 1908 when he opened his two-reel theater, Herman’s Playhouse. With a loan from his father, Herman was able to open up the theatre and operate it alongside his brother, Quinn Herman. The community support of the theatre was unmatched, and a staple of Kutztown’s history was officially born. In addition to working with his father and brother at the theatre, Herman lived with his wife, Lillie Mae Yoder, and their children in the house adjacent to the theatre’s Whiteoak St. location. Click through below to learn about the ins and outs of Herman’s ownership of the Strand!
1908-1911
The Strand originates as the Kinetoscope Arcade located at 272 West Main St., currently the site of The Kutztown Tavern. Paul Herman operates the arcade. Herman is a well-known figure in Kutztown. As a 34-year mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, he is also involved with Trinity Lutheran Church and the Kutztown Fire Company.
(Image: A kinetoscope from the early 20th century.)
1912-1916
In 1912, Paul Herman builds a dedicated theatre around the corner from Main Street’s Kinetoscope Arcade. The new building at 32 Whiteoak Street, the current home of the Strand Theatre, is named Herman’s Playhouse.
The Playhouse operates as a one-screen cinema until 1916.
(Image: Herman’s Playhouse in the early years)
1917-1926
The first movies shown at Herman’s Playhouse are silent films. Along with his ownership duties, Paul Herman works as the projectionist.
During this time, the building goes through some renovations, including incorporating the home and barn next door into the expanded theatre.
MOVIE TRIVIA:
During this time, talkies, a.k.a movies with audio and synchronized dialogue, become popular. The Victrola console model phonograph from the early 1900s is brought into the Herman household. Thus, the theatre’s sound system is upgraded.
(Image: A promotional excerpt in the Kutztown Patriot for Herman’s Playhouse.)
1927-1931
In 1927, the theatre name is officially changed by Furman B. Willis, who begins leasing the building from Paul Herman. Willis is also the owner of the Park Theatre in the Kutztown Auditorium located at 134 East Main Street. Today, Ryly’s Auto Service Center is located in that space.
MOVIE TRIVIA:
The Strand is born! Under the management of Furman B. Willis Herman’s Playhouse is renamed the Strand Theatre.
(Image: Kutztown Auditorium at 134 East Main Street, which briefly served as another location to see movies in Kutztown.)
1932-1944
Paul Herman leases The Strand again, this time to Theodore Nyquist in 1932. One employee, Larry Fenstermacher, becomes a shareholder of The Strand in 1933.
On Dec. 24, 1942, during the height of World War 2, Theodore Nyquist treats the unemployed community members of Kutztown to a free movie at The Strand as their Christmas present.
(Image: Article recalling the free films shown during WWII.)
THE LARRY FENSTERMACHER & PAUL ANGSTADT ERAS
Larry Fenstermacher was a close, long-time associate of Paul Herman throughout the years he ran Herman's Playhouse. After many dedicated years working with Herman, Fenstermacher first leased and then bought the theatre in 1945, making him the second official owner of the Strand Theatre. Larry Fenstermacher successfully carried on the legacy of the Strand Theatre as a principal part of the community for 32 years, when the theatre was bought by Paul Angstadt. Paul Angstadt was the most recent owner of the Strand Theatre before it was purchased by the Kutztown Community Partnership. Paul Angstadt served as the Reading Mayor and as a state representative in addition to owning the theatre throughout his life. Click through the slideshow below to discover more about these local figures of Kutztown's history.
1945-1968
Larry Fenstermacher purchases The Strand from Paul Herman in 1946, enlisting family members to operate the theatre. The Fenstermacher family lives in the building’s upstairs apartment until the early 1950s as they run the theatre below.
The Strand runs two showings per night—the first at 7 and the second at 9 p.m. The same two movies run Wednesday and Thursday, then the shows switch to two new movies on Friday and Saturday and switch again for Sunday. The theatre is closed Monday and Tuesday. Films arrive every two days at the Bottling Works truck stop. Movies cost 20 cents for adults and 10 cents for kids and include a 10% defense tax for war efforts.
From May 4 to August 31, 1946, The Strand is closed for renovations. When the theatre reopens on September 1, audiences are welcomed by an enlarged auditorium, a bigger lobby, and an expanded upstairs balcony. The theatre’s capacity increases to 500 people. Notably, the iconic Strand marquee adds considerable curb appeal to the structure.
(Image: Fenstermacher’s planning of the renovation from an issue of the Kutztown Patriot in 1946.)
1969-1977
Paul Angstadt purchases the Strand in 1969 and operates it as a single theatre until the spring of 1977. Then, he implements plans to enclose the upper balcony and make The Strand a twin–a theatre with two screens.
(Image: Paul Angstadt with his blueprint for the two-theater renovation from the Morning Call.)
1978-2022
The dual-screen Strand is owned and operated by Paul Angstadt until his death in June of 2022. For decades, Angstadt greets movie-goers each night in the century-old theatre’s lobby to take their tickets and directs them down the hallway to Theatre 1 or up the stairs to Theatre 2 to enjoy the movies. Following Angstadt’s death, the theatre closes.
MOVIE TRIVIA:
On September 2, 2022, the closed Strand Theatre celebrates its 110th birthday as a staple of the Kutztown community. Community members hang a birthday sign outside of the theatre that reads, “Happy 110th BDay Strand Theater. We Miss You!”
(Image: Paul in his final years of overlooking the Strand.)
2023 & Beyond
Local nonprofit organization Kutztown Community Partnership purchases the Strand from the estate of Paul Angstadt in February 2023.
With a mission centered on local preservation and economic revitalization, the organization is working to restore and upgrade the building so it can once again serve as a gathering point for community members.
MOVIE TRIVIA:
Under KCP’s ownership, the Strand Theatre will serve as a shared community space for performing arts, events, educational and community programs.
(Image: The official Kutztown Community Partnership logo. Offices are located at 306 W. Main Street, Kutztown, PA.)
