The Strand Theater is a former cinema in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It closed in 1953. Today, part of the building is used for retail and office space.HistoryDuring World War I, Allentown, Pennsylvania was the home of a large Army training camp, Camp Crane, where thousands of recruits were indoctrinated into the military as ambulance drivers before being sent overseas to France. The Lyric Theater, located at 23 North 6th St was primarily a stage theater, however it was adapted to show silent films to entertain the troops that came into the city for recreation.Oliver "Ollie" Gernert, the treasurer of the Lyric, took note that when the Lyric showed a movie, it was packed with soldiers, but when it presented a play or Vaudeville show, many seats were empty. Gernert believed that a cinema-only theater would be extremely profitable, and if it owned by someone who worked for the Lyric, there would be no conflict of interest as the Lyric could continue to present stage shows.Named "The Strand", construction was financed by some local businessmen, including a local dentist, Dr. Benjamin Stuckert, who became Gernert's business partner. The cinema was erected during the summer of 1917, and it opened to a full auditorium on 8 October of that year. The first film shown in the theater was Betsy Ross, with Alice Brady, John Bowers and Lillian Cook.A headline in the local newspaper The Morning Call stated that "Strand, Beautiful Play-House, Open. It was noted that the Strand would be an exclusive modern full-time movie theater, like those in New York and Philadelphia". Unlike the Lyric, it would not present vaudeville stage shows or plays. It was reported that "... The interior decorations of the theater are everything that has been claimed for them... the lighting system is unique for a playhouse in this city, the screen is exceptionally large and the picture areas as clear as life." To accompany the silent films, the theater had a large organ with a full-time organist.
