The "Before Fulton Theatre saved, he went there for movies!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article posted in Lancaster newspaper's "I Know A Story" column.  The story was titled "Before Fulton Theatre saved, he went there for movies."  The story was submitted by Robert A. Martin.  It began with ..... In the 1950s, the Fulton Theatre was on its last legs.  Some people were ready to tear it down.  I went there as a boy to see old B-movie reissues.  For a quarter I watched Westerns with second-stringer heroes who didn't sing.  I saw 10-cent Saturday matinees with single episodes from old serials, and I occasionally watched imported "art cinema," with subtitled dialog and titillating flashes of female flesh.  There was a no-name soda machine in the lobby, which might have sold you a drink if you had the skill to hold the cup upright.  There was also a loud machine that dispensed the oldest popcorn in Lancaster, and a concession stand that sold petrified candy, if you could find the attendant.  Even as run-down as the place was, I thought it was a cool place that just needed a good cleaning and touch-up.  Boy, was I naive about how much that would take.  After graduating from McCaskey High School, I volunteered as a stagehand with several local theater groups, and we tried to keep the theater going by doing live shows.  Thank heaven the right people with enough money and influence were able to save this great, historic gem.  It came very close to becoming just another patch of black asphalt on the landscape, another victim of "urban renewal," which wouldn't have stopped downtown's slide anyway.  Its unique history would have been lost forever.  Well, I am pleased to report that the Fulton Theatre, now known as the Fulton Opera House, is still intact today!  It is actually one of the finest buildings on the 1st block of North Prince St.  I am so glad that they saved the building, since it is one of the most historical buildings in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I used to take Polaroid photos of various inside and outside locations of the Fulton so I could alter the polaroid to make it look like an old-time photograph or painting.  The owner of the Fulton would use the polaroids as gifts for the retiring members of the board of directors of the Fulton Opera House.  To this day, the Fulton still remains one of the best preserved buildings in downtown Lancaster.  I love to drive past it and view what is on the display board.  I want to thank everyone who worked to save this beautiful historical gem located right along the middle of downtown Lancaster.

One of my altered Polaroid prints