East Greenville’s Grand Theater Preserved Forever; Its Owner’s Tale Is a Legit Shaggy Dog Story

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building with a white sign
Image via WFMZ 69 News.
The Grand Theater, East Greenville, now preserved for its architecture and history.

East Greenville’s Grand Theater got a one-of-a-kind gift for its recent 98th birthday: designation from The Heritage Conservancy as an official historic structure. Rose Itzcovitz gained admission to cover the distinction for WFMZ 69 News.

The movie house was built in 1924.

But in 2004, 80 years after its debut, The Grand Theater heyday had come and gone. It had long been abandoned and was up for sheriff’s sale.

Thankfully, it was purchased by theater fan Ed Buchinski.

He bought the property with one goal: restoring it to its jazz-age glamor and showcasing films.

A childhood memory instilled that vision.

“I was four years old,” Buchinski recalled, “[at] the historic Lansdale theater, which was demolished in 1978. My parents took me to see Benji.”

As the family exited the feature, Buchinski’s parents told him the theater was slated for destruction and that the movie they had just enjoyed would be its last.

Heartbroken, he tried to talk his parents into buying it. They could not.

That boyhood passion for vintage movie palaces kept him moving forward with renovating The Grand Theater, despite huge obstacles.

“When I bought this, it was one good snowstorm away from collapse,” Buchinski remembered.

Now, however, the historic structure status will preserve its architectural integrity and historic significance for future generations.

A close-up on the particulars of this story of The Grand Theater is at WFMZ 69 News.

This video, part of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board’s “Make It Main Street” campaign of 2021,
shows The Grand Theater in all its present glory.

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