"Where the moon and stars shine." That was the Hollywood Theater's slogan when it opened on Potomac Avenue in September 1926. Back then it was a 700-seat movie house, and the building also held two storefronts and a bowling alley in the basement. The stars were real fixtures in the ceiling. They were lost over decades of renovations and closings, during which, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette put it, the theater "closed and reopened so many times that even historians have trouble keeping track."
This Saturday, November 7, Row House Hollywood celebrates its first year, a year and a day after it reopened. The five weeks that follow are built around single nights and marathons, most of them on actual film, where the point is being in the room with everyone else.
A 1926 Idea, Rebuilt Around a 1927 Film
When the Hollywood opened, Dormont was in the middle of a building boom. The Liberty Tunnels had opened two years earlier, and John Cunningham, president of the Dormont Historical Society, told the Post-Gazette that West Liberty Avenue and Potomac "mushroomed just like the surrounding residential neighborhoods did." Pittsburgh architect Charles R. Geisler designed the building. It was one of three movie theaters in the borough at the time.
Most of the century after that was spent taking that original design apart:
- 1934: It reopened with sound equipment after closing in the early Depression years. Warner Bros. had bought it in 1930.
- 1948: The building was gutted and rebuilt with Art Deco influences. The atmospheric decorations, the bowling alley and the storefronts were removed, and seating grew past 1,000. It reopened with Hitchcock's "Rope."
- 1966: Another remodel added hundreds of seats and a wider screen.
- 1982: The marquee from 1948 came down when Potomac Avenue was widened.
- 1988 to 2018: It went through closings, reopenings and new operators. Friends of the Hollywood Theater, a nonprofit formed in 2009, ran horror, anime, Bollywood and "Rocky Horror" nights with a live shadowcast.
- 2018 to 2023: The Theatre Historical Society of America bought the building, but it was closed again by 2023.
Row House Cinemas, which runs the original Row House in Lawrenceville, began buying the building that year. Pittsburgh City Paper reported in September 2023 that the purchase from the historical society was expected in mid-September. WESA reported that the theater closed in 2023 after a short trial run, and Row House's renovation FAQ puts the start of renovations in early 2024. It reopened on November 6, 2025, with Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film "Metropolis."
The choice of "Metropolis" ties directly to the redesign. Co-owner Brian Mendelssohn calls the original Hollywood a "proto-atmospheric" cinema. An atmospheric theater was a 1920s style with an artificial sky overhead, meant to feel like watching a movie outdoors. His version isn't recreating the Mediterranean courtyards that designers favored a century ago. It borrows instead from the futuristic city in "Metropolis." He told the Post-Gazette that when the work is done, "it should feel like you're in Central Park in this 'Metropolis' city watching a movie."
Why November 7 Is the Night to Circle
The first-year celebration brings back the film that inspired the new interior. "Metropolis" screens at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, with musicians playing live accompaniment, and tickets are $25 on the Row House Hollywood special events page.
Live music under a silent film is about as close as a Dormont audience can get to the theater's opening years. Mendelssohn notes that the 1926 room was designed so performers onstage could be heard without amplification. "There was no amplified sound in 1926," he told the Post-Gazette. That same acoustic design is why modern sound systems can echo in the space, and the renovation had to fix it.
The celebration comes six weeks after the building's centennial. On September 26, the theater held a 100th anniversary celebration with a plate spinner and street performers, a nod to the vaudeville acts of early movie houses. Some guests arrived in 1920s clothes.
The Holiday Calendar, on Film
After the anniversary, the schedule fills with titles from the theater's "100 Years Of Films At The Hollywood" series and a first-time marathon. Here are the dates as currently listed:
| Date | Event | Format or room | Listed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Nov 7, 8 p.m. | First Anniversary w. Metropolis, live accompaniment | Silent film with musicians | $25 |
| Sat, Nov 21, noon to late evening | 12 Hour Martial Arts Kumite, six films | The Underground Theater | Check when booking |
| Fri, Nov 27 to Thu, Dec 3 | Lord of the Rings trilogy | 35mm | $16 for a Fellowship screening |
| Fri, Dec 11, 8 p.m., and Sat, Dec 12, 7 p.m. | Aliens | 70mm | $19.50 for the Dec 11 showing |
The Kumite is billed as the theater's inaugural 12-hour martial arts marathon. It starts with "Enter the Dragon" at noon and continues with "The Street Fighter" at 2 p.m., "Beautiful Boxer" at 3:50, "The Raid" at 6:35, and "The Legend of Drunken Master" at 8:35. "The Furious" closes the night at 10:45. The listing offers a six-film pass, and individual titles are sold separately too, so it's easy to stop in for just one.
The Lord of the Rings on 35mm starts the day after Thanksgiving. "The Fellowship of the Ring" plays November 27 at 1:30 and 7 p.m., November 28 at 11 a.m., and December 2 at 2 p.m. "The Two Towers" plays November 28 at 3:45 p.m., November 29 at noon, and December 2 at 7 p.m. "The Return of the King" plays November 28 at 8:50 p.m., November 29 at 5:15 p.m., and December 3 at 1 p.m. That means the whole trilogy fits into Saturday, November 28, for anyone with a free holiday-weekend day and the stamina for it. Each film runs well over three hours.
Aliens in 70mm closes the stretch on December 11 and 12.
Why the Film Formats Matter Here
The 35mm and 70mm screenings are possible because of this renovation. Mendelssohn installed equipment for both formats alongside digital projection. The theater's first 70mm screening under the new ownership was "Lawrence of Arabia." Fans of these formats value them for a warmer look than digital. Film projection has history in this building, too. Chad Hunter, managing director from about 2012 to 2016, helped restore 35mm projection during the Friends of the Hollywood years.
The format choice also fits Mendelssohn's broader view of what a neighborhood theater should be. In the Post-Gazette's centennial feature, he described it this way:
"To me, what makes a movie theater special isn't luxury. It's not your living room. The excitement and the reason why you're willing to spend money going to a movie theater, in my opinion, is the communal experience."
That's why the Hollywood doesn't have recliners or food delivered to your seat. It's also why the holiday schedule is built around shared nights: a live score, an all-day marathon, and a trilogy timed for the long weekend.
The Room You'll Sit In This Season
The main auditorium now seats 389, about half the 700 seats the Hollywood opened with and well under the more than 1,000 it held after 1948. The renovation also added a 46-seat second screening room for documentaries, private screenings and film club events. Other updates covered sound, projection, accessibility, and heating and cooling.
The starry sky isn't finished. Mendelssohn told the Post-Gazette he is still fine-tuning the lighting in the main auditorium. The plan is for the curved ceiling to shift through sunset colors before stars appear, and for a pre-show of ambient music and twinkling stars to replace commercial ads. He also said the work will continue as funding allows. A bar, private karaoke rooms and an expanded arcade are still described as plans for the future, so don't expect them on celebration night.
The Math for Frequent Nights Out
For anyone planning to see more than one of these, the Row House Film Club works at both the Dormont and Lawrenceville theaters. As listed this fall, Standard costs $12.99 a month for one person or $23.99 for two. It includes one ticket a month, advance access, popcorn and member screenings. Premium costs $29.99 single or $55.99 duo and adds unlimited standard screenings plus 50% off Hollywood 70mm shows. At the $19.50 listed for the December 11 "Aliens" showing, that discount would bring a ticket to about $9.75. Prices and schedules on the theater's pages can change, so check them when you book.
If you'd like dinner before the trilogy marathon, Badamo's Family Grocery & Sandwich Shop at 1511 Potomac Ave., next to Badamo's Pizza, now sells sandwiches, bakery items and Italian groceries, according to NEXTpittsburgh. It's a short walk from the theater's door at 1449 Potomac.
A busy calendar at the Hollywood is part of what makes the Potomac Avenue blocks around it lively, and that's what Wendy cares about too. If you live near the marquee and are curious what your home is worth this year, Wendy Weaver can help. Get your instant home valuation, and when you're ready to talk next steps, Wendy is a local call away.
