Doris Campbell Hector passed away on June 2, 2002 at the age of 81:
BUSINESS FACILITIES OF THE IRONBOUND SECTION - NEWARK - 1920-1946
The location of Ferry Street is from the New Jersey Railroad Avenue to the junction of Merchant Street. This section was strictly a commercial area, similar to today's "strip mall" without adequate parking, serving the needs of the people living in the Ironbound section. There were few, if any , private residences. However, people did reside in flats/apartments which were located above the various stores.
On Ferry Street, close to Penn Station, there was a bank at the junction of Market and Ferry Streets; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel RC Church; the Rubber Set Company, which offered local employment. Moving eastward, there was a firehouse, Shore Piano Co., where my parents bought a player piano; Orego Florist, Dugan Bakery Outlet, Goldfinger's Children and Infant store, where my First Communion dress and veil were purchased. There was the Ironbound Theater, where from 1930 on, only foreign films were shown. Also, the W. J. Jelly Furniture Store, Morrison Photo Studio, where. on special occasions, our family had photos taken. There was the Rivoli Theater, where, on many a Saturday afternoon, I watched serial after serial.
The Rivoli had a two level balcony and the teenagers weren't allowed in the upper level also because of the necking and what ever else they got away with. The theater closed down in the 60's and the new owners sub-divided the building and the US Post Office took most of it and the rest of it became small stores.
I remember the little things about theater, the air-conditioning was like the North Pole in the dead of summer, I still can see in my head the giant chandelier in the middle of the ceiling surrounded by ceiling paintings of Angels and clouds and and think immages of Greek or Roman Gods, carvings of cherubs coming out of the walls thick dark red carpets on the aisles with little lights at the end of the rows of seats shining on the aisle floor so not to trip, ushers in unifroms with flashlights to show you your seats and the most distinct thing I can remember was the word EXIT in the signs, it was my very the first word that I understood what it meant and how to spell it with the help of my older brother, I was about 4 years old but couldn't understand why it started with an "E" when it only sounded like an "X" and I would look at the exit signs all day instead of movies, that E bothered me every time I went to the movies, my fixation on that E went away as I got older.
February 28, 1926 program from this theatre: