Theatres of the Old Northside

Do you ever wonder what happened to the old Garden Theatre ticket booth? How about the nickelodeon theatre on Spring Garden Avenue? Join storyteller, Jim Kastner, as he takes you on a visual walk through the theatres of the old Northside.

See the nickelodeons and movie theatres that were located in old Allegheny City (now the Northside), Manchester, Brighton Road, Woods Run, Perrysville, Troy Hill, and Spring Garden. Yes, Spring Garden. Hear about the Northside’s only drive-in movie theatre that literally ended its life with a bang, and more!

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This story was recorded on January 10, 2022.

Your Storyteller

Jim Kastner was a 70-year resident of Pittsburgh. Born and raised on Spring Hill and schooled on Troy Hill, he spent most of his free time as a kid in the Northside’s old East Street neighborhood, known today as the Parkway North. He saw his first movie at the Garden Theatre in 1955.

It was his fondness for theatres and movies that led to his publishing Where the Movies Played in Downtown Pittsburg(h), which begins with a tribute to his Northside roots when he and all the neighborhood kids walked to the movies. Jim is now retired and living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is honored to share this journey with DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh ticketholders and patrons.