The theatre opened in 1886 and closed in 1986.[3][4] The owner retained Scottish-born American architect Thomas W. Lamb to expand and renovate the house into an ornate movie palace in the early 20th century.[5][6][7][8] The interior of the theater still stands, albeit dilapidated, and the marquee and signage remain intact.[9] The comedian Jerry Lewis worked as an usher at the theater in his youth.[10][11]
It took the name "Paramount" circa 1930.[12]Billie Holiday performed there.[13]
The theatre's facade, slightly adjusted during production to read "New Art," appeared as the movie theater in front of which Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck worked as an advertising clown in the 2019 Todd Phillips film Joker.[14][15][16]
^According to one source, Lewis may have been additionally, or to the contrary, an usher at the Adams Theatre at 28 Branford Place, under common ownership for a period and likewise abandoned in 1986. See this article from 2012
^Movie Houses of Greater Newark by Philip M. Read (2013, Hardcover)
