Cort Theater

From HistoryWiki

Cort Theater Soundex Code C630

32 E. Main Street

Somerville, NJ 08876

Status: Closed

The Cort Theater was located across from the County Courthouse on E. Main Street. I recall seeing movies here in the 1970s when they offered two movies for 99 cents and then 2 movies for 77 cents. Although downtown Somerville never became rundown, the nearby Bridgewater Mall Theaters caused this old house to close in the mid 1980s.

The building has a large backstage area although the auditorium itself was completely gutted when converted into a toy store. The toy store has since closed and been replaced by another retail establishment. The Cort was located a block from the bank in which Lee Van Cleef worked. Somerville (NJ) is Van Cleef's hometown and presumably, this is where he went to the movies.

The poster encasements and the terrazzo flooring leading into the former theater are still intact. Also, probably due to town ordinances, the Cort featured a flat marquee (against the facade of the building) rather than the traditional sign hanging over the sidewalk .