Trocadero Theatre
- For the origins of the word Trocadero, and other places where it has been used, see Trocadero (disambiguation).
| Trocadero Theatre | |
|---|---|
 (1973 photograph) | |
| Address | 1003 Arch St. |
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Country | United States |
| Capacity | 2200 |
| Opened | 1870 |
| Other names | Arch Street Opera House |
| Current use | live music venue |
| Website | |
|
Arch Street Opera House | |
  | |
| Coordinates | 39°57′12.99″N 75°9′24.74″W / 39.9536083°N 75.1568722°WCoordinates: 39°57′12.99″N 75°9′24.74″W / 39.9536083°N 75.1568722°W |
| Area | < 1-acre (4,000 m2) |
| Architect | Edwin Forrest Durang, George W. Plowman |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Governing body | Private Owner |
| NRHP Reference # | 78002442[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1978 |
The Trocadero Theatre, opened as the Arch Street Opera House in 1870, is a historic theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the years, it has offered musical comedies, vaudeville and burlesque. Burlesque performer Mara Gaye performed at the Troc in the 1950s. Later still, "The Troc" was refurbished for use as an art house cinema and fine arts theatre.
It is located at 1003 Arch Street, in Center City Philadelphia, within two blocks of other attractions and key sites in Center City, including Chinatown, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Reading Terminal Market, the Gallery at Market East, SEPTA's Market East Station, and the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal. The building was known at various time as the Arch Street Opera House (1870–1879); Park Theatre (1879); New Arch Street Opera House (1884); Continental Theatre (1889); Gaiety Theatre (1890); Casino/Palace Theatre (1892); Troc Theatre (1940); Slocum's and Sweatman's Theatre; Sweatman's Arch Street Opera House; Simmon's & Slocum's Theatre; and Simmon's Theatre.[2] The theater, designed by architect Edwin Forrest Durang, then modified several times, was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1973, and to the National Register of Historic Places five years later.
In 1986, the Trocadero was again remodeled for its current use as a concert hall and dance club. The Trocadero retains a promoting team and books bands directly. It has a capacity of 1,200 patrons (standing room). The theater hosts a wide range of events including movie screenings and concerts from alternative, indie rock, heavy metal, punk rock, jam, and industrial/gothic bands as well as hip hop and electronica artists. A number of DVD & television specials have been filmed there including the MTV program 2 Dollar Bill for My Chemical Romance in September of 2006, comedian & actor Christian Finnegan's DVD/Comedy Central special "Au Contraire" in October 2008 and most recently, comedian and actor Michael Ian Black's DVD/Comedy Central special "Very Famous" in March 2011. The Dead Milkmen recorded their live album Chaos Rules at the Troc. Tesla had a hit single in 1991 with the live cover version of the Five Man Electrical Band song "Signs" which was recorded at the Troc.
The Trocadero was also the location for Lamb of God's live DVD Killadelphia and for Job for a Cowboy's "Altered From Catechization" music video.
On June 2, 2012, professional wrestling promotion Chikara held the Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur internet pay-per-view at the Trocadero.[3] Chikara held their next two pay-per-views, Under the Hood on December 2, 2012,[4] and Aniversario: Never Compromise on June 2, 2013, at the venue.[5]
See also
External links
- Official site
- Information at CinemaTreasures.com
- Historic photographs at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- Listing and photographs at the Historic American Buildings Survey
References
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
- ↑ Listing at Philadelphia Buildings and Architects
- ↑ "Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur". Chikara. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ "Under the Hood". Chikara. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ↑ "Aniversario: Never Compromise". Chikara. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
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