File:1926 - New Pergola Theater Allentown PA.jpg

English: New Pergola Theater Allentown PA

This photograph, taken November 4th, 1926 shows the New Pergola Theater finishing construction. Note the scaffold under the marquee, which appears to just have been installed.

The original Pergola was opened in 1907 by James Bowen, the son of a grocer. It was located at 902 Hamilton Street. It was primarily a penny arcade and bowling alley that Bowen converted into a 500-seat silent movie theater in 1909. It operated successfully during the silent film era, showing the Hollywood motion pictures of the day. The Pergola was torn down in 1926 for the construction of the PPL tower and it was replaced by the new theater shown in the photo, which opened during Christmas of 1926.

The "New Pergola" as it was originally called, was a 1,200 seat theater with two balconies and floor seating as well as a box seating area. The interior design was very elegant with the auditorium being constructed with special care for the comfort of the patrons, one feature being that ample space has been left between the seats to prevent cramping the occupants. The theater originally had a custom-built theatrical organ by A. Gottfried, of Erie. There was also a permanent six-piece orchestra for silent film music. Up until the 1950s, the theater was contracted with Warner Brothers and Fox for first-run films, along with Fox Movietone Newsreels. Over the years, the theater went though several name changes, several owners until being torn down as the "Boyd" in 1971 due to expansion of the PP&L Building.

The Victorian home next to the Pergola on the corner of Court and Ninth Street (26th North Ninth) was the home of the Allentown Clover Club, a social and philanthropic organization since 1923. The building was erected as a Victorian Home about 1891, and was sold to the Allentown Mercantile Club, a businessman's organization, in 1910. In 1960 the Clover Club sold the building and it was torn down, replaced by Van's Diner, a glass and aluminum structure. When PP&L Bought all of the properties from Court though Linden Street along Ninth to expand in 1970, the diner was moved to the corner of Ninth and Linden street in May 1971 to a former church parking lot. It remains open to this day, now known as the Center City Diner.