............................................................................................... ......................................................................................51-63 3rd ( next to alley ).........................8 Alter Street ..............................................................................................Oakland , Maryland ................. ( Garrett County ).......................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................... .............................................................................................................The Empire Theatre , Oakland Maryland - Left section of Englanders building....L ............................................

The Maryland in Oakland was actually the third movie house or entertainment house in Oakland. The first, from what we can gather, was the Opera House, located on the Northeast corner of Green Street and 2nd. In 1904, the Opera went under the name of the Hartzer Opera House. The Opera House went under the address of 512 Second Street and 101-105 Green Street, and was next to a furniture store on Second Street and the City Roller Mills on Green Street. By 1910, the Opera House was going under the name of the Beckwith Opera House, and showed a stage room for props and scenery. I can't find any record that movies ever played in the Opera House, but quite often early movies did start in the town Opera House.  About a block away was the Baltimore and Ohio Passenger Depot.  Kilduff's check recent maps and it does not appear that the Opera House building is still standing.    In 1910, a nickelodeon was open at 15-16 Alter Street, near the intersection of 2nd Street. In the corner building was a saloon and billiards, and by 1921, the theatre went under the name of the Empire Theatre. Now using the address of 8 Alter Street, the Empire has a stage and balcony, but by now, it wasn't the only theatre in the block. The Maryland Theatre at 59 3rd Street was shown with a stage and balcony as well, seating 900 according to one source, which we think might be a little high. By 1931, the Empire had been converted into a restaurant and store and the Maryland was the town theatre. A recent check shows the Empire Building to still be standing, but the Maryland Theatre has been razed and is now a parking lot.

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............................................. ...............................................     Most of the postcards that I could find for Oakland were always of Second Street, usually from the corner of Alder. If you look down the street on the down, about a block down, the Opera house would have been on the corner at Green Street ( now the site of a bank buildng ). In the photo just above this, you can see a man on the right side, leaning up a against a pole. He would be looking right at the Empire Theatre, just to the right of the photographer on Alder Street. That old theatre building is still standing but greatly altered and incorporated into the Englander's store on the corner of 2nd and Alder.  ..............................................

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