Celebrating 100 Years of the Cranford Theater

As Cranford prepares to celebrate the theater’s 100th birthday on November 29, 2026, we’re taking a look back at the little movie house that became a Cranford institution, and the generations of people who have kept coming through its doors.

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CRANFORD, NEW JERSEY, 1926–2026. For generations of Cranford families, going downtown to the movies has meant going to the Cranford Theater. This year, one of New Jersey’s great surviving neighborhood movie houses reaches an extraordinary milestone: 100 years of movies, memories, first dates, family outings, popcorn, Saturday matinees, and nights out in downtown Cranford.

It all began on November 29, 1926, when the doors opened at 25 North Avenue West. Originally called the Branford Theater, the magnificent new movie house seated roughly 1,300 people and featured a stage and “the mighty” Wurlitzer pipe organ. Opening night featured the silent film Padlocked, starring Noah Beery, and drew such a crowd that some moviegoers were reportedly turned away. Within just a few months, the “B” came down and a “C” went up, and the Cranford Theater was born.

How great was the time when you walked into the theater lobby only to hear the beautiful organ music? The Cranford Theatre’s “Mighty Wurlitzer” was an Opus 1468, a 2-manual, 8-rank instrument, installed on October 6, 1926, several weeks before the theater opened on November 29.

The Garden State Theatre Organ Society identified Rex Koury as a young organist who played the 2/8 Wurlitzer at the Cranford Theatre. Koury, born in 1911, became fascinated with theater organs after seeing his first movie in 1924. He persuaded the Cranford organist to let him play the trailers, and his responsibilities quickly expanded.

A century later, after changing hands, surviving dramatic shifts in the movie business, undergoing renovations, closing and reopening, and even weathering the COVID era and the theater’s 2025 closure, the lights are still on, and the movies are still playing. Most importantly, the Cranford Theater remains what it has been since 1926, a gathering place in the heart of the community.

Cranford’s new swanky Branford Theatre, with 1300 seats, a stage, and a $18,000 Wurlitzer pipe organ, opened on the site of Cranford’s old Township Building with actor Noah Beery Sr. starring in the silent film Padlocked. An issue over the theater’s name was ironed out, and the “B” on the electric sign was replaced with a “C” as the new signs were lit with the name “Cranford Theatre.” Giddy with excitement, the Cranford Chronicle gushed: “The New Branford is Dead! Long live the New Cranford!”

By 1941, Warner Brothers was operating the theater. Remodeled to 1209 seats, it remained unchanged until the 1980s when the theater was twinned. In 1998, the owner of the Rialto Theater in nearby Westfield purchased the theater and converted it into a five-screen movie house. Following a rough patch of corporate ownership from 2014 to 2019, the theater was purchased by Jesse and Doreen Sayegh and reopened on November 8, 2019. In recognition of its history, the Cranford Theater received the Cranford Historical Society’s Historic Preservation Award.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the theater’s temporary closure. “We’re not going down without a fight,” responded the Sayeghs, who opened a “pop-up drive-in” to keep going. A portion of the ticket proceeds gets donated to various organizations, including frontline healthcare workers.

Televisions, VCRs, streaming services, and even pandemics have challenged the existence of local theaters, but they continue to survive as long as the community provides support. Events such as Dinner & a Movie, free night Golden Tickets, and private movie screenings help keep the public coming back.

In 2021, the theater hosted the Garden State Film Festival (GSFF). In recognition of its history, the Cranford Theater received the Cranford Historical Society’s Historic Preservation Award.

2025 Theater in the News – A Faulty Ceiling Falls

On the evening of April 30, 2025, just months before the Cranford Theater was preparing to celebrate its 99th anniversary, a portion of the suspended ceiling inside its largest auditorium suddenly collapsed. The theater was open at the time, prompting an immediate evacuation and a response from Cranford police and firefighters, but remarkably, no patrons, employees, or first responders were injured.

Despite early reports suggesting that the theater’s roof had collapsed, officials later clarified that it was an interior suspended ceiling, not the roof or the building’s structural system. The damage forced the beloved downtown landmark to close for months while repairs and an extensive renovation were undertaken.

The Cranford Theater ultimately reopened on November 25, 2025, just four days before its 99th birthday, beginning yet another new chapter.

2026 Cranford Theater Centennial Celebration

Here’s where the community can join in the centennial celebration. The Cranford Theater Time Capsule is part of the theater’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2026. The theater is asking the community to contribute items and memories that represent what the Cranford Theater and Cranford itself are like today. The completed capsule is scheduled to be sealed during the theater’s November 2026 centennial festivities.

The time capsule is one part of the theater’s larger “100 Days to 100 Years” celebration, which begins Thursday, August 20, 2026, and counts down to the theater’s 100th birthday in November. The idea is essentially to let today’s Cranford community leave something behind for a future generation to disco.

Owner Doreen Sayegh also stated that she plans to turn back the clock for the Cranford Theater’s 100th anniversary, screening Padlocked, the same silent film shown when the theater first opened its doors on November 29, 1926. A live organist is also planned to recreate the moviegoing experience of the theater’s earliest days. Guests are encouraged to dress up in their “roaring 20s” best.

You can follow along with all the celebration details on the Cranford Theater Instagram and Facebook pages.

Congratulations, Cranford Theater! The Branford/Cranford Theater continues writing its next chapter in the history books.

Photo History Collection
The Branford / Cranford Theater

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