On September 4, 1922, the Loew’s Poli Theatre opened as the Poli’s Palace Theatre in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The historic photograph was taken shortly after the theater opened when it was still part of the Poli theater chain. It closed as a cinema in 1975 after a stint showing adult movies.

The second photograph was taken after the theater had been abandoned for almost 40 years. There was a partial renovation plan that called for the demolition of most of the auditorium, but would reuse the lobby. Fortunately, that fell through and now its future is uncertain.