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Inventory of the Pastime Amusement Company Records, 1890s, 1918-2011

Descriptive Summary

Abstract: The collection consists of the records of the Pastime Amusement Company of Charleston, South Carolina. Records contain materials relating to Albert Sottile, his daughter, Alberta Sottile Long, J. C. Long, and H. George Meyer including correspondence, writings, photographs, clippings, and printed materials. Also included are assorted exterior and interior photographs of buildings and theaters, including the Sottile, Princess, and Garden theaters, owned by the company on Broad, King, Liberty, Market, Race, and Romney streets as well as several West Ashley properties, including the Ashley Theater. There are also scrapbooks, materials relating to the Pastime Amusement Company centennial anniversary celebration, minutes, and financial materials.
Title: Pastime Amusement Company records
Creator: Pastime Amusement Company (Charleston, S.C.)
Date(s): 1890s, 1918-2011    
Extent: 1.0 linear feet
(2 document boxes, 2 scrapbooks)
Repository: Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Phone: (843) 953-8016
Fax: (843) 953-6319
URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu
Call Number: Mss 0201
Language of Material: Materials in English

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Historical Note

Formed in 1908, the Pastime Amusement Company originally owned and operated the Majestic, the Wonderland, and the Theatorium movie and vaudeville theaters on King Street. From 1911 to 1949 the company built nine theaters in the Charleston area: the Victoria Theater (later The Victory Theater), the Princess Theater, the Garden Theater, the Academy of Music, the Gloria Theater, the Riviera Theater, the American Theater, the Arcade, and the Ashley Theater. The entertainment provided by these theaters included a diverse range of genres including plays, operas, motion pictures, and vaudeville. Today, most theaters have been repurposed, and some, the Victory, the Academy of Music, and the Arcade theaters, were demolished. The Gloria Theater, purchased by the College of Charleston in 1976, was renovated and renamed in honor of Sottile in 1987. Albert Sottile (1878-1960) served as its first president and after his death left the company to his daughter, Alberta Sottile Long, who ran the company along with Vice-President H. George Meyer. After her retirement ownership of the comapny passed onto her daughters, Joyce Darby and Mary Ellen Way.


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Collection Overview

The collection consists of the records of the Pastime Amusement Company of Charleston, South Carolina. Records contain materials relating to Albert Sottile including typescripts and correspondence between Sottile and J. F. Heyer regarding Sottile's biographical sketch in The Story of the South Carolina Lowcountry by Herbert Ravenel Sass, articles written by Sottile, and assorted photographs including an image of Sottile with Veronica Lake. Also included are assorted photographs, clippings, and printed materials relating to Alberta Sottile Long, J. C. Long, and H. George Meyer. There are also assorted exterior and interior photographs of buildings and theaters, including the Princess, Sottile, and Garden theaters, owned by the company on Broad, King, Liberty, Market, Race, and Romney streets as well as several West Ashley properties, including the Ashley Theater. The collection also includes several scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings re the opening of the Riviera Theater, assorted Dock Street Theatre plays, "Lady Shoppers Movie Matinees," and a Theatre Owners Association convention held at the Hotel Fort Sumter. There are also miscellaneous materials relating to the Pastime Amusement Company centennial anniversary celebration, minutes, and financial materials.

Collection Arrangement

Materials are described at the folder level.


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Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.

    Names

    • Pastime Amusement Company (Charleston, S.C.)--History
    • Sottile, Albert, 1878-1960
    • Long, Alberta Sottile
    • Long, J. C., 1903-1984
    • Sottile family
    • Sottile Theatre (Charleston, S.C.)
    • Princess Theater (Charleston, S.C.)
    • Garden Theater (Charleston, S.C.)
    • Ashley Theater (West Ashley, S.C.)

    Subjects

    • Motion picture theaters--South Carolina--Charleston--History
    • Motion pictures--South Carolina--Charleston--History
    • Theaters--South Carolina--Charleston--History
    • Music-halls (Variety-theaters, cabarets, etc.)--South Carolina--Charleston
    • Buildings--South Carolina--Charleston
    • Charleston (S.C.)--Buildings, structures, etc.

    Types of Material

    • Black-and-white photographs
    • Clippings (information artifacts)
    • Scrapbooks
    • Manuscripts (document genre)
    • Minutes (administrative records)
    • Financial records

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    Inventory




    "History and Survey of Theatres, 1905-1943," photocopy, undated   box 1 | folder 1

    Albert Sottile, 1940-1958



    Typescripts and correspondence re biographical sketch for The Story of the South Carolina Lowcountry, 1955-1956, undated   box 1 | folder 2



    Writings, 1958   box 1 | folder 3

    Assorted articles and addenda re the Pastime Amusement Company and the film industry for The Post and Courier.




    Correspondence, 1940, 1955   box 1 | folder 4



    Photographs, 1890s, circa 1950s   box 1 | folder 5

    Includes an image of Sottile's older brother, Giovanni Sottile, in front of a storefront on 238 King Street and an image of Sottile with Veronica Lake.




    Theatre Owners of North and South Carolina convention program, 1957   box 1 | folder 6



    Alberta Sottile Long, 1958, 1986, 1994   box 1 | folder 7



    J. C. Long, 1966, 1987, undated   box 1 | folder 8



    H. George Meyer, 1958-1962, 1994, undated   box 1 | folder 9

    Photographs, 1918-2011

    Also includes clippings, letters, printed materials, and facsimiles.




    Apartments, undated   box 1 | folder 10

    Assorted exterior images of the St. Regis Apartments on 17 Eighth Avenue, the St. James Apartments on 193 Congress street, the St. Charles Apartments on 1085 King Street, and Mayflower Court.




    Ashley Avenue and Congress Street, undated   box 1 | folder 11



    Ashley Shopping Center, undated   box 1 | folder 12

    Exterior images of the Hood Electric Company and the Ashley Shopping Center Post Office.




    88 Broad Street, undated   box 1 | folder 13



    "I-26 & Cosgrove, Ashley River Bridge Approach," 1964, undated   box 1 | folder 14



    196-198 King Street, undated   box 1 | folder 15



    208 King Street, undated   box 1 | folder 16



    212-214 King Street, undated   box 1 | folder 17



    225 King Street, The Riviera Theatre, 1952   box 1 | folder 18



    227-229 King Street, 1953, undated   box 1 | folder 19



    292 King Street, undated   box 1 | folder 20



    297 King Street, undated   box 1 | folder 21



    304 King Street, The Princess Theater, 1920s, undated   box 1 | folder 22



    327-329 King Street, The Sottile Theatre, 1922-2011, undated   box 1 | folder 23



    341 King Street, 1937, undated   box 2 | folder 1



    343 King Street, The Majestic Theater, 1921, undated   box 2 | folder 2



    347 King Street, 1937, undated   box 2 | folder 3



    371 King Street, The Garden Theater, 1918-1967, 2002   box 2 | folder 4



    446 King Street, The American Theater, 1942, 1952, undated   box 2 | folder 5



    1054 King Street, 1942, undated   box 2 | folder 6



    3 Liberty Street, The Arcade Theater, 1952, 1955, undated   box 2 | folder 7



    19 Magnolia Road, The Ashley Theater, 1953   box 2 | folder 8



    154 Market Street, undated   box 2 | folder 9



    Race Street and Coming Street, undated   box 2 | folder 10



    Race Street and Congress Street, undated   box 2 | folder 11



    Romney Street and King Street, undated   box 2 | folder 12



    Santee Cooper Canal Project group portrait, 1931 February 1   box 2 | folder 13

    Image includes Albert Sottile and J. C. Long as well as assorted others including, Strom Thurmond, Burnet R. Maybank, E. H. Poulnot Jr., Julius Herman Jahnz, J. W. D. Zerbst, and others.




    14 A and B Saint Phillip Street, undated   box 2 | folder 14



    93 Society Street, undated   box 2 | folder 15



    84 Wentworth Street, undated   box 2 | folder 16



    86 Wentworth Street, 1982, undated   box 2 | folder 17



    Miscellaneous, 1943-2004, undated   box 2 | folder 18

    Scrapbooks, 1939, 1962-1975


    Riviera Theater scrapbook, 1939   volume 1


    Scrapbook, 1962-1965   volume 2



    Scrapbook, 1971-1975   box 2 | folder 19



    Pastime Amusement Company centennial anniversary celebration, 2006-2008   box 2 | folder 20



    Minutes, 1995, 2002, undated   box 2 | folder 21



    Financial records, 1955-1966   box 2 | folder 22

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    Administrative Information

    Access Restrictions

    This collection is open for research.

    Copyright Notice

    The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

    The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Pastime Amusement Company records, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.

    Acquisitions Information

    Materials were donated in 2015 by Charles S. Way.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Joshua Minor, March 2016.

    Encoded by Joshua Minor, April 2016.

    Reviewed and uploaded by Joshua Minor, July 2016.

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