Cinema Theater (Rochester, New York)

The Cinema Theater is a motion picture theater in Rochester, New York. Opened as a neighborhood motion picture theater since 1914, it is one of the oldest continuously operated motion picture theaters in the United States. The theater is located at the corner of South Clinton Avenue and South Goodman Street in Rochester. Originally named "The Clinton", but due to a circular arrangement of wooden benches with an open area in the middle, it was affectionately referred to as the "flea pit”, a name which stuck for many years — and long after the original dirt floor was covered and the benches were replaced with seats. In 1949 it was renamed the Cinema by its owners, Morris Slotknick and Philip Cohen, and four years later it was enlarged to extend a full city block, and its distinctive Art Deco facade installed. The business was acquired by Jo Ann Morreale in 1985. After helping the theater financially for some years, John Trickey acquired the theater in 2012.