History in the Borough of Metuchen runs deep. I mean it was incorporated as a borough on March 20, 1900 after all. If you do the math, that was 123 years ago! Woah!
And did you know that Metuchen has its own movie theater? It’s appropriately called the Metuchen Forum Theatre.
Currently, borough officials are in the negotiating phase of the eventual development of a Metuchen Arts District that will include the revival of the historic theater. In June, the borough had received $3 million in county funds for the design and development of the district.
With that said, we take a look at the history of the theater located at 314 Main St.
The Forum Theatre on Main Street in Metuchen opened in March 1928, at the end of the silent movie era and the beginning of the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, according to a write up by Tyreen Reuter in the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society’s Nannygoats Newsletter.
Wait, hold up! We have to intercept (just for a few minutes) and reveal that the 21st century Metuchen is certified “Film Ready” by the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission.
In November, the Borough Council resoundingly voted the certification.
“This is the first step in a series … [that] will enable Metuchen to effectively accommodate on-location filming and help market our community through filmmaking world,” Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch said.
“This designation will also enable the Borough to connect television and film professionals with easier, faster, and better access to nearby resources and location information.”
Metuchen served as a filming location for “Eileen,” a new psychological thriller based on the 2015 novel of the same name starring Anne Hathaway and Shea Wigham (of Boardwalk Empire and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, among many others) in December 2021. The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January and is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on Dec. 1 and a wider release on Dec. 8.
Can we say just Wow! We are far from Hollywood, but it looks like Metuchen is gearing up to roll out the red carpet and we are here for it!
OK let’s get back to the history…
The building was constructed for local businessmen James Forgione and H.A. Rumler, who named the building by combining the first three letters of each of their last names. While relatively modest on the exterior, the interior was designed in the Art Moderne style with sleek, curved surfaces. When it opened, it was hailed as a modern and comfortable building for movies and all forms of entertainment, according to Reuter.
“It is planned to own and operate this theatre entirely by local people. In this way only the best pictures may be presented and real community centre established, available for concerts, mass meetings, minstrel shows, or any civic or social gatherings,” according to a report in the Metuchen Recorder on Feb. 10, 1928
According to this same news report, a modern cinema building was long-awaited, and local businesses worked together to create a company to provide a “better home for our amusements” and build a structure that would be “centrally located, well ventilated and heated, will contain comfortable spring seats covered with leather, an excellent Page organ, will be attractively decorated, and in every way possible designed for your comfort…”
The theatre was in constant use into the 1980s, and is still remembered well by long-time residents for showing first run movies. In 1983, the building was sold to Oscar Loewy, a Metuchen resident and owner of a designer fur shop also located on Main Street.
An Arts company was formed with Mr. Loewy’s son, Peter, at the helm and under his guidance, and relying heavily on his experience in the entertainment industry, it thrived for many years.
The theater was identified in a 1900 Historic Sites Inventory as a “contributing” historic site and may be eligible for listing on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places for similar reasons as other early 20th century movie houses in New Jersey, such as Sussex Borough’s Crescent Theatre.
The theater was also named on the 2016 10 Most Endangered Historic Sites in New Jersey. Reuter nominated the site.
In her nomination, she included the history of the theater. She further wrote, “The Forum has changed little since its founding and retains its highly recognizable marquee on its front facade. It has been – and has the potential to continue to be – the cultural highlight in the Borough and surrounding area. Since its establishment as its own municipality in 1900, Metuchen has actively cultivated its intellectual and artistic community, and at times has been widely lauded as a cultural center.”
And boy has it! And look who’s standing outside the Forum Theatre these days. None other than the iconic Hollywood actress and model Marilyn Monroe – well a sculpture – “in that dress” by world famous sculptor Seward Johnson Atelier.
Atelier became known for his life-size bronze sculptures of people involved in day-to-day activities. He opened the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton with the goal of providing the public with the opportunity to experience contemporary art in a relaxing, accessible and informal setting. He died in 2020 at the age of 89.
The borough and the Metuchen Downtown Alliance entered into a multi-faceted partnership with The Seward Johnson Atelier in Hamilton to feature three of his sculptures in 2023. The sculptures are strategically placed around the downtown.
Beginning in 2024, those sculptures will be replaced by five others at additional sites around the borough.
The mayor has said, “We continue to pursue a variety of simultaneous avenues in pursuit of our goal to bring the Metuchen Arts District to life.”
And clearly that pursuit is in motion.
