The Paramount Film Exhange

This building was completed in 1926 for Paramount Pictures for use as a film exchange- a business that provided films to theater operators for a fee. The structure was designed by architects from R. E. Hall Co., a New York City firm. Prior to the advent of new technologies, this building served as a storehouse that provided theater owners with movie reels that they could rent instead of the previous practice of purchasing the film reel. The advent of new technologies reduced the viability of the business model for film exchanges, and buildings like this one were repurposed around the world. This film exchange building is now preserved as a historical structure in Pittsburgh.

The first movie theater ever created and built was the Tally’s Electric Theater in Los Angeles, California in 1902. This theater became one of the first ones built that started the chain of movie theaters to come in the United States. The next one to be built was the Nickelodeon in 1905 by John P. Harris and Harry Davis in Pennsylvania. Film exchange buildings would come later when the film industry started booming with theaters across the nation. These buildings were for those theater owners or managers to come rent films to show on the big screen in their theaters.

The Paramount Film Exchange was designed and opened in 1926. It was designed by architects that worked for R. E. Hall Co. that came from New York City. It was owned by the popular Paramount Pictures movie production studios and ran a business in an area where other film exchange buildings were. There was one owned by 20th Century Fox and another owned by Warner Bros. Studios. This gave the area the nickname “Film Row” as a result of these buildings.

The 1970s and the 1980s would prove to be hard times for film exchanges as VHS tapes and cassettes would become popular among the population. This eliminated the need for these buildings and they quickly went out of business. Most of the buildings were converted into other businesses or just left abandoned like the Paramount Film Exchange. It would be left standing still and empty for almost 20 years. However, it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

Historical preservation of the film exchange building became relevant in 2008. 21-year old filmmaker Drew Levinson entered a short video documentary about the Paramount Film Exchange into a contest and he won first place. Support for the preservation of this building became popular and the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh put in a motion to designate the building as a historical structure. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s owner opposed the historical landmarking of the building due to the fact he was looking to sell or demolish the building. This motion moved to the Pittsburgh City Council where the council members voted in favor of the motion 8-1 designating the Paramount Film Exchange as a Pittsburgh Historical Structure. The most noticeable thing about the building is the Paramount Pictures logo etched into an archway above the front door where it reminds locals of the old days of film exchange buildings.

“Paramount Film Exchange,” Atlas Obscura. Accessed July 12th 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/paramount-film-exchange.

“Paramount Film Exchange,” Vamonde. Accessed July 12th 2021. https://www.vamonde.com/posts/paramount--film-exchange/7526