Work Underway to Restore Ocean City Landmark Theatre
The Moorlyn Four Threatre on the Ocean City Boardwalk will hopefully be showing movies again by this summer.
Renovation work is underway at the 100-year-old cinema which first opened in 1901 as a bowling alley and was converted into a movie theater in 1922.
In December, Town Square Entertainment revealed on Facebook that it has acquired the property, which sits between Eighth and Ninth Streets, across from the Music Pier.
The Moorlyn has long been a dream project for us due to its incredibly rich history in serving Ocean City and surrounding community with entertainment since the early 1900's. The building has survived hurricanes, super storms, neglect, and even a 200 foot move to the east after the "Great Boardwalk Fire of 1927. We have a lot of work ahead of us but we can promise you this: Ocean City will soon enjoy a Better Way to See a Movie.
Not only that, it will be Ocean City's only way to see a movie. The Moorlyn was sold by Frank Theatres in 2012 and then to Ocean City Boardwalk Holdings, who then sold it to the Ocean City Tabernacle a week later.
Since the Moorlyn closed in 2018, Ocean City, which once had eight movie theaters, hasn't had any movie theaters.
Town Square Entertainment also owns the Harbor Theatre in Stone Harbor, the Tilton Square Theater in Northfield, and the old Ventnor Theatre, now Ventnor Square Theater in Ventnor. They also plan to open a movie theater in Rio Grande in 2024 that will feature a bowling alley, restaurants, and an arcade.
"We know and respect that the Moorlyn is an Ocean City landmark, and we want to make sure we do things right. For example, we're going to bring back the iconic Moorlyn marquis neon sign," Town Square Entertainment's Brett DeNafo told the Cape May Herald.
The company's hope is that the Moorlyn Theatre can be open and showing movies by this summer.