The Edison Theater was built in 1913. Within a year it had been renamed Bell Theater. It remained a nickelodeon until 1923, when it transformed into the Egyptian Ballroom Dance Hall. The Niles Theatre was built next door at that time. Unfortunately, the Niles Theatre was burnt to the ground in 1959, leaving no movie theatre operating in Niles (now a historic district in the city of Fremont, CA). In 2004, the newly formed non-profit group Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum was able to rent and begin restoration of the Edison Theater. What had started as an annual silent film festival focusing on the film making legacy of Niles as a major film studio in the silent era, has now expanded to weekly film showings.
37417 Niles Boulevard, Fremont, CA
+1 510.494.1411