HAVE LIVED HERE 46 YEARS...MANY FAMILY MEMBERS WORKED AT THE CENTER.. I HAVE BEEN IN THEIR WHILE IT WAS OPEN & CLOSED..REASON FOR THE PRESENT SECURITY IS THAT HOMELESS PEOPLE HAVE INHABITED THE BUILDINGS...THUS THE REPORTS OF SEEING POEPLE...NEXT THERE WERE POEPLE REPELLING FROM THE ROOF AND POSTING IT ON U-TUBE..VANDALISM ECT. IT IS NOT HAUNTED ITS JUST AN OLD BUILDING WHERE SOME HORRIBLE THINGS HAPPENED. IF YOUR INTO SCARING YOURSELF BELIEVE WHAT YOU WANT...JUST STAY AWAY......I WILL BE WATCHING YOU!
Nice shots of the booth. Notice how the one fire shutter is cocked over the projection port. Those things had fuse links and were supposed to close in the event of a fire. The projectors look to be Super Simplex with RCA soundheads. The lamps are Brenkert Enarcs and the pedestals are Simplex 5-point. It appears also that the lens is a Super Panatar scope adapter. Judging by the spartan appearance of the booth I suspect that movies were only occasionally run, and by different operators. Otherwise there would have been a much homier look to the place and possibly even an easy chair or two.
The boxes under the window are controls for the sound. The projectors are Super Simplex model -- 1930s vintage. Some theaters still use them. The box under the upper magazine is a magnetic soundhead. These were used for 4-track stereo that came out in the 50s with the introduction of CinemaScope.
My guess is the projector heads are Simplex XL. The setup is very similar to what I ran in another Mental Hospital back in the 1970s. Altogether a rather spartan booth and probably showed movies only a few times a month, if that.
The film on the table is 35mm B&W; probably a short subject.
There are several variations of 70mm film used in projection. 70mm, 5 perforations per frame (5/70) is used in movie theaters but is rarely exhibited anymore. 8/70 is primarily used in special venues and amusement park rides and 15/70 is (real) IMAX.
True the earlier comment - the lamps are worthless and the heads may be worth a few bucks if they can be automated.
I used to hang out here with my friends all the time in late 70's early 80's. The power plant was closed long before that. We pulled on the chains once and dropped at least 100 yards of coal 50 feet to the floor. We used to push big cement blocks off the top to watch them crash. We also partied on the roof of Edgewood. Donovans patrol was the private security that used to patrol the place. We used to go just to get chased by them. We knew the grounds much better than they did. Tunnels from building to building. We would carry big tins of biscuts we found in the fallout shelters to the roof and throw them off.
My Dad's sister was confined here. He would go get her on holidays and bring her to our house in Walpole. She couldn't wait to get back there. I always found THAT a little creepy