12 Eerily Beautiful Images of Abandoned Theatres

It opened in 1926 and featured both movies and live performances. Police shut it down in 1986 after a group of entrepreneurs tried to turn it into a video dance club for teenagers called Public Domain. It's been vacant ever since.

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With the likes of Duke Ellington, David Bowie and Aerosmith gracing its stage, this is one of the more bittersweet buildings, mostly because it's now used as a parking lot.

It opened in 1949 and was easily one of of Mexico City's most stunning theatres. But in 1985, a giant earthquake rocked the city, destroying hundreds of buildings and leaving a giant crack on the main screen of the threatre. It eventually became a concert venue but shut down for good in 1998.

It's not only theatres that are left crumbling, gathering dust. Check out these abandoned Olympic sites that will leave you in awe.

Located at 43rd and Broadway in the Times Square district, the Paramount opened in 1926 but closed less than 40 years later. It was eventually converted for office and retail use.

Built in 1928, it endured for nearly a century before it was demolished in 2015 to make way for new development.

It lasted for 50 years, having closed down in the '70s. Its current owner tried to sell the building on eBay in 2007 — but there were no takers.

Amidst one of the largest fairs in the world are 15 structures designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1963, all of which remain unfinished due to the project's abandonment during the country's civil war in 1975. This experimental dome theatre is one of them.

The Neo-Renaissance style structure was popular for five decades beginning in 1922. Curtains closed on this old theatre in 1975.

This crumbling building began as the Loew's Coney Island Theater in 1925. It saw some changes over the years, was taken over by the Brandt Theatres circuit in 1964 and renamed. By 1971, it was only running X-rated adult movies and closed two years later. But it's getting new life, having been sold in 2016 with plans to restore it and bring back live entertainment.

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The theatre in the Irem Temple building housed the rituals, social events and entertainment of both Shriners and the surrounding community. It opened in 1908 and by 1931, the flat floor of the Irem auditorium was replaced with a sloped floor and stage. Sadly, it's been dormant since the mid-1990s.

It started as an American Wild West-themed amusement park in the early '70s and included ghost houses, arcades, a restaurant and this theatre. The whole place shut down for good in 2006.

Originally named the Newark Theater, it first opened its doors in 1886. It closed 100 years later but many are hoping the once-beloved space will one day be revitalized.

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