Film exchange

A film exchange was a business in film distribution that rented out movies to theaters. They opened up all over the U.S. to handle film reels during the silent film era.
Film exchanges were often a separate business from production. Buildings were constructed for film exchange operations and "film rows" of different company's exchanges developed in some cities. Designs for film exchanges included buildings with vented vaults. Fire prevention was a concern.
Eugene Cline was a major figure in Chicago's fast developing film exchange business. William Fox, who had Nickelodeon businesses, established a film exchange in Brooklyn. The Imperial Film Exchange in New York City was established in 1908 and grew to be one of the largest in the United States. Harry Weiss' Hybar Film Exchange was one of the largest in the southern U.S.
J. D. Williams was involved in the film exchange business in the Pacific Northwest. Metro's film exchange business in Chicago grew to supply hundreds of theaters.