The Theatre on Your Street

posted by ThrHistoricalSociety on May 6, 2015 at 2:53 pm

Happy 100th Birthday to the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown! ‘The Maryland Theatre was built in 1915, at a cost of about $200,000 by the Potomac Realty Company. Designed by Harry E. Yessler of Hagerstown, who also designed the Colonial Theatre across the street, and renowned Thomas W. Lamb of New York. Mr. Lamb is recognized for his work on The Hippodrome Theatres as well as Madison Square Garden Theatre in NYC along with theatres in England, Egypt, India and South Africa.’ Maryland Theatre website

Theatre Doors opened May 10, 1915, with the first sell-out audience was treated to music by a live orchestra in the pit as well as a five-reel feature film, “The Commuters”. General seats for this performance cost 10 cents and Box seats were 35 cents.

In June 1928, The Maryland Theatre patrons saw their first talking picture, “The Jazz Singer”… The interior of the five story structure can be divided into three distinct design elements: the proscenium arch and the stage block house, the orchestra seating and the boxes, and the balcony section plus interior lobby. The overall design of the space exhibits a strong neoclassical flavor, although there are some later Art Deco additions. Each of these spaces are framed by an arch. Large, curved pendentive areas are created between them at their meeting points. READ MORE on the Maryland Theatre web site http://www.mdtheatre.org/history.php

Visit Theatre Historical Society of America website and archives at http://www.historictheatres.org/

Images: Vintage Crowd from Maryland Theatre website, jeyrga via Cinema Treasures, Ken Roe via Cinema Treasures, and Norman Plan via Cinema Treasures.