This theatre changed hands several times. At one point it was part of a small art-house chain called “Sonny & Eddy’s Theatres” which also operated the Central Square, Exeter Street, Allston, and Newton Academy cinemas. Later it was briefly owned by the Brattle, which is when it changed its name from ‘Galeria’ to ‘Janus’.
I thought this was a 3-screen venue from the beginning. When it was still owned by Walter Reade, well into the 1970s, the two downstairs theaters were advertised as the “Charles East” and “Charles West”.
The upstairs was a great place to see epics like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Gettysburg”.
By 1975 when I arrived in the neighborhood, this had been first converted to a twin-screen, and then closed. It reopened a couple years later as the Nickelodeon.
This was located at 1001 Mass. Ave. The building also included a restaurant, a bicycle shop and a video arcade — all gone now. Currently it has a CVS drugstore and various other retail shops.
In its final declining years, the Stuart became the ‘Pussycat Cinema’ which I believe was the name of a chain of porno theaters. At the same time, the old E.M. Lowe’s West End Cinema became the ‘West End Pussycat’.
Yes, the West End ended its days as the ‘West End Pussycat’. The Stuart Theater, on Washington Street, also was a Pussycat in its final years. (Was this a national chain of adult theaters?)
The Huntington occupies the next-door Boston University Theatre. I believe the Symphony Cinema was converted to back-office, back-stage, or rehersal space for the Huntington.
Oops, I meant late fall of 2005. Anyway, there will be plenty of other shows in this theater besides the Lion King. Hopefully we’ll get some opera, too.
After it closed as the Mayflower porn movie house, it briefly repoened as the Modern to present live stage shows in the late 1970s – early 1980s. Sun Ra performed there.
This theatre changed hands several times. At one point it was part of a small art-house chain called “Sonny & Eddy’s Theatres” which also operated the Central Square, Exeter Street, Allston, and Newton Academy cinemas. Later it was briefly owned by the Brattle, which is when it changed its name from ‘Galeria’ to ‘Janus’.
This continued operating as the second-run Park Cinema 1 & 2 well into the 1980s.
The new theatre complex at this site now open and is called the Calderwood Pavilion. A couple of photos from the ribbon-cutting are here.
The building containing this cinema was not called the ‘Statler Building’.
The Statler Office Building is across Arlington Street, and is part of the Park Plaza Hotel (which was originally a Statler Hilton).
I thought this was a 3-screen venue from the beginning. When it was still owned by Walter Reade, well into the 1970s, the two downstairs theaters were advertised as the “Charles East” and “Charles West”.
The upstairs was a great place to see epics like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Gettysburg”.
This was originally called the Tremont Theatre before it became the Astor.
By 1975 when I arrived in the neighborhood, this had been first converted to a twin-screen, and then closed. It reopened a couple years later as the Nickelodeon.
This was located at 1001 Mass. Ave. The building also included a restaurant, a bicycle shop and a video arcade — all gone now. Currently it has a CVS drugstore and various other retail shops.
This was located in Brookline Village. In its later years it a second-run house called ‘Cinema Brookline’.
In its final declining years, the Stuart became the ‘Pussycat Cinema’ which I believe was the name of a chain of porno theaters. At the same time, the old E.M. Lowe’s West End Cinema became the ‘West End Pussycat’.
It is being replaced by a high-rise residential building that was originally to be called ‘Liberty Place’ but is now going to be ‘Park Essex’.
When Sack Theaters had a new Disney film to show, they usually put it into this theater.
The first Nickelodeon location was actually a reopening of an earlier cinema, Loew’s Abbey.
This theater has been replaced by Atelier 505, which includes condominiums and two new live stages.
It’s now open and it is still called the “Opera House”.
The Lion King ads refer to this venue as the “Opera House”.
Yes, the West End ended its days as the ‘West End Pussycat’. The Stuart Theater, on Washington Street, also was a Pussycat in its final years. (Was this a national chain of adult theaters?)
The Huntington occupies the next-door Boston University Theatre. I believe the Symphony Cinema was converted to back-office, back-stage, or rehersal space for the Huntington.
It’s now a McDonald’s.
The Ritz-Carlton Towers complex now occupies the former site of this theatre.
This theatre was torn down in order to build the State Transportation Building in the early 1980s.
Some time in the 1970s, I believe.
Oops, I meant late fall of 2005. Anyway, there will be plenty of other shows in this theater besides the Lion King. Hopefully we’ll get some opera, too.
Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker will move into this theater in the late fall of 2006.
After it closed as the Mayflower porn movie house, it briefly repoened as the Modern to present live stage shows in the late 1970s – early 1980s. Sun Ra performed there.