Albiani’s Restaurant was one-plus story high and had above the windows a wide black plastic-like facing, just like the building on the left in the first photo above, taken in 1947. However, I too am puzzled by what appears to be writing in Hebrew on the facing. Anyway, this was the site of the Washington Theatre.
Washington Street just south of Kneeland St. was full of many old commercial buildings. In the 1960s it was possible to stand on Washington St., look west, and view the entire east wall of the Metropolitan/ Music Hall/ Wang Theatre. There was a large parking lot which ran from Washington Street all the way up to the Met.
According to the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form, this theatre had 1174 seats on the orchestra floor and 387 seats in the balcony, total: 1561 seats. Possibly it had a stage. It was built sometime in the 1910s or 1920s. Does anyone know where this theatre was located on Adams Street, especially in relation to the intersection of Park Street. I went down Adams Street occasionally in the early 1950s and have no memory of this theatre at all. Does anyone know when it closed ? Or what happened to the building its entrance was in (which was substantial, with 2 stores on either side, and offices above. ) Although the full name of the theatre on the marquee is “Fields Corner”, in the M&P ads in the Boston papers the name was shortened to “Fields”. I have a newspaper page for November 1951 (by which time M&P had become New England Theatres Company) and the “Fields” was still operating. The other theatre in the Fields Corner area was the Dorchester/ Park Th. over on Dorchester Ave. and Park Street. Both of these houses were, of course, true “Nabes”.
It’s possible that it may have been decorated inside in Art Moderne style. It had a rectangular marquee below which were 2 sets of double doors with a box office on the right. All seats were on one floor. Under the marquee and just above the entrance doors was a rectangular attraction board with two lines of black letters on a white background. For a while after the Uphams opened this board proclaimed: “New England’s Most Beautiful Suburban Show”. This slogan used the word “Show” to mean “Theatre”. And it’s highly doubtful today if one would refer to the area as “Suburban”. The Uphams was located near another old movie house, the Winthrop Hall Theatre. It had 500 seats and was an 1890s adaptation of an old meeting hall. It was used originally for vaudeville and minstrel shows and then silient films. As of 1927, it was still open daily for movie shows. But it had closed and the building converted into other uses by the time the Uphams Theatre was opened by Fred Lieberman’s company. Does anyone know when the Uphams closed? I’m fairly certain that it was gone by 1960.
An Albiani’s Restaurant was built on the site of the Washington Theatre. Albiani’s was a local chain. I think that the restaurant was of new construction, and not a reworking of the old theatre. The restaurant can be seen in the MGM photo of the Stuart Theatre taken in May 1941. I think that Albiani’s Restuarant lasted on this site into the 1950s and 1960s. I suspect that the Washington Theatre may have been similar to the Stuart, but with more seats.
Yes, that’s correct. The RKO Boston was built as a replacement for the old 19th-century Boston Theatre just north of, and adjacent to, the little Bijou. The new theatre opened the night after the final performance in the old theatre. Why would they have called it the New Bijou ? I think that Mr. Dumas, who lived in New York, must have been somehow misinformed about the name. Yet, he got most of the details correct in his facade drawing of the new theatre. He even includes the Bond Clothing sign above the entrance.
I have a list of Boston theatres as of 1921 which I copied out of a directory at the library when I was in highschool. It lists the Old South Theatre at 329 Washington St. This would have been the first Old South Th. Assuming the street numbers never changed, that would put it just one storefront to the south of the MacDonald’s mentioned above.
In the huge new book “Theaters” by Craig Morrison there is on page 118 a selection of facade drawings by the artist Anthony Dumas. In 1927, Dumas drew the facade of the RKO Boston. The drawing looks quite accurate except that he has “Keith Albee Bijou” on the marquee and his title for the drawing is “Keith-Albee New Bijou Theatre”. I hve never heard of this house being called “Bijou”, which is, in fact, a name usually given fairly small theatres. One wonders where the prolific Dumas got his information. Many more of Dumas' Boston theatre sketches are included.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Orpheum Theatre in New Bedford has a photo of the exterior taken in May 1941. There is an ornate canopy at the entrance instead of a marquee. The building has a handsome facade and there are stores on each side of the theatre entrance. My copy of the photo is poor. There appears to be a single streetcar track in the street. The address iis 1007 S. Water. Competing theatres are listed as : Capitol, Royal, New Bedford. The population of New Bedford is listed as 110,300. The Report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer; That it is in Poor condition, and has 1200 seats.
Yes, one reason that Symphony Hall was built was because city planners in the 1890s had decided to put yet another street running from Tremont to Washington by extending Hamilton Place right through the demolished property of the Boston Music Hall. That news sent the trustees of the Boston Symphony off on a search for a new site on which to build a new concert hall. Fortunately, the street extension project was dropped, and we still have the Orpheum today.
I think that the name of the department store which occupied the building just south of the original Beacon Th. was “Houghton & Dutton” or something like that. Their building was converted into office space and was demolished to make way for the present One Beacon Street tower. The architect for the theatre was, of course, Clarence Blackall, not “Blackwell” as above.
Yes, I believe that the Province House was where the Jeweler’s Bldg is today. Don King’s book states that the original Old South Theatre was demolished in 1922 and that original plans were to construct a “Province Theatre” in the new building on the site. When I saw the Old South Theatre circa 1949-50 (I never went into it), I did not know that there had been an earlier theatre with that name nearby.
The Franklin Park Theatre was at 616 Blue Hill Avenue. It’s a church now, and occasionally can be seen in TV news footage, since there have twice been shootings near it recently. The Liberty Theatre was nearby, but I don’t have the street number. The architects for teh Franklin Park were Funk & Wilcox, and it opened about 1914. I have 1390 seats. The MGM Theatre Photograph & Report form for this theatre has a photo dated April 1941. There is a triangle marquee with 4 lines of black letters on white background. What looks like the M&P herald is at the apex of the triangle. Movies are “Virginia” and Road Show". There are 3 pairs of double doors. The Report states that the house has been presenting MGM product for less than 5 years; That it’s in Fair condition, and is a “Nabe”, and the seats are 784 on the main floor, and 608 in the balcony; total: 1390.
Loring Hall is a neat little cinema which, like the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, was created in an existing old building. It really is a Landmark in Hingham square. The MGM Theatre Photograph & Report form for the Loring has a photo taken in April 1941. There was no marquee, but there were poster cases on either side of the 3 front doors. The photo quality is not good enough to read what is on the posters. The Report states that the theatre has been showing MGM product for 5 years; the condition is Fair; andthere are 304 seats on the main floor and 90 in the balcony, total 394.
The MGM Theatre Photograph & Report form for the Zeiterion has a photo taken in May 1941. The long marquee has an arch in the middle with “State Theatre” in script letters. There are 3 lines with white letters on black background. The attraction is “Great American Broadcast.” The REport states that the State has been exhibiting MGM product for 4 years; that it’s in Good condition and that it has 1708 seats, all on the main floor. MGM made reports for 11 theatres in New Bedford in 1941. The others are: Casino, Empire, Orpheum, Rialto, Baylies Square, Capitol, New Bedford Theatre; Olympia, Royal, and Strand. The architects for the State/Zeiterion were Leary and Walker. It opened on April 2, 1923 with a stage show, “Troubles of 1923” starring George Jessel. It was built by the Zeitz brothers, hence the original name, Zeiterion. The name was changed to State Theatre several months after opening.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the St. George has a photo taken in 1941. The rather narrow entrance is 2-plus stories high and has a rectangular marquee. The front has two lines with white letters on black background. Movies are “Sleepers West” and “The Great Dictator”. The Report states that the theatre is on Concord St. and has beeen playing MGM product for over 15 years. The house is in “DeLuxe” condition. There are 772 seats on the main floor, and 546 in the balcony, total: 1318 seats.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report card for the Hollis has a photo taken in May 1941. There is a square marquee with 3 lines on the front and sides with black letters. Above is what appears to be a false front with “Hollis” in huge letters. Movies playing are Tyrone Power in “In Old Chicago” plus “Phantom Submarine”. The Report states that the Hollis has been presenting MGM product for over 2 years, that it was built in 1939, that it is in Good condition, and that it has 918 seats, all on one floor.
I have a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for a Marlboro Theatre in Marlboro, MA. The address is 13- 15 Mechanic Street. The photo of the entrance, unfortunately, is not good. It shows a marquee with “Marlboro”, lots of chase lights, and 2 rows below the name, each having white letters on a black background. Attractions are “The Great American Broadcast” and “A Shot in the Dark”. Above, on the second floor there are numerous arched windows. The Report states that the theatre has been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it is over 15 years old; that it is in Fair condition; and has 647 seats on the orchestra floor; 371 seats in the balcony; plus 28 Loge seats, total: 1046. It states that a competing theatre is the Modern Th., also on Mechanic St. It gives the 1940 population of Marlboro as 15,100.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report for the Colonial has a photo dated May 1941. The films playing are Clive Brook in"Convoy" and Gene Autry in “Back in the Saddle”. The marquee has “Colonial” across the front with 3 lines on the side, using white letters on a black background. There is a vertical above the marquee. The report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years, that the theatre is over 15 years old; that the theatre is in Good condition; and has 992 seats on the main floor and 342 in the balcony, plus 168 seats in the Loges. Total: 1502. There are no theatres competing; and the 1940 population of Natick is 13,800.
The MBTA had similar ancient escalators, which also clackity-clacked, at Downtown Crossing and at South Station right into the 1980s and maybe 1990s. You had to be careful getting on them ! The only other downtown Boston theater which had an escalator was the little Bijou (1882-1951) between the Paramount and the Opera House.
Thank you, Gerry DeLuca ! I had heard that the Warner at Worcester Academy was a little gem, and that the name had something to do with the Warner family of movie-studio fame. You have confirmed both stories. I wonder if it was in operation while the old Warner Th. downtown was still open ??
To dwodeyla: Your photo is different and much better- clearer, sharper and showing much more. The MGM photo has the cornice above “1902” at the top; the large poster case on the left edge; the other large poster case on the right edge, and the gutter and sidewalk at the bottom. The marquee is the same. There is even a similar black sedan parked in front of the right poster case. The arrangement of photos in that case are different. The MGM photo was taken probably about the same time-frame as your photo. The MGM photographer was standing at the same place as your photographer only he moved closer to the building.
The photo posted by Lost Memory on March 8, 2005 above is of this theatre – the Loew’s Poli, ex-Poli Palace, later Showcase. The facade photo in the 1941 MGM Report matches Lost Memory’s facade photo.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Gorman includes a photo of the entrance made in 1941. The year “1902” appears above the marquee and it is very vintage in appearance. Because my copy of the photo is a washed-out Xerox, it’s not possible to read the attractions. The Report states that the Gorman has beeen a MGM customer for over 10 years, that the theatre is in Good condition; and the seating is: main floor- 406, balcony- 379, total: 785. The population in Framingham in 1940 was 23,200 and the competing theatres for the Gorman are the Hollis and St. George theaters.
Albiani’s Restaurant was one-plus story high and had above the windows a wide black plastic-like facing, just like the building on the left in the first photo above, taken in 1947. However, I too am puzzled by what appears to be writing in Hebrew on the facing. Anyway, this was the site of the Washington Theatre.
Washington Street just south of Kneeland St. was full of many old commercial buildings. In the 1960s it was possible to stand on Washington St., look west, and view the entire east wall of the Metropolitan/ Music Hall/ Wang Theatre. There was a large parking lot which ran from Washington Street all the way up to the Met.
According to the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form, this theatre had 1174 seats on the orchestra floor and 387 seats in the balcony, total: 1561 seats. Possibly it had a stage. It was built sometime in the 1910s or 1920s. Does anyone know where this theatre was located on Adams Street, especially in relation to the intersection of Park Street. I went down Adams Street occasionally in the early 1950s and have no memory of this theatre at all. Does anyone know when it closed ? Or what happened to the building its entrance was in (which was substantial, with 2 stores on either side, and offices above. ) Although the full name of the theatre on the marquee is “Fields Corner”, in the M&P ads in the Boston papers the name was shortened to “Fields”. I have a newspaper page for November 1951 (by which time M&P had become New England Theatres Company) and the “Fields” was still operating. The other theatre in the Fields Corner area was the Dorchester/ Park Th. over on Dorchester Ave. and Park Street. Both of these houses were, of course, true “Nabes”.
It’s possible that it may have been decorated inside in Art Moderne style. It had a rectangular marquee below which were 2 sets of double doors with a box office on the right. All seats were on one floor. Under the marquee and just above the entrance doors was a rectangular attraction board with two lines of black letters on a white background. For a while after the Uphams opened this board proclaimed: “New England’s Most Beautiful Suburban Show”. This slogan used the word “Show” to mean “Theatre”. And it’s highly doubtful today if one would refer to the area as “Suburban”. The Uphams was located near another old movie house, the Winthrop Hall Theatre. It had 500 seats and was an 1890s adaptation of an old meeting hall. It was used originally for vaudeville and minstrel shows and then silient films. As of 1927, it was still open daily for movie shows. But it had closed and the building converted into other uses by the time the Uphams Theatre was opened by Fred Lieberman’s company. Does anyone know when the Uphams closed? I’m fairly certain that it was gone by 1960.
An Albiani’s Restaurant was built on the site of the Washington Theatre. Albiani’s was a local chain. I think that the restaurant was of new construction, and not a reworking of the old theatre. The restaurant can be seen in the MGM photo of the Stuart Theatre taken in May 1941. I think that Albiani’s Restuarant lasted on this site into the 1950s and 1960s. I suspect that the Washington Theatre may have been similar to the Stuart, but with more seats.
Yes, that’s correct. The RKO Boston was built as a replacement for the old 19th-century Boston Theatre just north of, and adjacent to, the little Bijou. The new theatre opened the night after the final performance in the old theatre. Why would they have called it the New Bijou ? I think that Mr. Dumas, who lived in New York, must have been somehow misinformed about the name. Yet, he got most of the details correct in his facade drawing of the new theatre. He even includes the Bond Clothing sign above the entrance.
I have a list of Boston theatres as of 1921 which I copied out of a directory at the library when I was in highschool. It lists the Old South Theatre at 329 Washington St. This would have been the first Old South Th. Assuming the street numbers never changed, that would put it just one storefront to the south of the MacDonald’s mentioned above.
In the huge new book “Theaters” by Craig Morrison there is on page 118 a selection of facade drawings by the artist Anthony Dumas. In 1927, Dumas drew the facade of the RKO Boston. The drawing looks quite accurate except that he has “Keith Albee Bijou” on the marquee and his title for the drawing is “Keith-Albee New Bijou Theatre”. I hve never heard of this house being called “Bijou”, which is, in fact, a name usually given fairly small theatres. One wonders where the prolific Dumas got his information. Many more of Dumas' Boston theatre sketches are included.
Happy New Year to Patrick and all CT members and friends.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Orpheum Theatre in New Bedford has a photo of the exterior taken in May 1941. There is an ornate canopy at the entrance instead of a marquee. The building has a handsome facade and there are stores on each side of the theatre entrance. My copy of the photo is poor. There appears to be a single streetcar track in the street. The address iis 1007 S. Water. Competing theatres are listed as : Capitol, Royal, New Bedford. The population of New Bedford is listed as 110,300. The Report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer; That it is in Poor condition, and has 1200 seats.
Yes, one reason that Symphony Hall was built was because city planners in the 1890s had decided to put yet another street running from Tremont to Washington by extending Hamilton Place right through the demolished property of the Boston Music Hall. That news sent the trustees of the Boston Symphony off on a search for a new site on which to build a new concert hall. Fortunately, the street extension project was dropped, and we still have the Orpheum today.
I think that the name of the department store which occupied the building just south of the original Beacon Th. was “Houghton & Dutton” or something like that. Their building was converted into office space and was demolished to make way for the present One Beacon Street tower. The architect for the theatre was, of course, Clarence Blackall, not “Blackwell” as above.
Yes, I believe that the Province House was where the Jeweler’s Bldg is today. Don King’s book states that the original Old South Theatre was demolished in 1922 and that original plans were to construct a “Province Theatre” in the new building on the site. When I saw the Old South Theatre circa 1949-50 (I never went into it), I did not know that there had been an earlier theatre with that name nearby.
The Franklin Park Theatre was at 616 Blue Hill Avenue. It’s a church now, and occasionally can be seen in TV news footage, since there have twice been shootings near it recently. The Liberty Theatre was nearby, but I don’t have the street number. The architects for teh Franklin Park were Funk & Wilcox, and it opened about 1914. I have 1390 seats. The MGM Theatre Photograph & Report form for this theatre has a photo dated April 1941. There is a triangle marquee with 4 lines of black letters on white background. What looks like the M&P herald is at the apex of the triangle. Movies are “Virginia” and Road Show". There are 3 pairs of double doors. The Report states that the house has been presenting MGM product for less than 5 years; That it’s in Fair condition, and is a “Nabe”, and the seats are 784 on the main floor, and 608 in the balcony; total: 1390.
Loring Hall is a neat little cinema which, like the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, was created in an existing old building. It really is a Landmark in Hingham square. The MGM Theatre Photograph & Report form for the Loring has a photo taken in April 1941. There was no marquee, but there were poster cases on either side of the 3 front doors. The photo quality is not good enough to read what is on the posters. The Report states that the theatre has been showing MGM product for 5 years; the condition is Fair; andthere are 304 seats on the main floor and 90 in the balcony, total 394.
The MGM Theatre Photograph & Report form for the Zeiterion has a photo taken in May 1941. The long marquee has an arch in the middle with “State Theatre” in script letters. There are 3 lines with white letters on black background. The attraction is “Great American Broadcast.” The REport states that the State has been exhibiting MGM product for 4 years; that it’s in Good condition and that it has 1708 seats, all on the main floor. MGM made reports for 11 theatres in New Bedford in 1941. The others are: Casino, Empire, Orpheum, Rialto, Baylies Square, Capitol, New Bedford Theatre; Olympia, Royal, and Strand. The architects for the State/Zeiterion were Leary and Walker. It opened on April 2, 1923 with a stage show, “Troubles of 1923” starring George Jessel. It was built by the Zeitz brothers, hence the original name, Zeiterion. The name was changed to State Theatre several months after opening.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the St. George has a photo taken in 1941. The rather narrow entrance is 2-plus stories high and has a rectangular marquee. The front has two lines with white letters on black background. Movies are “Sleepers West” and “The Great Dictator”. The Report states that the theatre is on Concord St. and has beeen playing MGM product for over 15 years. The house is in “DeLuxe” condition. There are 772 seats on the main floor, and 546 in the balcony, total: 1318 seats.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report card for the Hollis has a photo taken in May 1941. There is a square marquee with 3 lines on the front and sides with black letters. Above is what appears to be a false front with “Hollis” in huge letters. Movies playing are Tyrone Power in “In Old Chicago” plus “Phantom Submarine”. The Report states that the Hollis has been presenting MGM product for over 2 years, that it was built in 1939, that it is in Good condition, and that it has 918 seats, all on one floor.
I have a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for a Marlboro Theatre in Marlboro, MA. The address is 13- 15 Mechanic Street. The photo of the entrance, unfortunately, is not good. It shows a marquee with “Marlboro”, lots of chase lights, and 2 rows below the name, each having white letters on a black background. Attractions are “The Great American Broadcast” and “A Shot in the Dark”. Above, on the second floor there are numerous arched windows. The Report states that the theatre has been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it is over 15 years old; that it is in Fair condition; and has 647 seats on the orchestra floor; 371 seats in the balcony; plus 28 Loge seats, total: 1046. It states that a competing theatre is the Modern Th., also on Mechanic St. It gives the 1940 population of Marlboro as 15,100.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report for the Colonial has a photo dated May 1941. The films playing are Clive Brook in"Convoy" and Gene Autry in “Back in the Saddle”. The marquee has “Colonial” across the front with 3 lines on the side, using white letters on a black background. There is a vertical above the marquee. The report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years, that the theatre is over 15 years old; that the theatre is in Good condition; and has 992 seats on the main floor and 342 in the balcony, plus 168 seats in the Loges. Total: 1502. There are no theatres competing; and the 1940 population of Natick is 13,800.
The MBTA had similar ancient escalators, which also clackity-clacked, at Downtown Crossing and at South Station right into the 1980s and maybe 1990s. You had to be careful getting on them ! The only other downtown Boston theater which had an escalator was the little Bijou (1882-1951) between the Paramount and the Opera House.
Thank you, Gerry DeLuca ! I had heard that the Warner at Worcester Academy was a little gem, and that the name had something to do with the Warner family of movie-studio fame. You have confirmed both stories. I wonder if it was in operation while the old Warner Th. downtown was still open ??
To dwodeyla: Your photo is different and much better- clearer, sharper and showing much more. The MGM photo has the cornice above “1902” at the top; the large poster case on the left edge; the other large poster case on the right edge, and the gutter and sidewalk at the bottom. The marquee is the same. There is even a similar black sedan parked in front of the right poster case. The arrangement of photos in that case are different. The MGM photo was taken probably about the same time-frame as your photo. The MGM photographer was standing at the same place as your photographer only he moved closer to the building.
The photo posted by Lost Memory on March 8, 2005 above is of this theatre – the Loew’s Poli, ex-Poli Palace, later Showcase. The facade photo in the 1941 MGM Report matches Lost Memory’s facade photo.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Gorman includes a photo of the entrance made in 1941. The year “1902” appears above the marquee and it is very vintage in appearance. Because my copy of the photo is a washed-out Xerox, it’s not possible to read the attractions. The Report states that the Gorman has beeen a MGM customer for over 10 years, that the theatre is in Good condition; and the seating is: main floor- 406, balcony- 379, total: 785. The population in Framingham in 1940 was 23,200 and the competing theatres for the Gorman are the Hollis and St. George theaters.