The Somerville is in Somerville, the West Newton is in Newton, and the Landmark is in Kendall (not Kenmore) Square in Cambridge. None of these are in Boston.
The development group that owns the BU Theatre complex, longtime home of the Huntington Theatre Company, filed plans Monday for a gleaming 32-story apartment building that will rise 362 feet over Huntington Avenue, transforming that neighborhood and the theater that bears its name.
The tower, which could house as many as 426 units and will feature ample retail space, is being proposed by developers QMG Huntington LLC in a deal that would give full ownership of the 870-seat playhouse to the Huntington Theatre Company. Rising on a site adjacent to the theater now occupied by two smaller buildings, the tower would include an airy two-floor lobby at its base, enabling the Huntington to offer enhanced patron amenities, a cafe, a bar, and flexible event space that could be used for lectures, community meetings, or theatrical performances, including by outside groups.
Yes. I know almost nothing else about it, other than that it existed and was directly at the northwest corner of Washington and Boylston. I suspect it was a small storefront cinema rather than a cutting-up of the State, but I really don’t know.
In the 1976 Dirty Old Boston photo, it looks like there was at least briefly a second screen called the “STATE II CINEMA”, in the same building as the State, but with its own separate sign and entrance, at the corner of Boylston and Washington. This matches my memory of the location.
Gerald Chan has now presented a plan to tear down this theatre and replace it with a new building, which will have two cinemas in its basement. The new cinemas would be run by the same folks who own the Somerville Theatre and the Capitol Theatre in Arlington. Thank you Cambridge City Council for putting needed pressure on this developer.
The Olympia (Pilgrim) and Gayety have been demolished and replaced by residential buildings. The RKO Boston (at right, behind the Olympia) is sitting vacant. The Paramount (in far background, at the bend of Washington Street) was rebuilt and reopened by Emerson College.
According to today’s Boston Globe, this theatre will be renamed to Huntington Avenue Theatre on July 1, 2017, to reflect the fact that Boston University will no longer own it.
And I believe this theatre now has a bar in one of the lobby levels called MacGuffins, but it’s much smaller and less fancy than the original Back Lot lounge.
If you go back to old comments, you will find discussion of the Back Lot, especially in this comment by Ian Judge (who managed the theatre in its early years):
What is it being replaced with?
The Somerville is in Somerville, the West Newton is in Newton, and the Landmark is in Kendall (not Kenmore) Square in Cambridge. None of these are in Boston.
I thought this had been sold and converted to residential use already?
What law did the BPD cite in order to justify this restriction?
from today’s Boston Globe: Colonial Theatre to reopen June 27 with ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’
The Colonial will reopen in June 2018 with a pre-Broadway tryout of “Moulin Rouge”, according to this Boston Globe article.
I suspect this name will be temporary until a donor comes along who wants to give enough to put his or her name on it.
In today’s Boston Globe:
Huntington Ave. tower and theater plans revealed
The development group that owns the BU Theatre complex, longtime home of the Huntington Theatre Company, filed plans Monday for a gleaming 32-story apartment building that will rise 362 feet over Huntington Avenue, transforming that neighborhood and the theater that bears its name.
The tower, which could house as many as 426 units and will feature ample retail space, is being proposed by developers QMG Huntington LLC in a deal that would give full ownership of the 870-seat playhouse to the Huntington Theatre Company. Rising on a site adjacent to the theater now occupied by two smaller buildings, the tower would include an airy two-floor lobby at its base, enabling the Huntington to offer enhanced patron amenities, a cafe, a bar, and flexible event space that could be used for lectures, community meetings, or theatrical performances, including by outside groups.
The map location and Street View shown here are not correct. And what happened to the photo that used to be here?
Yes. I know almost nothing else about it, other than that it existed and was directly at the northwest corner of Washington and Boylston. I suspect it was a small storefront cinema rather than a cutting-up of the State, but I really don’t know.
To clarify, State II and Cinema X Twin both existed, but were different theatres, a block apart.
That’s a different location (and does have its own separate listing here at CinemaTreasures, as Cinema X Twin Theatre).
In the 1976 Dirty Old Boston photo, it looks like there was at least briefly a second screen called the “STATE II CINEMA”, in the same building as the State, but with its own separate sign and entrance, at the corner of Boylston and Washington. This matches my memory of the location.
Looks like it was a (storefront?) theatre called the State II Cinema, not listed at CinemaTreasures. This vaguely matches my memory of the location.
Gerald Chan has now presented a plan to tear down this theatre and replace it with a new building, which will have two cinemas in its basement. The new cinemas would be run by the same folks who own the Somerville Theatre and the Capitol Theatre in Arlington. Thank you Cambridge City Council for putting needed pressure on this developer.
Cambridge Day article
Boston Globe article
This theater’s status should be changed to Closed.
The Olympia (Pilgrim) and Gayety have been demolished and replaced by residential buildings. The RKO Boston (at right, behind the Olympia) is sitting vacant. The Paramount (in far background, at the bend of Washington Street) was rebuilt and reopened by Emerson College.
After at least 35 years of disuse, this theatre will soon be demolished and replaced with a 42-unit condo building. The facade and lobby will remain.
Story at Universal Hub
Also, the Huntington’s scenery, prop, and paint shops will be moving to a warehouse in Everett.
According to today’s Boston Globe, this theatre will be renamed to Huntington Avenue Theatre on July 1, 2017, to reflect the fact that Boston University will no longer own it.
And I believe this theatre now has a bar in one of the lobby levels called MacGuffins, but it’s much smaller and less fancy than the original Back Lot lounge.
If you go back to old comments, you will find discussion of the Back Lot, especially in this comment by Ian Judge (who managed the theatre in its early years):
http://cinematreasures.org/comments?page=5&theater_id=10382#comment-44980
It was a bar specifically for moviegoers.
That seems like a very wasteful use of a prime space in a luxury hotel building.
I hope that will include somehow adding more legroom to the balcony seats. I’m 5'4" and I don’t comfortably fit into them.