Paris Cinema

From today's Boston Herald:

Sex in this city doesn't pay: Worcester cops nab 29 in theater, street sting

Years after Boston cleaned up its Combat Zone, Worcester police are cracking down on the city's seedy sex attractions.

A downtown stint over the weekend netted 29 arrests on various illegal sex acts - including a high school teacher from the northwestern part of the state caught masturbating to a skin flick, a source said.
...
More than half of the arrests were made at Paris Cinema, an adult theater with a reputation among gay men and a history of resident complaints
...
Cops found men engaged in sex acts alone and with others when they busted into the packed movie-house on both Friday and Saturday night

Maybe the teacher that was arrested was a sex ed teacher doing "research". :)

Here is a photo I took...er, NOT of the above activity, but of the cinema façade. Note the lettering on "Paris." Same script, same star for a dot over the "i". Just like the Paris in Providence and New York...and Boston, I believe.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/italiangerry/Worcester/ParisWorcesterMA.jpg

Also, note the sense of the hugeness of the original auditorium of the Capitol behind. See up top what appears to be the exterior of a separated fire-containment projection booth as a safety measure during the nitrate era.

I saw two movies at this theatre when it was the Capitol. One was "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao" and the other was "The Brass Bottle", both released in 1964, both featuring Tony Randall.

Listed in Film Daily Yearbooks 1941, 1943 and 1952 as the Capitol Theatre with a seating capacity of 2,000. Operated by Paramount Pictures Inc through their subsidiary Mullins & Pinanski.

Two screens:1. Adult downstairs (straight porn), 2. Adonis upstairs (gay porn). Closed end of July 2005. Licence revoked.

Saved by porn, destroyed by morality. Now what will happen to the place!

The Paris Cinema in New Hartford, NY (suburb of Utica) had the exact same facade. Loews closed it around 1991 or so. At the time of its closing, the auditorium was fashioned out of what used to be an old movie palace. If you went behind the screen, the rest of the original theatre was there, just used for storage and unheated.

This looks like fun, unfortunately I discovered it a bit too late. Does anyone else know of anything like this in or near Mass? Or any info on what will happen to this place now? THANKS

The Paris Theatre opened as the Capitol Theatre on December 25,1926. The auditorium is of atmospheric design with a Spanish theme, On opening it had a Wurlitzer 3 manual, 7 rank organ, Opus #1492. There is a large newspaper article on the opening. It had at least one major renovation closing and reopening on December 25, 1962.

The Capitol's architect was Roger Garland. It had about 2000 seats when it opened in Dec. 1926 (I have an opening date of Dec. 11th). I have heard that it was the first Atmospheric in New England. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this theatre has a photo taken in May 1941. The marquee had 2 panels each with 3 lines. The attraction is Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in "Road to Zanzibar". The report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer, that it is in Good condition; and that the seating is: Orchestra 1110; Balcony: 490, and Loges: 284. Total: 1884 seats.

Ron Salters is correct in that the Capitol opened on December 11, 1926.

I have heard that the XXX shop in the lobby of the Paris has closed and the entire theatre is now dark. Can anyone confirm??

Yes, it has closed.

Thanks, once again, Gerry DeLuca. I imagine the future for this theatre is bleak.

Hello

Does anyone know if this theatre is for sale, or has any updated pictures of the theatre interior?

It says this theatre is two. How is it divided?

Is the area the theatre located in good or bad (given the nature of the report above).

Any information would be of help.

Thank You,

JG

This is an article from the Preservation Worcester website about the Capitol Theater. And here is a 06/21/2005 story about the Paris Cinema.

The balcony was closed off for an upstairs cinema and the auditorium was partitioned to make a small cinema and an area used for storage for inventory of the adult retail store.
The city has talked about redeveloping this area for over 30 years. The entire block is suppposed to be redeveloped. The interior of the theatre is deteriorating. The theatre is located close to the Worcester City Hall.

Hello...

LOST MEMORY--I take it then this must quite a 'depressed area'. Is it showing signs of turn around or is it a problem area with little or no hope? I was under the impression that Worcester was not a bad area...but reading what you sent as well as earlier postings here, I am getting the gist this may not be that good of an area. That site on Preservation Worcester isn't reassuring if all these historic structures are pretty much just sitting and deteriorating.

BARRY--Thank you for in basic information of the layout of the theatre. I was curious to see interior pictures of the theatre. But the only thing I found was on the Preservation Worcester site and then it only has a picture of one wall of the interior...and it doesn't look good, that is for sure. That horrible blue has to go!

JG

Geo1....I don't live in or near Worcester so I can't tell you what the area is like. It appears to me that the city doesn't want a porn theater operating at this location. I don't believe that is any indication of the area deteriorating. Actually, you could take it as a positive sign that the city doesn't want the area to become run down and they believe that closing the theater will prevent the area from becoming that way. I think it would be best to let someone from Worcester give you the specifics on this area.

Hello

LOST MEMORY--Yes, I am taking this as a good sign as well. I am still doing research on the area. I am curious to see more pictures of the Paris. Hopefully it will prove to be a worthwhile project. While I do not need a classic theatre for the operation I am planning...I do admit I am a sucker for the old Atmospherics. I seem to be good at finding them too :). I definately would like to see pictures of this theatre when it was under the old "Capitol" name. It would be very fitting to return it to that name...sounds better too!

JG

Geo1....I don't want to discourage you, but you should take a look at this website and also this website before making any decisions.

Hello

LOST MEMORY--Thank you for providing that information for me. That was something I had to look into for myself and you did it for me. While it may be discouraging...it is still very important information. It is showing me that even though the town does intend to make good on this area (as I read elsewhere). These facts are showing where the town is at now...and that is very important. From the looks of it, it isn't promising. You did save me alot of time and webwork. I made the mistake of buying a house here on Long Island without thoroughly checking out the neighborhood, but that was because I was living in an apartment initially and HAD to move out as the landlord was selling. I mostly based my purchase on the type of house and cost. It was a mistake. I will NOT make that mistake again. This time it is different and I have TIME to check this stuff out. I also have learned not to put all my eggs in one basket. This theatre is just one of a few that I am currently looking into. But with the knowledge I have gathered on this theatre and the information you just provided...sad to say, I will be chalking this theatre off my list. Perhaps in the future the Paris will be waiting for someone to revitalize it when the town conditions improve, but I don't think it will not be anytime soon.

Thank You again...

Geo

The Paris was used in the early 1980s by Cinema 320, a group dedicated to showing art-house fare in the city. This article in the Worcester Telegram tells of the group's experiences before the place was leased to others for a higher-rent porno operation.

Its funny how Lost memory posted the Worcester crime stats in a negative light and Geo1 agreed with them. Worcester's crime is extremely low when compared to other cities of its size. In fact most of the stats listed on that website were in line with or BELOW national averages per 100000 people, which includes ALL areas, urban, suburban and rural!! Look up how many other cities with nearly 200,000 people only log 6 murders per year!! Last year Worcester had 5 murders, Springfield logged 20, Providence 14, and Boston 66!!

The area around the Worcester Common is not a bad area, just a ghosttown at night, as there is not much housing, and very safe during the day. The theater is on the same block as the Worcester Public Libray and right around the corner from the newly renovated Havover Theatre!!

Gould Says,

"The area around the Worcester Common is not a bad area, just a ghosttown at night, as there is not much housing, and very safe during the day. The theater is on the same block as the Worcester Public Libray and right around the corner from the newly renovated Havover Theatre!!"

Oh really? Crime aside, would a ghost-town be any better? A theatre like any other business thrives off what is around it. Since theatres operate at night a good nightlife is important. If you are saying another theatre is open in that area, what evidence is there that the town could support another one?

The Worcester downtown area suffers from the same problems as other New England / Pennsylvania towns after most of the people leave in the area due to changes in the area, or changes in the workforce.

Also given the fact that the Paris last life was a XXX theatre, that should tell enough about the area it is in. Are the local police cleaning up things. Sure, of course, but it will take time before the downtown area gets revitalized.

It is just a high risk situation to reopen that theatre at this point in time. So I stand by what I say above.

As per your head count for murders, if you noticed, the larger the area the higher the number. Seriously you can't compare a large city such as Boston to a small suburb as Worcester. Of course the figure is going to be higher in an urban area. The more people you have, the more trouble you have. Springfield is also attempting a bounce back from a poor economic state...plus it is a larger area as well.

Try comparing Boston's Crime rate with that of New York, LA and Detroit. It wouldn't even place because Boston is much smaller in comparison to those larger cities. Yet, even though New York may seem like it has a high rate, the fact is that the city has 8 million people in it and it has a pretty good crime rate for it's size, but still it is a lot in comparison to the average suburb.

Worcester is not a small suburb, it is a city of almost 180,000. Boston...with 3 times the population, has 15 times the murders. Providence (equal in population) and Springfield (which has 30000 people less than worcester), have 3 and 4 times the murders. Im not candycoating anything here, just stating pure facts. I was previously speaking in crame RATES, not total numbers. New york has high crime NUMBERS because of its population, but not a high crime RATE. There is a difference. Also, yes another theater is opening around the corner, and hosting 100 shows this year including many Broadway productions.

PS there are dozens of XXX theaters and shops in North Beach in San Francisco....does that mean its a bad area?? Hmmmm talk to the people spending $1 million on homes there. Its a CITY!!!!

This is a photo of the Paris Cinema from 2007.

Here is a 1986 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/d6aba5

I drove by this theater a week ago. If you look at the 2007 picture, the store front on the left is empty and boarded up, and the sign is gone. The storefront on the right still has it's sign, and is boarded up.

The place looks sad. I wonder if some minimal TLC could give it a new lease on life? Worcester doesn't have any movie theater's in the downtown area, so it would likely do reasonably well. Shaking the stigma of it's previous incarnation would be difficult though....

This is exactly what I was referring to when I said that Worcester's downtown area looked like a ghost town. When I was in downtown Worcester just this last spring, I noticed that not only was the Paris Cinema closed up and empty, but a good many of the storefronts, etc., were boarded up. Not a good sign overall, imho.

Here is a 2008 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/mn7htj

True, MPol, but supposedly the CitySquare project will revive downtown Worcester.

The problem I see for this theateris this: if no one does anything with it before CitySqaure starts really moving, it has a target painted on it. And once it's marked for demolition, it's unlikely anyone would step up to save it, given it's recent history. Seems such a waste..but what can you do?

The Wurlitzer organ from this theater is now located in the Rochester Museum and Science Center in Rochester, N.Y. The Rochester Theater Organ Society(www.theatreorgans.com/rochestr/) maintains this organ.

Actually, it should be http://www.theatreorgans.com/rochestr/

December 2009 photo of the Paries cinema courtesy katherine>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katherineofchicago/4210849813/sizes/l/in/pool-72675154@N00/

I was walking by the Paris a couple of weeks ago and I noticed a big red X sign taped to the signboard, where it used to read "Adult Movies for Sale or Rent." What does a red X mean - is the building unsafe for occupancy, or they didn't pay their taxes?

This is an excerpt from a November 30, 2009 Worcester Telegram and Gazette article. It answers the question about the red "X" and paints a dim future for this theater in the heart of the city.

"The former Paris Cinema on Franklin Street is branded with an "X" sign. The building, which most recently housed an adult theater, is owned by a holding company controlled by the principals of the Boston-based Mayo Group, which is renovating several buildings on the block.

The Mayo Group's Edward O'Donnell, vice president of development, said the company bought the vacant theater as a "defensive investment" because it already had poured millions of dollars in neighboring buildings. As it stands, though, the company has no specific renovation plans for the deteriorating brick theater.

"At this point, it's hard to say. It's really hard to attach any type of timetable or to say what we think the reuse will be," Mr. O'Donnell said.

In the meantime, he said, the Mayo Group has been cooperating with the Fire Department and doing its best to keep the building secure. Homeless people have managed to break into the building on several occasions, he said.

"We have had to resecure that building three or four times, but they find a way to get in," Mr. O'Donnell said.

"We've worked with the Worcester Fire Department. They called us and wanted to go through the building, and we granted them entry," he added. "Everybody who remembers that night 10 years ago knows how important it is to work with the Fire Department.""

Also, this is a PDF of another T&G article notes that the parcel that includes the theater was purchased for 4.8 million, and that "preservationists and local theater buffs" would like to see the theater saved. Given the hurdles it faces(high renovation cost, too much competition for performing arts in the area, and questionable viability as a movie theater), I think this one might be at the end of the road. I'd like to be proven wrong....but I can't see it.