Town Theatre

The Empire (AKA Town) located on Fayette Street between Howard and Eutaw, must have one of the longest and weirdest hostories of any Baltimore theatre.
Constructed in 1911, it was a flashy young upstart compared to the vererable dowager Ford's Opera House, located across the street. (That horary home of legitimate theatre met the wrecking ball, not prematurely in 1967.)
The Empire, was designed in the fine Beaux Arts style. The original interior carried out the classical theme of the exterior, and was decorated in dark green, grey, gilt and marble. It boasted its own soda fountain and billiar parlor.
However, the Empire was far from a commercial success. Its original policy of "better" burlesque was a little too racy for its shoppin district location. It tried baudevile as well, but had difficulty with compitition. In 1913, the theatre's name changed to "Palace". (P{erversely, the name Empire was still used in some adertising as late as 1916.)
The vaudeville policy didn;t work either, especially after the mammoth Hippodrome opened around the corner. Thus, by 1915, the Palace adopted an all-movie policy.
Reasonable successful as a movie palace, the Palacec kept going until the late 20's. Then, Inferior bookings got it into finanacial trouble, and the management returned to a burlesque policy. A toruing company of famous Minsky's burlesque got the place raided, and finally a sordid little shocker movie, "Some Wild Oats," brought in a lot of business, including the vice squad. The Palace ceased operations in 1929, and sat shuttered until 1937, while similar theatres were raking in the money. In 1937, someone decided to have a go at operating the place again, and for a few brief months it operated as the Esquire Theatre, only to close within the same year. Finally, the owners of the building gave up hope of operating it as a movie theatre, and hat it gutted. For nine years, the shell operated as a garage.
The strangest days were yet to come for the old Empire. In 1946, it was rebuilt, as a theatre, once again. Now it got the rather dedestrain name "Town." The Town Theatre was truly a hashish dream come true. It opened with a premiere showing of "Its a Wonderful Life," with James Stewart himself in the audience, The decorations this time were unearthly. Bizarre metal sculptures depicting "Modern Film" and "Music" lined the walls. There were no straight lines in evidence. The ceiling looked like the inside of a giant eggshell, and the lighting was provided by a recessed strip two feet in width that ran from the top of the proscenium arch along the top of the "eggshell" to the projection booth. Weird amoeba-like shapes provided further decor along the walls, and were backlit for additional lighting. The whole effect was bizarre, but not unpleasant. The newly appointed theatre became very popular, and actually succeeded in drawing some business away from the Hippodrome and the big Lexington Street theatres.
By the 1970's the theatre had fgallen out of favor again, with the rest of downtown. It still did a fair business, but its management was also handling the Hippodrome by this time, and gave the superior bookings to the larger theatre.
The Town was still a fun theatre. It had a very family-like atmosphere for such a large house (about 2,200 seats). The concession stand sold Dreamsicles (you know, those vanille-ice-cream-coated-with-orange-stuff things). This was a mistake, Kids were the primary Dreamsicle customers, and kids usually sit in the balcony because its cool. Thus, the balcony floor was covered in what seemed like several inches of the melted and semi solidified Dreamsicle goo. In its dying days, the Town was not terrible well maintained, and it was not uncommon for a rat, or several, to drop in to catch a matinee. But the audience was always friendly, and stiquette at the Town called for yelling "Rat!" if one happened to be in your aisle. If you heard someone yell, you just raised your feet and waited for the small moviegoing rodent to zoom past.
Finally, though, there came a day when even the rats didn't want to see a picture at the Town anymore. The tired old theatre closed its doors, probably forever, in August of 1990, about a week before the Hippodrome, too, closed.
The closing of the Empire/Palace/Esquire/Town and the Hippodrome marked the end of an era. There were the last operating theatres in the downtown area dnt he last true movies palaces in the entire city. Although several plans have surfaced to revitalize the derelict shopping district, none of them even mention movie palaces in passing. Hoepfully, the Hippodrome's potential renaissance will throw the lovely old Empire back into the spotlight and possibly bring a real movie palace back to Fayette Street.
BAD NEWS IN 1999.
The city has now revealed a new "West Side Master Plan" which calls for the virtual destruction of the old shopping district. Though this includes restoration of the Hippodrome, it appears to signal the end of the Empire, the New, the remaining facade of Keith's, the New Howard nd the Auditorium, as well as several significant structures representing every era of Baltimore history from the 1830's through the 1990's. Success seems to have once again-this time quite permanently evaded the Empire..

I'm surprised that Mr. VanBibber failed to mention that from 1961-1970 the Town was the Cinerama theatre in Baltimore. Until the mid-70's the Town had a small sign atop its marquee claiming itself as the only Cinerama house in Maryland. This included the original three-strip and the one-projector systems. It showed almost almost every Cinerama movie with a few exceptions. Local bookings for Baltimore theatres could be quirky; some films that originated as 70mm roadshow engagements elsewhere were shown in Baltimore in 35mm with continuous showings. For some unexplained reason, "The Battle of The Bulge" played at the Hippodrome in 35mm after its reserved seat engagements; it was never shown in 70mm or 70mm Cinerama at the Town. "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" was shown at the New after its Cinerama runs; Whether it was a 70mm presentation or in 35mm remains unkown. "Krakatoa", the final film presented in Cinerama, opened at the New in Super 70.

My first encounter with three-strip Cinerama was at the Town. My father treated me on Labor Day and took me downtown to see "How The West Was Won". Being cynical I believed Cinerama was another silly gimmick from Hollywood. HOwever, when the Cinerama screen flew me across the Rockies at the beginning and the incredible stereophonic sound made me believe the chorus was actually there I was a true believer. I came back later to see "Khartoum", "Grand Prix" and "2001: A Space Oddysey". The Cinerama purists believe that the one-projector system did not hold a candle to the true Cinerama, but being young at the time I thought there was no difference - but then, I was young.

The Town also shown 70mm films which included "El Cid" and the second version of "The Mutiny On The Bounty". I saw also the 70mm blowup version of "Finian's Rainbow" at the Town.

The Town Theatre played 3 strip Cinerama from 8/28/57 thru 5/11/58. It was re-installed for an opening of 3 strip on 4/11/63 and ran thru 9/18/63. 70mm was installed in 1964 replacing the three strip. Cinerama again started on 2/20/64 but in 70mm. The town was twinned in 1985 but was closed in 1995 and placed for sale.

The Town's theatre Cinerama history is rather checkered. The first "miscalculation" occured when it was decided to show Cinerama in Baltimore in the first place. Way back in 1953/54 when Stanley Warner was trying to get contracts with major producers such as Warner Brothers, one of the main points of contention was that SW insisted that Cinerama not be shown in theatres closer than 200 miles apart. This was not adhered to. It may be argued that the Philly engagement suffered from its proximity to New York. On the other hand, Detroit received much of its trade from Canada, despite its proximity to Chicago. With Baltimore (40 miles from DC, 100 miles from Philadelphia), there was a risk involved. Possibly sensing this, SW for the first time initiated an agreement with the theatre owner whereby the latter managed the house, as opposed to prior venues where SW operated the theatre on a "four-wall" basis keeping all the boxoffice, after paying all the expenses, itself. At any rate, "This Is Cinerama" opened at the Towne as the 30th Cinerama operation on 8/28/57 running for only 16 weeks (as opposed to 100 wks in DC and 72 wks in Philly). The 2nd Cinerama travelogue, "Cinerama Holiday," didn't even run. "7 Wonders of The World," number 3, opened in January of 1958, followed by "Search for Paradise" that Spring which lasted all of 3 weeks. "South Seas Adventure," like "Cinerama Holiday," didn't even get a chance. After re-installation, the MGM Cinerama films began 4/11/63 and run only until September of that year. The 70mm flavor of Cinerama begin in February of 1964. On the other hand, the rival CineMiracle process utilized with the film "Windjammer" played the Mayfair for 12 weeks from February to May, 1960.

What is the current status of the Town? Is the city of Baltimore planning to do anything with this theatre. One restored movie palace doesn't make a theatre district. I think that the New and the Town have lasted so long that the city should try to save them as part of there massive redevelopment of Downtown. I find that a group of restored theatres bring a lot more people downtown and help revive an area that had been dying and left for dead. Baltimore should look to Pittsburg,Cleveland,Columbus,Boston,Detroit,Seattle,San Francisco,Hollywood,Chicago,Minneapolis,Toronto and a few others.brucec

What a great old facade and marquee. The facade reminds me of the late great Rivoli.

Screens need to be changed to twin for this theater. Here is a photo:
http://cinerama.topcities.com/town.htm

Photos & history:
http://www.kilduffs.com/TBA.html

Fondly remembering taking Midge here for Alfred Hitchcock's TORN CURTAIN. Even though I live south of DC, we still return to Baltimore now that the HIPPODROME reopened. We come for about 8 of their shows a year. The HIPPODROME has very strong box office support. If the TOWN were re-opened, there would be public support, and downtown Baltimore has changed severely for the better the past 2 decades.

The original architects of the Empire Theatre were Otto Simonson of Baltimore and W.H. McElfatrick of New York. The original seating capacity was 2,400 and it opened as a burlseque and vaudeville theatre on 25th December 1911 with "Follies of the Day".

The current Art Moderne interior was a re-model in 1946 by architects John J. Zink and Lucius R. White and it re-opened as the Town Theatre on 22nd January 1947 with James Stewart attending 'in person' a premier screening of "It's A Wonderful Life"

If you look for the TOWN THEATER in Baltimore check the address and LOOK HARD. It doesn't look anymore like the above photo. The front is completely flat and boarded up. Although, as noted above, I took Midge here on our date, I've driven by the front entrance 50 times without recognizing the site. Hopefully though, the well-sealed interior remains to be saved.

The theatre is being marketed by the Downtown Partnership as retail space; there is reportedly very little left of the interior. However, I would like to try and do something about this. If anyone would like to help, please get in touch with me.

Betcha can't find the TOWN THEATRE since the front is boarded up flat and the marquee is gone. When attending the HIPPODROME, take a minute and look across the street. There's a restaurant in a historic bank building and a wide alley to the right of it. Look down the alley and you'll see the bricks of the side wall of the TOWN. Beyond that wall, inside, there's a real Cinema Treasure.

Everyman troupe going to west side
By J. Wynn Rousuck and Jamie Smith Hopkins
Baltimore Sun reporters
Originally published November 15, 2006


In a development that could further the transformation of downtown Baltimore's west side from a neglected shopping district into a vibrant arts center, Everyman Theatre, a thriving regional troupe, will move into a vacant vaudeville house across from the restored Hippodrome.

Civic leaders say the shift into the Town Theatre - to be announced today - will build on the Hippodrome's momentum, reviving a once-grand theater district. The development comes in the midst of improvements to the west side, which has added restaurants and more than 750 apartments in the past two years, a turnaround after the shopping district's long slide.

The Town - which once played host to such stars as Mae West and Joe E. Brown - is the final parcel in Bank of America's Centerpoint project, a major mixed-use complex of retail and 392 apartments that wraps around the Town. Bank of America's donation of the Town to Everyman will be made public at a celebration this afternoon of the completion of Centerpoint.

Everyman's renovation of the 95-year-old Town is projected to be completed in fall 2009 at a cost of $11.5 million. It follows the $62 million restoration of the Hippodrome, which reopened in February 2004.

Hippodrome Executive Director Marks Chowning welcomes the prospect of having Everyman as a neighbor. "[It's] going to put another critical mass of bodies down there that will help support other businesses, restaurants and retail, or whatever theaters may come down the pike," he said.

The west-side location could be a boon for Everyman, a professional company that has built a solid reputation in Baltimore over the past 16 years with such sold-out productions as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof in 2004 and this season's premiere of The Cone Sister.

"I love the idea that this theater would only be three blocks from the ballparks and the Inner Harbor. It would give tourists another cultural attraction within walking distance of their hotels," said Vincent M. Lancisi, Everyman's founder and artistic director. "I feel like Everyman has not tapped into the visitors to Baltimore, partly because of our location."

Everyman hopes to help stimulate growth on the west side, as it did in the Charles North neighborhood. Lancisi said the block was 80 percent vacant - even The Charles Theatre was dark between owners - when Everyman moved into its present home at 1727 N. Charles St. in 1994.

"Over the past 12 years we've enjoyed a great renaissance in that block, and I'd like to think Everyman played a significant role in that," he said.

West-side business and development groups are looking forward to the impact the theater could have on the area.
"Everyman is such a beloved institution and has quickly developed very strong roots in the community, and to have them plant themselves on Fayette Street just bodes very well for the future," said Ronald Kreitner, executive director of WestSide Renaissance Inc., a nonprofit that leads efforts to redevelop the neighborhood.

The Town, whose historic facade fronts on Fayette Street, will be given a secondary entrance on Eutaw, facing the Hippodrome. Everyman expects to have 250 to 300 seats; the Hippodrome has 2,250.

"You've got Broadway on one side of the street and off-Broadway on the other. We are not competitors in any sense; we will feed off each other," Lancisi said.

Valued at $1.8 million, the Town is being sold to Everyman for $1. Bank of America's decision to essentially donate the theater "was an entirely appropriate use" for the Town, said Bill Couper, the bank's mid-Atlantic president. "Here was an organization that could really make something of it. ... It would add to the neighborhood in a way that would complement what's already there in the Hippodrome."

The bank has been the largest corporate sponsor of the theater's education programs for the past decade and has an officer on Everyman's board.

Everyman has outgrown its Charles Street venue, a former bowling alley. "We will go from the little theater that could to a mid-sized theater with a significant regional reputation," said Lancisi. "The facility will give Everyman the tools it needs to ramp up its production values. It will allow the artists the technology and support that they need to do their best work."
Everyman, whose current flexible space can hold 170 to 200 patrons, has been experiencing growing pains for several seasons, during which its shows have played to 92 percent capacity. A bid to move into the vacated Chesapeake Restaurant at the southeast corner of the block was turned down by the city last year.

But a desire for more seats is only part of Everyman's needs. The theater has never had a rehearsal hall, costume or prop shops, or classrooms - all of which will be built into the Town renovation. Eventually, Everyman hopes to have a second theater within the Town.

A brief tour of the abandoned building revealed evidence of its most recent incarnation as twin movie theaters - the concession stands, upstairs screen and theater seats are still intact, albeit thick with cobwebs. Despite the elegant facade, however, any remnant of the interior's nearly century-old splendor is long gone.

"There is nothing architecturally or historically worth saving in the interior," said Lancisi. "We're going to go in and sculpt it out so you basically have a big rectangular box, and we will insert intimate spaces within it."

West-side businesses could use the boost that Everyman's patrons might provide. Next door to the Town, at Maggie Moore's Irish Pub & Restaurant, manager Mick MacEoin said the area has been rejuvenated in the 16 months since he started working there - but he had plenty of time to talk about it during a recent lunch hour because the crowd was thin.

"More businesses coming in," he said when asked what he'd like to see on the west side. "More businesses that will bring more people to the area. ... Most of our business comes from the Hippodrome, the University of Maryland and Centerpoint."

Nearby is the languishing "superblock," targeted for redevelopment but held up by disputes between the city and a key property owner. City officials say the six-block area, which runs along Fayette Street to the south and as far west as Howard Street, is critical to west-side revitalization.

But there are signs of progress, beginning with the Hippodrome and Centerpoint, which is for sale now that development is complete. Across the street from the Town, a Philadelphia firm has scaffolding up for redevelopment work on a former Hecht's department store annex. The University of Maryland, Baltimore, just put out a request for bids on a long-empty bank building that could be transformed into a hotel.

"It was a very vibrant community in the past," said Matthew Kachura, a research analyst at the Jacob France Institute, the University of Baltimore's economic research center. "It maybe hasn't reached its potential yet, but it's getting there."

Said Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership: "If one looks back just three, four years ago and sees the progress that's been made in that area, it's almost staggering."

Everyman's lease at 1727 N. Charles has been extended for the three years it will take to renovate the Town, whose costs are expected to be met by a capital campaign.

The theater's departure from the Charles North neighborhood will be a setback for that arts district, but only a temporary one, predicted M.J. "Jay" Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., the city's economic development arm. "There are people looking at serious investments in that area," he said.

Lancisi hopes another theater will occupy Everyman's space. "I would hate to see a performing arts component not in the arts and entertainment district," he said.

Here is a 1947 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2klp4s

To bad more thought is not being done on what could be done with this theatre. Every time they have taken a movie palace and turned it into a small Black Box theatre it looks horrible. The theatre should be made to be more flexible larger seating for some shows and smaller seating for others. What a waste of money to turn it into just another Black Box theatre.brucec

So has anything been done with the Town Theatre?

The year given for this photo is 1979.

That is a great pic.

It did look good back in 1979. The building will probably end up as a drugstore or used as some type of retail store.

1985 photo of the Town Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c20%2c3%2c216&catpageindex=12&ProductID=28068

It could be because the 1985 photo is darker, but the building looked better in 1979.

Your pic still looks really great, much better than the 1985 photo, I guess 8 years can make a big difference too.

Baltimore's Cinerama exhibition history posted here.