Coolidge Corner Theatre

Address: 250 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA
office phone: 617-734-2501
recorded info: 617-734-2500
URL: http://www.coolidge.org/coolidge.html

I called the Coolidge Theatre and was told the seating is 600...

The Coolidge Theatre as a single screen theatre once seated 1274 people as of 1955.

The Coolidge now has a small video screening room in addition to the two cinema screens.

Another treasure that should live forever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This theatre has dependably excellent projection and 70mm capability in the large auditorium, and they sporadically do revival series of selected films in 70mm. Memory: as a teenager in 1960 I went to the Coolidge Corner for the first time ever to see Francois Truffaut's THE 400 BLOWS. It made an indelible impression on me. It's a shame that the original entrance and part of the lobby were turned into a commercial space, so that one has to go in through a thoroughly banal-looking side entrance carved out of a wall. Uggh!

The architect of the Coolidge Corner Theatre was Ernest Haywood. It was not built in 1933 (as stated in the opening introduction notes above), but was converted in that year from a former Beacon Universalist Church (a Romanesque revival edifice) which was built in 1906.

Originally seating 1,274, the main auditorium now seats 600, the screen in the former balcony seats 250 and the small screening room seats 45.

The first sentence of the description needs to be corrected. Brookline is not a 'Boston neighborhood'; it is a separate town. I'd change 'neighborhood' to 'suburb'.

Here is a photo of the Coolidge showing their marquee (and building windows) promoting their current 3-D Festival. I saw a wonderful print of the M.G.M. musical "Kiss Me Kate" today. I hadn't seen it in 3-D since 1954, the year it was made. The audience was most appreciative, from the sound of the appplause. Films in the series include "House of Wax," "The Mad Magician," "Miss Sadie Thompson," "Gorilla at Large" and more.

On a recent trip to Boston I took an evening photo of the Coolidge capturing the nice Art Deco lighting features of this beautiful theater.

I don't see any photo there. It says I have to join Webshots to see anything.

Here you go, a direct link to my recent Coolidge Corner Theater photo.

another photo:
http://www.mass-dist.com/DME/pictures/marquee/coolidge%20night.jpg

Another one, b&W:
http://www.mass-dist.com/Massdist1/devilpage/pictures/coolidgemarquee.jpg

Nice Photo Larry J. Davis

This theatre is shown as BEACON UNIVERSALIST CHURCH on a 1919 map of Brookline. Look at the bottom left corner of the map, on the west side of Harvard Street just north of Beacon Street.

This is a recent marquee photo of the Coolidge Corner Theater.

The Coolidge now has effectively four screens, though the newest and smallest has only 20 seats, with movable folding chairs. Newspaper ads include films (and videos) in all four rooms.

I just came back from seeing CSA: The Confederate States of America in that tiny new screening room. I counted only 16 seats, some fixed, some moveable. In any event, the number of screens should officially be changed to four.

If I remember correctly, as of several years ago there were 598 seats in "Moviehouse I" (the large theater). I heard from a former coworker that seats had recently been replaced?

Oh, one tidbit, there's still an organ room in Moviehouse I from back when the stage was in use. It isn't publicly accessible (good thing, you have to climb up a rather treacherous ladder and climb through a trapdoor to access it. If you're in MHI and look to the exit door directly to the right of the screen, it's above that, concealed by curtains. There is no organ, but there are still openings for pipes in the ceiling.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre is actively building an archive of the Theater’s history and we need your help. Please share any photos, memories, or documents you may have that will help us storyboard this art deco treasure. We’ll publish special articles and photos on our website as the material comes in, and you’ll be rewarded with free passes to create new memories. Please contact us at:
office@coolidge.org

Here is another recent night photo of the Coolidge Corner Theater.

The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Coolidge Corner Theatre has an exterior photo taken in April 1941. This shows the original entrance on Harvard Street. There is a rectangular marquee with "Coolidge Corner" on the front and just "Coolidge" on the side. The movie is "Back Street". The Report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer; that it's in Excellent condition and has 800 seats on the main floor and 400 in the balcony. There are also MGM Reports for the Circle Th. in Brookline and the Brookline Th. on Washington St., both filled out in 1941. Plus a later report for the Hancock Village Theatre in Brookline, which appears to be a strip-mall cinema circa 1950.

What was the address of the 'Brookline Theatre on Washington Street'? This one is news to me.

The Hancock Village Theatre is listed here as Village Cinema. It was in the Boston neighborhood of West Roxbury, very near the border with Brookline. It closed in the late 1980s or early 1990s and was subsequently demolished.

Ron- there is no street number given for the Brookline Theatre. Just "Washington Street". The photo was taken in April 1941. The theatre entrance was at the right end of a business block at least 3 stories high. One door down on the left is "Boylston Candy Kitchen". The theatre had a rectangular marquee with the letters spelling out "Brookline" on its top-front. Movies are "Hudson's Bay" and "Jennie", black letters on white background. The Report states that the theatre was opened in 1939 (it looks older than that); that it shows MGM films; that it's in Excellent condition; that it has 800 orchestra seats and 400 balcony seats.

This is a 2007 photo of the Coolidge Corner Theater.

Here is another recent night view of the Coolidge Corner Theater.

AUDITORIUM PHOTOS of one of the best Art Deco moviehouses still showing movies daily in the US.

2007 photo of Auditorium facing curtained screen:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizclink/652030053/

2005: http://www.flickr.com/photos/80023385@N00/185130329/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80023385@N00/185130330/

2004 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sushiesque/69898488/

2006 orchestra rear: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kris3198/180191498/
2006 shows some side decoration: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kris3198/180191466/

This is another recent exterior photo of the Coolidge Corner Theater.

Another exterior view can be seen here.

Here is another night view of the Coolidge. Its nice to see the CVS Pharmacy located next to the theater building for a change instead of inside the theater building.

To my knowledge, CVS has always been next door to the theater, not in the same building.

Ron....I was saying that it is nice to see the CVS located next door and not located inside of this theater as has happened with many former theaters being converted to a CVS or some other drugstore. In other words, its great that this theater is still operating. :)

Ah, OK. I thought you were referring to the former lobby, part of which was converted to a restaurant.

This is a recent photo of the Coolidge Corner Theater.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre, right along up there with the Brattle and the Somerville Theatres, is a favorite theatre of mine. Since I have a yearly membership at the Coolidge, I take as much advantage of it as I can, and have seen some wonderful classics there, including WSS. I like the marquee that they have up on top...it's so cool. I even attended the lighting ceremony of the Coolidge Theatre marquee afew years ago, and it was so cool, seeing all those lights go on for the first time! It added a whole new look to the theatre, making it look even more like a movie palace. I like the new facelift that the entrance and the main theatre received. The chairs are down to four hundred and something now from 600, but it's worth it, especially because the seats are far more comfortable. However, I only wish that the restrooms were a little bit brighter.

Here is a July 2008 night view.

2006 video about renovations including restored Art Deco foyer, restored Deco ceiling in 2nd screen (former balcony), Deco fountain in 3rd auditorium (former Ladies Lounge).
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=353506003&channel=78347908

This is another July 2008 photo.

Thanks for submitting the photos, Lost Memory. The Coolidge Corner Theatre marquee is handsome even in the daytime, but it's especially fantastic-looking at night, when it's all lit up.

Here is an August 2008 photo.

For a look inside the Coolidge Corner Theatre (and the long-shuttered Wollaston Theater), please check out our "A Tale of Two Cinemas":

http://www.castparty.com/cinemas.html

This is a 2009 night view.

I remember sitting in the (mostly empty) balcony with school friends in 1970 watching the matinee double bill of IF IT'S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE BELGIUM, and THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING. I don't recall the films much, so I assume we were just talking a lot and fooling around. Same as I recall going to Fenway to see Red Sox games at the same age!
Does anyone remember the name of the little twin cinema that opened in Newton Center around the same time?

That would be the Academy Twin Cinemas.

Whoops, I linked to the wrong theatre with that name. Here's the proper link to the former Academy Twin Cinemas in Newton Centre.

Thanks Ron! I spent A LOT of time there, can't believe I forgot the name!

Here is a 1986 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cgjlf4

This is a recent photo of the Coolidge Corner.

According to today's Boston Herald, there will be a 75th birthday celebration for the Coolidge Corner tomorrow at 7PM. The news item says that the theater opened in December 1933, which means that it turned 75 last December. There is also a new book (or "booklet", which implies that it's not a full-size book) entitled "Only at the Coolidge: The Story of a Remarkable Movie Theater" by Susan Quinn. Those who attend the celebration will receive a copy of the book. The celebration will include prsentations by Susan Quinn and by Justin Freed. Admission: $15.

The Coolidge Corner has joined the Opera in Cinemas network which presents opera and ballet performances from various European theaters. Other eastern-Mass. cinemas in the network include the Loring Hall in Hingham, The Cape Ann Community in Gloucester and the Capawock on MV island.