Paramount Theater

when finished renovating this theatre what will it be used for and by whom

The future of this theater is very much up in the air. The current "renovation" is to the facade only.

Vertical Marquee has been either restored/rebuilt or new one installed. There appears to be new light bulbs. Looks good even in daytime. Front of building looks like it was sandblasted.

The Ebell Theatre and the Ebell Club Building are treasures in Long Beach. The Theatre is currently used as a church on Sunday mornings only

When the renovations are over, it will be the new home of the American Repertory Theater (ART) - currently in Harvard Square. I believe it will be open for the season opening in 2004 but I could be wrong on that.

The Paramount will not be the new home of the ART; the ART is staying in its large modern facility in Cambridge. However, the ART is one of several groups expected to utilize the Paramount in the future.

I had the opportunity to tour the interior in 2001 and it is quite a mess. Most of the decorative aspects have been plastered over, but the lobbies and proscenium remain intact. The old mezzanine lobby still had moldy old couches in it.

The proscenium is very narrow and the stage is not very deep, so whatever becomes of it, some major changes can be expected to make the Paramount a feasible space again. But at least it is still here!

The marquee has been beautifully relit, and brings a welcome touch of neon to a formerly dreary part of Washington Street. But the entrance is still boarded up, and where the marquee should be announcing current and upcoming shows, it instead just says

RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL & TOWERS
URBAN LAND INSTITUTE AWARD WINNER

In Sydney Australia we had a PARAMOUNT theatre that was built as late as 1964. the home of parampunt movies propi to that was at the glorious PRINCE EDWARD (see Australia in the locations link for my info and others). the PE was built in 1924 and was the first real picture palace built in Sydney, as a result it had a much loved and respected history. However, in 1964, a third TV network opened in Australia and many cinemas that has skated through the first 10 years of Tv here, decided to close. The PE was the first of our magnificent cinemas to go and sadly started the purge,
To replace it an all new glamorous and stylish PARAMOUNT was purpose built 5 blocks away in 1965. It was a 70mm house, all one level and in gold Roman decor. It was very snazzy and as much a pic palace (chandeliers/fountain/bronze doors etc) as the 60s could be. It had many Australian premieres and often whatever was a 70mm presentation (GREASE, POLTERGEIST, CANT STOP THE MUSIC from ANY company also played there on a hard ticket block seat basis. Huge long runs for THE GODFATHER / LOVE STORY etc.It remained the home of Paramount Pictures intil mid 1983 (only 19 years!!) when it was demolished along with the deco/moderne Rapallo (ex Victory) next door tall to create a new 6 screen complex.

Oh dear! those typos above in line 2 should read: "the home of paramount movies prior to that was the Prince Edward..." sorry everyone, I really should look before I submit, shouldn't I.....(shouldn't we all) haha.....PAUL.

When did this theatre stop showing movies?

Some time in the 1970s, I believe.

Original seating capacity for the Paramount was 1700.

I remember seeing Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis movies there in the 50's

I have the sad distinction of having visited the theatre when it was more or less in its "death throes" and showing X-rated films. I can recall seeing that masterpiece of theatrical work "The Stewardesses" in 3-D, yet!!! Must have been circa 1976. It would be wonderful to see the old girl rise above that sad era and again show some first-run films. My parents went there several times back in its heyday...the 1940's. Let us hope that someone will see the light and rejuvenate the place, along with the Publix (aka Gayety).

Coyote

I think the Stewardesses in 3D was actually shown at the Music Hall Theatre, owned by Ben Sack. (I saw it there) The Paramount was a General Cinema in it's final few years, and that chain was known for publicizing it's "family fare". The Paramount couldn't stay in business with the strip clubs and adult theatres all around it, in Boston's "combat zone".

The Paramount first opened in 1932 and had Arthur H. Bowditch as architect. The design was very similar to Rapp & Rapp's Paramount in Aurora, Illinois, which opened the previous year. Both had interiors that were a mix of Art Deco and French Renaissance.

A photo of the Paramount's facade and signage pre-restoration can be seen here:
http://www.historicboston.org/99cb/paramount.htm

Warren,

I would love to be able to contact you. You seem to be so knowledgeable about theatres. My great-granparents were in vaudeville/burlesque and I am trying to get more information on them. They were with the Columbia Amusemement Company Circuit. If you can help point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate you.

If Warren cannot help find the records of the Columbia Amusement Co. circuit of vaudeville, then it is likely that the Theatre Historical Society of America can direct you to those who can. Contact their Ex. Director via his link on their site: www.HistoricTheatres.org If you know of specific theatres at which they may have performed, such venues may have an archive of some playbills or other memorbiiia, as may the libraries in the towns in which they performed. I know that the 1895 PABST THEATER in Milwaukee does, since I was once Archivist/Historian there.

P.S. Miss Cecily, you also do not have any contact information on your Personal Profile page here, when one clicks on your name, as of today. If you click on the Edit Profile link at the very top, you can insert your E-mail address or other contact data by which Warren can contact you. The developers of this site have gone to some lengths to make those Membership List Personal Profile pages resistant to automatic data harvesting by professional spamers, so the risk of listing such E-mails there is small. Many posters here do not list any contact information, and that is counterproductive to the results the seek.

Cecily, I don't know if I can help you too much with Columbia Amusement Co., but you can post me directly at Warrengwhiz@nyc.rr.com

The Paramount has been unused and shuttered since it closed in 1976. It was the only Boston downtown theatre to be built in an art deco style. It opened on 25th February 1932 with "Shanghai Express" starring Marlene Deitrich. The original Wurlitzer 3/13 theatre organ has been removed.

The marquee and vertical sign were restored in 2002 and now its red, yellow, orange and white tracer lights are illuminated on alternate weekends.

I have a booklet called "Boston Theatre District: A Walking Tour", published by the Boston Preservation Alliance in 1993. It says:

In is prime, the Paramount was an outstanding example of Art Deco theatre architecture, representing the first use of this style in a boston theatre. Typical was the inclusion of natural forms, such as shells, sunbursts, and flowers, which were stylized to appear more slender and elegant. Geometric motifs were also employed, the most common being the ziggurat. The theatre was designed by architect Arthur Bowditch. It was built in 1932 and exemplified a reordering of priorities taking place in theatres across the country. When sound films were introduced, they were able to attract audiences without the addition of a stage show. Consequently, the Paramount (seating 1500) was considerably smaller than most earlier Boston theatres. Acoustics were carefuly considered, to take advantage of the "talkies". Unfortunately much of the interior detail was destroyed or damaged with the removal of asbestos some years ago. The Paramount is a Boston Landmark and is located within the Washington Street Theatre National Register Historic District.

-------
The booklet also says this was the last new theatre building to be constructed in this part of Boston.

If you look up at the restored façade, you'll see a Paramount Pictures logo on the left, and a Publix Theatres logo on the right.
It would be nice to replace the photo here with a newer one.

As a kid who grew up in Brooklyn NY in the late ‘40s-early ‘50s, I visited Boston a few times in ‘49-’50 when an aunt lived nearly. I recall that at that time films at the Paramount played day-and-date with a theater named the Fenway, presumably located near the Fenway. When I visited Boston as an adult, I could not locate that theater. Had its name changed? I remember the Paramount vividly. One January day in ’50, we walked down Washington Street, gazing at all the theater lobbies along the way. “Samson and Delilah” was playing at the Paramount (and at the Fenway). I had just seen the film at NYC’s Rivoli, and I marveled at how studios could distribute their films simultaneously across the map of my universe. As a jaded college student a decade later, I visited friends in Boston, and we went to the Paramount to see a revival of “Samson and Delilah.” We sat in the balcony and made snide comments about Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr. A disgruntled patron complained about us to an usher, who told us to shut up or get out. For all its art deco, the Paramount bore stylized traces of French Renaissance enough so that the theater struck me as a smaller facsimile of the Times Square and Brooklyn Paramounts with their high, narrow prosceniums and sweeping balconies.

Berklee College of Music gutted and modernized the Fenway Theatre in the mid-1970s. It is now a concert hall called the Berklee Performance Center.

Someone needs to restore the Paramount!! I have been admiring it for years, and Boston could really use more historic theaters to perpetuate the Broadway in Boston movement. With the revival of the Opera House, the Paramount would be a great addition to Washington Street's bustling shopping and dining areas!

I agree that the Paramount deserves renovation; it would appear that it is to be renovated sometime soon. I doubt that it would make a great "Broadway in Boston" touring-show kind of theater without a completely new stagehouse (like the nearby Keith Memorial/Opera House). Also, as previously noted above, the proscenium is quite narrow.

I think that the Paramount would be a good home for dance/ballet or possibly a film series, but it is unclear which groups will utilize the space upon renovation.

Many of the interior details are now gone, but could be recreated. Yet this would make it a very expensive renovation, restoring it to the art-deco glory it once was, so any new renovations may not resemble the old Paramount.

I went to see Flesh Gordon here during one of its numerous re-issues so the year is suspect but it was one of the last films to play there.
I was amazed how huge the place was and even though very run-down you could still see signs of a true movie palace.

When the Paramount showed porn movies, was it still a General Cinema? It seems quite out of character for that chain.

Not sure if it belonged to any chain when it was semi-porn.

This page has two breathtaking photos of the Paramount's interior. I don't know when these were taken. If any of you have been inside, how do these photos compare with what you saw?

Unfortunately, the project proposed on that page never happened because FD Rich got into bankruptcy trouble and 'Commonwealth Center' was not built.

Ron:

The interior photos look to me like they are of the Paramount in Aurora, Illinois. I've never heard of a twin of that in Boston. Something is fishy there.

Yes, the photos there are definitely of the restored PARAMOUNT in Aurora, Illinois. Those views are from the brochure about the theatre in Aurora by the restorers: the Conrad Studios outside of Milwaukee at www.ConradSchmittStudios.com

That link doesn't work. Do you mean www.ConradSchmitt.com ? I don't see anything there about the Paramount Theatre in Aurora -- only a Paramount in Anderson, Indiana.

Ron, here is the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL, the interior of which is shown in your link above.

I'm convinced, especially now that I've looked at CinemaTour's photos of the Aurora Paramount.

Now I wonder why Warren Freedenfeld & Associates would apparently misrepresent their (never-executed) project in this way.

Sorry about the link error; I was not saying that the views are to be seen at their site, only that this is the organization that was responsible for the Aurora photos and brochure of Conrad Schmitt's restoration there.

As to why they appear on a site devoted to the Boston PARAMOUNT, I can only guess that it was a mix up at the advertising or web site producers' offices, or that they wanted to present the impression that their work would equal that done to the Aurora PARAMOUNT.

According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), this was the only Washington Street theatre built exclusively to show movies, and the only one never to have a stage show.

The Paramount moved from the New England Theatre circuit to General Cinema in June, 1967.

There is a black & white photo of the interior of the Aurora Paramount on page 160 of "American Picture Palaces" by David Naylor, and it is indeed the same design as shown in the architects renderings of the Boston Paramount mentioned in Mr. Newman's post of 2/23/05 above.

I remember seeing the Boston Globe in the late 60s or early 70s where the General Cinema directory ad listed the Paramount. Wasn't the area known as "the Combat Zone" back in the early 70s? If so, that's probably why GCC closed the Paramount - not enough people bringing their kidlettes to the area to see '101 Dalmatians'.

Here's a 1949 photo of the Paramount and surrounding businesses. The photo is described here.

Are those UFOs in the sky above the theatre? I should send this to Art Bell....

More likely a bleed through of stains on the back of the original.

I thought it was a group of airplanes flying in military formation...

Here's a nice photo of the Paramount façade and marquee as it appears today.

Some good news in today's Boston Globe!

Emerson College to redevelop Paramount Theatre

The long-awaited renovation of Washington Street's Paramount Theater moves a large step closer to reality today, with Mayor Thomas M. Menino's planned announcement of a new partnership with Emerson College. The $70 million Paramount Center project would redevelop the Theater District landmark and two neighboring properties to provide two theaters, rehearsal rooms, student residences, and restaurant space.

Menino plans to join leaders of Emerson College, Millennium Partners-Boston, the American Repertory Theatre, and other local arts groups today to announce the project. Loosely projected to open in 2008, it would include the Arcade building at 543-547 Washington St., next to the Paramount, and a vacant parcel called the North Lot, behind the Arcade.
...
Emerson's trustees voted Monday to take on the project and to earmark $70 million for it, bringing the college's investment in Theater District properties to more than $350 million, according to board chairman Ted Benard Cutler. Millennium Partners acquired the Paramount as part of its deal with the city to develop nearby Millennium Place, and it has already spent $1.6 million on repairs.
...
Emerson is working with Elkus/Manfredi Architects on preliminary designs. Plans are sketchy but will probably include a theater seating about 450 and a smaller, 75- to 125-seat black-box theater. One of Gund's designs had featured a 700-seat space, and BRA spokesman Susan Elsbree said yesterday that the final size will depend on the needs of the nonprofit arts groups that the city wants to include.
...
The project still faces substantial challenges. Built in 1932 as an Art Moderne movie house, the Paramount has a shallow stage -- just 11 feet deep -- and a nearly flat auditorium floor that creates some bad sightlines. Most of the theater's original details have not survived its long, slow spiral, which bottomed out in the building's last incarnation as a porn theater before closing in 1976.

What the article refers to as the "Arcade building", at 543-547 Washington Street, used to contain the Bijou Theatre and an entrance to the B.F. Keith's Theatre. I believe the 'vacant North Lot parcel' is the former site of the Keith's.

Here's a recent photo and description of the 543-547 Washington Street building.

Someone should update the description and photo at the top of this page, as both are now out of date.

Here's Emerson's official press release about the Paramount.

For a local discussion and some photos of the Paramount and its surroundings, take a look here:

ArchBoston.com forum: Emerson College to redevelop Paramount Theatre

(you'll need to continue to page 2 of this discussion forum to see the photos)

Can be seen on the left of this photo along with the Keith:
http://rfi.bostonhistory.org/boston/full/003494.jpg

The photo is from 1945 and is described here.

Here's another 1945 photo of the same scene, but taken from the opposite direction. It is described here.

The "RKO Keith's" theatre shown in both photos is now the Opera House, though if recent news reports are to be believed, it may soon be renamed the Citizens Bank Theatre.

Between the RKO Keith's and the Paramount in both photos is a marquee and entrance for the original B. F. Keith's Theatre, which by 1945 was no longer part of the Keith circuit and been renamed several times. In these photos, you can just barely make out the words "NEW NORMANDIE" on top of its marquee. This theatre was torn down in the early 1950s, but the entrance building still stands today.

Yesterday's edition of the Emerson College student newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon, goes into more detail on Emerson's plans. Unfortunately, the article is not on the Beacon's web site. I've written to them and asked them to put the article online so I can link to it.

The Beacon article says that both the 450-seat and 125-seat theatres will go into the Paramount Theater building. The Bijou building (which the article calls the "Arcade building") will become a 250-bed dormitory, and will include a restaurant, open to the public, at street level.

A new "performance development building", to be constructed on the "vacant lot behind the Paramount", will contain rehearsal spaces, individual and small-group practice rooms, and offices for performing arts department faculty and staff.

The interiors of the Paramount and Arcade buildings will be renovated, but Emerson will preserve both façades.

Elkus/Manfredi Architects of Boston and theatre consultants Auerbach, Pollack, Friedlander of New York are designing the Paramount Center. This is the same team that oversaw restoration of Emerson's Cutler Majestic Theatre and construction of the school's new Tufte Performance and Production Center.

A friend and I found a small hole in the back of the Paramount, just big enough to poke one's head -- or a small camera -- through. He took these amazing interior photos yesterday.

The theatre is a total ruin inside. I expect this will be a gut rehab project and not any kind of restoration.

My friend also took these photos of the Paramount's rear exterior.

Ron
Awesome pictures, thanks for posting.

The space btwn the floor and the stage looks like the original raked concrete floor, and the flat floor looks like it is just plywood on metal studs. Look at the relation of the floor to the exit doors on the opposite side - the doors are below the floor level. Given how long it's been closed, the interior really doesn't look too bad - yes, it will require a lot of work, but it could be restored an long as most of the supporting structural elements are sound. I don't think it would have to be gutted.

The plywood floor you see is a temporary floor built in the orchestra space when Millenium Partners were building the towers next door; a temporary contractors office (complete with windows, doors, and ceiling) was built in the middle of the orchestra area, and was partially removed when construction next door was complete. The orchestra IS very shallow and does not have a huge rake to it, but it DOES have one. A friend and I took many interior pictures from 2001 but do not have them online.

Ron Newman- I wouldn't call it a total ruin - the plaster walls and high ceiling look amazingly well after nearly 30 years of entombment - apparently someone has sort of maintained the roof over the years, otherwise the ceiling would be in a heap on the floor. It, the side wall and what you can see of the procenium appear to be largely intact. What makes it look so bad is that the paint and probably the skim-coat of plaster have fallen off, which would happen over time anyway, even if the roof was kept tight as a drum. The main thing is that there is something there to work with - and if sections of plasterwork were found to be unsound, molds can be taken and the unsound area removed and rebuilt.

Great pics, by the way....

Thanks for all the replies. Ian, I'd love to see your photos if we can find a way to get them online. I bet you had more lighting than we did!

Given Emerson's plans for the space -- subdividing it into two much smaller live stage theatres -- I'm uncertain how much restoration can truly occur. It's a very different project from the Majestic, which was an actively used movie theatre up to the day that Emerson bought it. Whatever happens here, I'll be very glad to see this building reused for theatrical use.

This article about last week's Emerson-Paramount-BRA press conference comes not from the student newspaper, but from a class at the college's journalism school:

Paramount announcement timing questioned

My favorite memory of the Boston Paramount.... the Boston press screening of "Psycho," before anyone knew about the shower sequence, the death of the Janet Leigh character early in the picture, etc. Wow! That shock was far greater than the "Alien" surprise many years later.

Ron -

I have the photos and I can email them to you... could you post them for me if I emailed them to you?

-Ian

I'm sure I can arrange something. Let's talk about it offline.

Ian (and anyone else who is interested):

I have posted the pictures of our excursion at the following: http://homepage.mac.com/j_morong1/PhotoAlbum1.html

I hope everyone enjoys them!

-j.

Thanx j! See you at work.

Thanks for posting those photos, j (and to you and Ian for taking them in the first place). For having been vacant 22 years at the time, the elements you captured appear to be in decent condition for the most part, all considering.

Thanks Guys for posting those pics. Its great to see what the interior of this theatre finally looks like, even in its very dilapidated state it is still a beauty.There is very little in the way of photographs from its past. Lets hope that Emerson retain and restore as much of the original features as possible. After all,it is a miracle that the building is still there after a near 30 year wait to be rediscovered.

Are there any photos of the Main Lobby or more of the auditorium? I have been fascinated by the Paramount since I saw it sitting there very sadly in 1991 covered in mesh to stop falling debris hitting passers-by. Even then with that massive rusted marquee and vertical it captured your imagination.

Ian:

If you are lucky!

-j.

Porter:

Sadly most of the pictures i took were not very good. The theater was very dark and so even with a flash it was really hard to get good pictures. As you could see by some with all the dust in the air alot of the photos had lots of bright white spots all over them. I am trying to photoshop a few more that may be good but alas that may be all i can add to the mix.

As for the lobby, if i remember correctly, and Ian correct me if i am wrong, the contruction company that was using the space had contrstructed walls that broke up both the lobby and the main auditorium so it was really hard to get a sense of space with these artificial walls.

Well, i guess that is all i can add.
-j.


I

J, the URL stopped working. Did you take the photos down?

I couldn't get in, either...

J, thanks for the update. In your pics there seem to be pieces of original furniture in the lobby shots too. Fascinating that it is still just sitting there. You'd think the souvenir hunters would have had that long ago. This is a two level theatre correct? The mezz being at the front of the upper level and the balcony at the rear of it?

Ron and Dave:

Oops! Sorry. I was playing around with this new site and the address changed in my haste. Here is the new address (slightly different):

http://homepage.mac.com/j_morong1/Personal/PhotoAlbum1.html

Porter:

Yes. Two level with a small mezzanine and then a upper level balcony.

-j.

There are two levels of lobbies, the larger one (with the fireplace) is the second floor, accessing the front of the huge balcony. The upper one, on the third floor, accesses the top of the balcony.

If you promise not to change it again, I'll post that URL to other places that may be interested.

it is in very good shape considering how long it's been closed. Someone has been looking after it - they have installed sprinklers - and although the pipes are not concealed, at least the place has fire protection. There doesn't appear to be any water damage from the roof.

There was a great deal of water damage from the old roof, but it is hard to see that from these pictures. When the exterior was renovated, the roof was patched - but it had some gaping holes in it! Much of the auditorium ceiling was re-plastered in 2001 with plain gray plaster to keep the ceiling from falling in - and a new roof was put in.

Ron:

I will not change it again. Here is the final URL where it will sit:

http://homepage.mac.com/j_morong1/Personal/PhotoAlbum7.html

-j.

My friend returned to the Paramount with a better camera, and took some more interior shots:

Paramount Interior Views

He also took a couple more exterior shots of the vertical sign and marquee.

(on both pages, scroll down to "Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005")

Thanks, j. If you could put symlinks at the two old URLs, pointing to the new one, that will be helpful to people who try to use them.

A few weeks ago, before the Emerson announcement, someone started a thread about this theatre at CinemaTour.com . I posted a message there, linking to all the photos taken by Downtown Dave, Ian, and jmorong. It got a long response, which you can read here:

CinemaTour.com forum: Restoring An 'Original' Boston Treasure

And here's the Boston Redevelopment Authority's press release about this project.

I remember seeing the then X rated Fritx the cat at the paramount when it first came out...I skipped school from Taunton Mass with a friend to see our FIRST x rated flick!! after moving to Boston in the 70's I did sit thru a Thangsgiving program of ALL Planet of the apes flicks believe it was round 74 or 75!!! Also remember all the ADULT theaters there in late 70;s as well Marty

Could someone please define "black-box theater"?

To the Bostonians on this site: Has there been a proposed floorplan published anywhere for the public to see? I'm curious to see how a theatre that originally had 1700 seats in one space will have, post-restoration, only 575 seats in two spaces. Has there been any indication of what architectural elements will be restored?

I haven't seen a proposed floorplan yet, though it's possible one is available at Emerson's press office. Planning is still in a preliminary stage. Emerson is starting with an earlier proposal that was developed a couple years ago when the American Repertory Theatre was considering taking over the Paramount.

I did run into someone from Elkus-Manfredi over the weekend, and he made it pretty clear that this should be considered a renovation rather than a restoration.

And here's one other thing to keep an eye on. Yesterday Emerson's faculty voted overwhelmingly to demand the college president's resignation. If they get their way, will it affect plans for the Paramount?

Dave:

A black box theater is a small theater (usually under 100 seats) that has no fixed stage per say. The seats are usually located directly on the floor of the space or on small risers etc. They are not fixed to allow greater flexibility for shows etc.Usually smaller shows and staged readings are done in spaces like this.They are very nice intimate theater spaces and i for one am very glad that they are making one. The BCA has a black box theater that seats 90, i think and is only about 1000-1200 square feet. I think if you go to their website they may have pictures or floorplans.

So it does make sense that they may have two theaters but with a black box of about 100 and then a 475 seat theater. They will probably use the existing stage for the big 475 theater and then do somehting with the upper levels to create the black box etc. You also have to take into accout that the theaters will need dressing rooms etc. Not to mention probably small rehearsal spaces, offices and prop/scenic storage etc.

Hope that helps...

also...they will need to make space for sound and light booths for both theaters...man space is filling up fast!

According to Donald C. King's new book The Theatres of Boston: A Stage and Screen History, General Cinema leased the Paramount in October 1968, operating it as a first-run house. General Cinema left in March 1972, and new management changed the booking policy to low-priced double features. In June 1974, it began showing pornographic films.

Here is a 2004 photo of the front of the Paramount Theatre.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/Chuck1231/Massachusetts%20Theatres/ParamountTheatreBostonMa.jpg

This was a great large theatre that showed alot of Cinerama relaeasing films in the 70's. saw "Scrooge" there and the size of the screen and sound was great!

Are you sure about that? I thought Cinerama films showed only at the former RKO Boston (later renamed Boston Cinerama).

There was a film company called Cinerama Releasing that distributed films such as, "Me, Natalie" with Patty Duke, "Scrooge" with Alber Finny, "The Boys In The Band", and I think "Lovers And Other Strangers"

I hope the Paramount is restored at least a little to resemble its art deco past. I hope the theatre isn't chopped up to look like modern day black box theatres because that would be a shame.brucec

The Paramount often showed films day-and-date with the Fenway uptown in the 1950s. It was in good condition back then, and even up into the 1960s. Back around 2001, when the marquee was disassembled and the vertical was removed so that they could be rebuilt and rewired, the facade was stripped down, the 2 medallions were removed also.Then the facade was replicated using panels of some sort of material which were applied one by one. The 2 medallions were then put into place, but I don't know if they are original or replicas. After this work was done, the restored vertical was reattached and relit, followed by the marquee in the spring of 2003. The marquee doesn't look quite "right" to me, but is better than nothing ! It was a nice place to see the latest flicks and drew good houses, even in the afternoons when I went there after classes. I was shocked when I got inside it in 1983 with a THSA group-- the place was in shambles after being closed for about 7 years.

Ron, I am fairly certain that the facade was removed and cleaned and put back in place, medallions and all, not replaced or replicated by new material. I worked next door during the time it was renovated, and all of the pieces of masonry were numbered as they were removed and returned in crates with numbers as well, so the construction crews put every slab back in the correct place. I believe that everything is original on the exterior.

I think the marquee looks not quite 'right' because they use (as all new marquees do) plastic panels for the lettering areas, as opposed to the milky glass old marquees used to have. That old glass look is more attractive visually than the super-clean plastic.

Did you attend other tours with the THSA group in '83? I ask because I am trying to locate any photos taken during a tour of my theater (Somerville Theatre) during that year. A lecture was given by the late Robert Viano about the Somerville's history. Any chance you attended? Thanks!

I'm looking at the marquee photos here (http://www.archboston.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=100&start=15), and what doesn't look right about it is that they are using reverse zip-change letters (clear letters - blk bkgrnd) and all the areas where the white plastic is exposed without a letter should be covered by black spacers. With those type of letters the only white on the marquee should be the lettering.

to Ian Judge: I'm glad to know that the facade panels which I saw being applied to the front of the theatre are the original pieces and not replicated material, as I thought at the time. Yes, I attended the late Bob Viano's lecture from the stage of the Somerville Th. during the THSA convention in July 1983. Bob spoke for a good 10 minutes with considerable warm feeling about the history of the theatre, which his family owned. I was on the THSA Conclave committee (4 persons), so I attended almost all of the events that July, 22 years ago! THSA is having a convention centered in Boston in late-June 2005, and I'm on that committee, too. I know that the attendees will enjoy the Paramount's facade.

The THSA convention in Boston-Providence-Worcester is scheduled for late-June of 2006, not 2005 as stated above. The Paramount will be viewed during the downtown walking tour.

Ron,

I have spoken with David Guss (curator of the Lost Theatres of Somerville event) and we hope to host a THSA group at Somerville too. Thanks for your reply about Mr. Viano's lecture. Bob was the theater's historian, but unfortunately after his death, his meticulous archives were accidentally thrown out by movers cleaning out his home. What a loss. I hope to go along for some of the THSA visits around town next year.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/a1ex1/22814.html?mode=reply

Emerson College has issued a new press release about the Paramount Center project.

"New drawings prepared by Elkus/Manfredi Architects show a revised design for the buildings and the layout and space utilization inside the buildings. It depicts two theaters -- a 550-seat main stage theater in the existing Paramount Theater with a proscenium opening, trap room, orchestra pit, dressing rooms and green room -- and a 125-seat black box theater in the new building with dressing rooms and a green room. There will also be a 200-seat film screening room in the new building."

Is jmorong still around? The link to his photos doesn't work anymore.

This glass high-rise next door to the Paramount - is that the building that contais the Loews Boston Common Theatre?

No. The Millennium/Ritz complex has two glass towers. Loews Boston Common is in the other one, which is out of view to the left of the picture.

More from Emerson College's news office:

Planning proceeds for College’s Paramount Center development on Washington Street

Construction is to begin next fall and be completed in the fall of 2008.

I'm pleased to see that they no longer plan to subdivide the Paramount, but instead will convert it into a 500-seat live stage. The second, 125-seat live stage will go into the adjoining new building.

I'm also happy that the complex will include a 200-seat film screening room. Perhaps Emerson could be persuaded to use the name Bijou for either the smaller stage or the screening room?

Although it opened on February 25, 1932, well into the Sound era, the Boston Paramount had a Wurlitzer organ. It must have been removed to storage many years ago, but it's now being installed in the Aztec Theatre, San Antonio TX, now undergoing restoration.

All:

Sorry but my .mac account has closed and therefore i have no place to put the pics i had up there before. I will let you know if i get them posted on a new site or something like that.

Again sorry bout that...

I don't believe this picture has been posted yet. Apologies for any duplication:
http://tinyurl.com/j9ejl

Here is a recent photo of the Paramount Theater. It looks alot better now.

b

The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Paramount in Boston has a facade photo taken in April 1941. The feature film posted on the long marquee stars Alice Faye, Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda, but the title is not possible to read. The second attraction is "Shadows on the Stars". The Report states that the theatre does not present MGM product, that it's in Good condition, and seats 1061 on the main floor and 736 in the balcony; total: 1797 seats.

IMDB.com finds a 1941 film called "That Night in Rio" with those three stars.

Memories from someone who ushered there in the early 60's.

It was till a first run ABC/Paramount house. There was a tiny main floor lobby with a small candy stand and a very large upper lobby with a larger stand that was seldom used. The upper balcony also had a lobby. The place was huge! A large lobby with lots of marble was in the basement with the restrooms. I think a recall a center fountain. You can't appreciate how far up this theater went unless you had to make the weekly trip hauling heavy film cans to the projection booth over the upper balcony.

(more)

Ushering was a lousy paying job, but we had fun. Somebody found an usher's manual from the old days and we learned hand signals. There was a full staff..head usher, captain and five or six others. During busy shows we had an usher at each aisle door. The captain would have his back to the entrance facing us and we would use the old hand signals to tell him how many seats were still available in each aisle. Many couples were split up when the place got full (even with that many seats). The lines would literally go down and around the block, a result of having no lobby space in the theater. I would walk the line marking "2 o'clock show", "4 o'clock show" etc. People would stand for hours in the freezing cold to see a Disney or Elvis film. Now, they won't even take a parking place too far from the multiplex door.

A pre-renovation exterior pic here from 2000. I was able to gain access to the very dilapidated interior at the time, but was not allowed to take a photograph!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/424348982/

I heard that they found a wallet there that was lost along with a pair of pants 56 years ago. They still haven't recovered the pants, though. The wallet was sent to the man's widow.

Having been an usher there, I can imagine how he lost the pants. Was it in the balcony?

The wallet was found by a contractor's crewman in April either in the Paramount itself or in the Bijou Building next door. It was found 56 years to the day after it had been stolen from a sailor aboard a US Navy ship in South Boston who was on a day pass (the pass was in the wallet). The loss of the wallet and pants took place in a mugging outside, apparently near the ship; the mugger than took the wallet into the Paramount or adjacent arcade and disposed of it. The victim was not inside the theatre.

Ron Salters, As a retired US Navy Chief thanks for clearing the sailor from any hanky panky. As a matter of fact the sailor had spent that day with his mother, sister and girlfriend who had come down from Maine to see him. After they left for Maine and he was on his way back to the USS Macon he was knocked unconscious. When he woke up he had no pants or wallet and of course had trouble getting back to and on the ship with no ID card, liberty card or pants it was a dicey - and chilly - trip back to the ship!
Several years later after he got out of the navy he married the girlfriend and the story of that day became a family legend.
If you go to American Public Media's The Story, you can read more about it and see photos and even hear the interview. It is at the end of Art Despite Oppression (about an artist from Baghdad that is interesting to listen to) or you can fast forward to hear the sailor story at about 31:22 (lasts about 18 minutes.
http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_247_Art_Despite_Oppression.mp3/view

"Ladies And Gentlemen This Is CINERAMA" Lowell Thomas

Last week's Boston Phoenix features a long article about the Paramount, the adjoining Bijou, and Emerson College's redevelopment of both buildings:

Tinseltown East

the above article specifies:
As the 20th-century Paramount is painstakingly restored — from the ornate vents in the sealing to the murals on the walls and the Art Deco seats

This is another photo of the Paramount Theater.

I was recently in Boston on business and walked down to the Paramount to try to relive my days as an usher there. I was hoping Joe and Nemo's was still on the corner. That was where I would get my nightly meal of soggy hotdogs and coffe milk.

Was in the "ladder district" today to see "Wicked the Musical" at the Opera House (see my report on the Opera House on its page) and they have definitely started renovations on the Paramount - can see evidence of it behind the plywood covering the front. In the back there was a hole about ten feet square knocked out of the backstage wall. If the sun wasn't shining toward me, I might have been able to see something inside, but no such luck. Saw a vague shape but couldn't tell if it was the decorative column of the auditorium. Hope it is - the newspaper articles are contradictory about esactly how much of the auditorium interior will be saved.

The Bijou next door looks like progress is being made - most of the back portion where the Bijou auditorium stood is demolished - the front part of the building has interior demolition well underway and the front facade has already been restored. The site of B. F. Keith's New theatre is partly taken up by the Opera House stage house, and the rest is construction area - eventually the addition to the Paramount/Bijou will be there.

Interestingly the Playbill reported that Suffolk University had submitted a bid for the Modern Theatre (just on the north side of the opera House) with an eye to renovation with a possible performing arts or theatre space on the first floor and dormitory space on the others. Bid deadline was August 30, 2007, hopefully the Boston RDA will announce a winner soon.

Playbill also mentioned the Wilbur Theatre down next to the Wang/Metropolitan has been placed on the market by Tremont Entertainment Enterprises. City officials will allow the new owners to use the building for entertainment, restaurant, office or residential use. Since it is landmarked, they cannot demolish it or make significant alterations.

Here is a recent photo of the Paramount Theater.

Great photo.

Any news on the progress of the Paramount?brucec

Still under construction.

This is a recent close-up view of the Paramount.

Its so hard to believ that almost 35 years later this place is not yet finished! Great picture!

Is there anything to see if one were to stop by this theatre site? I hope to be in Boston this May and will be visiting the Wang Theatre.

You'll see a great restored facade on Washington Street, and a construction site behind it on Mason Street. Worth the short walk from the Wang.

Ron: Thanks so very much as this trip to Boston will be a trip down memory lane for me. I attended and graduated from the former Chamberlayne Junior College in 1966 on Commonwealth Avenue which are now very expensive brownstones according to the internet.

It would be fun to get together when you make this trip. If you haven't been to Boston since 1966, you'll see that a lot has changed!

Patsy: I also graduated from school in Boston in 1966. I went back for the first time last year. Be prapered for a lot of shocks. I ushered at the Paramount and it was still there, though not in the same condition. I also couldn't find a Joe and Nemos hot dog stand anywhere. But my old apartment on Irving Street was still there, looking like nothing had been done to the building since I moved out.

hvsteve1: Well, maybe our paths crossed back then in 1966 and now our paths have crossed again via CT. Small world...sometimes.

When I clicked on the architect's name only this theatre was listed.

"The design was very similar to Rapp & Rapp's Paramount in Aurora, Illinois, which opened the previous year. Both had interiors that were a mix of Art Deco and French Renaissance."

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/24/

The above link should be this one (Paramount/Aurora Illinois):

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/445/

Here are some recent construction photos.

Here are some pictures I took recently:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yellowstar/2369325543/in/set-72157604044692350/

Does this Paramount marquee light up at night? And why is the facade finished and not the back of the building or behind the facade. It'a like a movie set with all fake fronts!

Millennium Partners restored the facade years ago as part of an agreement with the City of Boston so they could build their towers next door. The building then sat empty for years more until Emerson College bought it and began to redevelop it.

And yes, I've occasionally seen it fully lit up at night. Not that often, since that's wicked expensive to do.

Looks like the interior has been gutted. Do we know if the renderings in Ron Newman's link are for the Paramount's auditorium space or for the adjoining building? There seem to be conflicting reports about what is going on..."restoration," "rejuvination," etc. After seeing those renderings, I'm a little worried they are not doing a restoration on this but building a new completely interior behind the restored facade. Hope that is incorrect as it would be a shame.

That is EXACTLY what they are doing. It would appear that all remaining interior decor has been completely destroyed. It is possible they might have saved a few fixtures (and perhaps the organ grille over the proscenium) for reinstallation in whatever they create within the walls, but it would appear that the old Paramount interior is completely gone. I hope they managed to save some of the staircases and wood paneling in the lobbies but I can't tell from those photos.

My impression is that the interior had been hopelessly ruined by decades of neglect and an earlier botched attempt at asbestos removal.

Was there really a organ grille? This theatre was built for talkies and had no stage.

Ron,

The Paramount did have a stage, though it was a very shallow one, but enough for a small orchestra or variety act. It also had an organ when built. The organ grille was the most notable part on the interior that remained... it kind of fanned out above the proscenium.

I would say that the interior was not hopelessly ruined, though it was very rough some semblance of its original decor could have been easily reconstructed, but it wouldn't have served Emerson's needs to be restored to its original state. Who knows? Maybe they will recreate some parts, but whatever was there a couple of years ago is completely gone now.

Thanks for the clarification. There seem to have been a uncommon number of conflicting reports on what is going on here.

I had some hope after those relatively recent interior photos were posted a while back showing that some of the original interior had survived. Also after speaking to some of the members of the Theatre Historical Society who toured Boston theatres several years ago and were told that the interior was going to be restored.

If the motivation (and money) had been there, I suspect that at least some of the orignal design could have been retained. I realize that Emerson needed a different type of space but a more creative design solution that respected one of the city's few Art Deco interiors could have been found.

This is all very interesting to read in regards to what is going on behind that restored marquee facade. I don't recall a theatre having a restored facade and the rest gone to "rack and ruin"!
"I had some hope after those relatively recent interior photos were posted a while back showing that some of the original interior had survived." What photos are these? Are they some that were posted before the post recent one? Can those be found on this link in an earlier dated post(s)?

The June 3 2004 post shows how the facade looked before restoration, but are there any photos of earlier "behind the facade" photos on this link? If not, perhaps someone could provide them?

How did Emerson College get involved with this Paramount project? And more importantly, how and why was the facade saved and the back destroyed? I would have thought the whole thing would have come down in that narrow space 2 doors down from the Opera House!?! Or the entire theatre would have been restored!?!

After searching the many posts there seems to be many photo links that can't be accessed and it would be wonderful to see these "behind the facade" photos......... at different stages of "restoration". I just can't believe that a facade would be restored to such extent and let the back of the theatre go! What exactly are Emerson College's plans for this part of the theatre that is gone!?!

Ron: Your March 27, 2008 photos are fascinating to view, but I thought I was perhaps looking at the "big dig" in some of them!?!

And what really fascinates me in some of the photos is the Paramount logo on the concrete facade as I've never seen that before on or in a theatre with the Paramount connection!?!

It appears from the photos that the interior has been completely gutted. That being the case they should have just flattened the whole thing - what's the point of having the restored 1932 facade fronting a new interior? The 1932 interior was the best part of the building, the facade was just gravy. I thought the City of Boston brought in Emerson with the idea that they would restore most of it. If the city wasn't concerned with restoration of the interior any Joe Schmoe could have come along years ago and made a 99 cent store out of it.

That facade is a local landmark and was very much worth restoring, even if the interior is not. When lit at night, it is spectacular.

The Paramount did have a small stage, but I have never found any info that it was ever used for anything. It also had a Wurlitzer organ and I have heard that this organ was recently installed in the Aztec Th. in San Antonio. When I was last inside the theater in 1983 it was a total mess after being closed for several years. Then they had an asbestos-removal project in there which I'm sure did nothing to enhance the already-bad appearance inside. From what I gathered over the last 10 years or so, the City was primarily interested only in the preservation of the facade, marquee and vertical.

Ron: Well, all I can say is that this restoration process was certainly different. Was glad to read that it once had a Wurlitzer organ and that you were actually "inside the theatre in 1983" though "it was a total mess after being closed for several years". If "the City was primarily interested only in the preservation of the facade, marquee and vertical", then the City accomplished their goal...I guess! But I still wonder if there are visitors to the City of Boston who come to the theatre district and see that beautiful marquee thinking they can enter a restored theatre, too!?!

...restored to its original "look"!

are there ANY interior photos floating around anywheres? I mean before it was gutted or torn out. All the earlier posts of pics show an error and will not load. thnx marty

Just clicked on the Cutler Majestic Theatre link that is connected with Emerson College...very nice.

actually would ANYbody have any interior photos from some of the boston theaters? I lived there in the 70's above the old gary theater and reguarley went to the Gary the Savoy the Saxon all those great old Sack theaters.

There is one small b&w photo of the Paramount's auditorium in the Fourth Quarter 2006 issue of the Theatre Historical Society's Marquee along with photos of other Boston theatres. You can order a copy of it online at the THS website.

The original auditorium was a unique variation of the Art Deco scheme found in a number of Paramount theatres during the early thirties. To get a general idea look at the auditoriums of the Paramounts in Aurora, IL and Denver.

Correction: The Marquee issue is the Fourth Quarter 2005. Sorry for the typo.

JTFox: Thanks as I shall look at the comparative auditoriums and order the THS issue.

JTFox: Did the Paramount/Boston have this art deco ceiling that appears on the Paramount/Aurora link? And thanks for the Marquee correction year as I was looking under 2006 and couldn't fine the issue that features a photo of the Paramount/Boston auditorium.

http://www.photoeye.com/Gallery/forms/Pages_MaxEnlarge/image1.cfm?image=18&id=185859&Portfolio=Portfolio1

http://www.paramountarts.com/aboutphotos.php

Please don't tell me that these photos on the above link are similar to how the auditorium looked in the Paramount/Boston!?!

Patsy,

The ceiling of the Boston Paramount was not as circular in nature like that photo; the decor was not as pronounced.

Excuse me, I was referring to your first link; the second link was more in line with the Boston Paramount, though the Boston was more narrow than that.

http://www.paramountdenver.com/photogallery.aspx

Or these inside the Paramount/Denver!?! If any of these photos are anything like what the Paramount/Boston had, then Boston has really lost an INTERIOR "gem" though they restored the marquee to enjoy...doesn't make awhole lot of theatrical sense, imo! Emerson College is left is a gutted building. I certainly hope that certain artifacts were saved and will be incorporated into the new auditorium, at least!

Patsy, Those Denver Paramount pics are as close to the Paramount Boston as any I've ever seen - almost identical.

However, there was very little left for Emerson to restore... just the shape of things, not the gilding or paint.

Ian: How was it that "there was very little left for Emerson to restore"? Was their vandalism or did the elements get to things such as rain through a leaky roof, etc. that destroyed gilding and paint? So when I read "almost identical" my heart sank. And hen was the last time year theatre operated as a theatre? A previous talks about the year 1983 and that it was "a mess" so it had to be prior to that year. I lived in Boston in the mid 60's and wish I had seen this theatre then.

I saw Anthony Mann's The Tin Star, with Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins, at the Paramount on a trip up from Providence on November 16, 1957.

JTFox: Would the Fourth Quarter 2005 of the Marquee be Vol. 37 #4? That issue lists Lost Theatres of Boston (10 theatres profiled).

Patsy- Yes, it is that one...2006 Conclave Issue: Boston - Massachusetts - Rhode Island.

The Paramount is profiled on p.11

According to previous comments here, the theatre closed around 1976.

JTFox: I just ordered the Marquee issue. Thanks and I can't wait to see the auditorium photo of what it "once was".

The photos of the Denver Paramount auditorium posted above are similar to the Boston Paramount. I went to the movies there many times in the 1950s but the houselights were never on so it never looked to me like the Denver photos. After it closed there was no electricity or heat in the building. There may have been some roof leaks as well (which are the death knell of any old building). When I went into it in 1983 with a THSA group we had to supply our own lights. The seats were mostly still in place. There were piles of steel piping and lumber in the aisles making it difficult to walk. We had flashlights plus 2 little floodlights powered by battery packs. The interior was unimpressive at that time. Then it went downhill from there. The City was mostly concerned with the preservation of the facade and marquee as part of the "streetscape" in that section of Washington Street. For a short time there was talk of turning it into the front part of a multiplex cinema, but the cinema was built on Tremont Street instead (Loews Boston Common). The basic problem is that the building was neglected for too long, from 1976 to 2007.

Ron: Thanks for this "walk through history" post which is appropriate since Boston has quite an historical past which includes many of its theatres.

If Emerson wanted to restore the theatre they could have but they wanted a smaller venue. They may have saved a few elements from the theatre. The problem I have is that they talked of restoration then I saw the pictures which looks like a complete gutting of the theatre.I love the facade which is the most impressive of the theatres in the district. The Opera House next door should put up a large Vertical and canopy which in its current state looks very drab next to the Paramount. brucec

Like brucec I'm also disappointed. I didn't think that Emerson would completely wreck the historic Bijou building between the Opera House and the Paramount, and then demolish the rear half of the Paramount after gutting out the interior. Except for the facades of the two buildings, there is nothing left. So much for "historic preservation".

I visited the site today to see for myself. I went around back to Mason St. They demolished the rear of the theater, from a point just forward of the balcony front. You can see the outline of the big balcony along the south interior wall. There is nothing left of any decoration in what's left of the auditorium - it has been stripped down to the brick walls. There was someone working up within the roof either welding or grinding metal. There were periodic showers of sparks coming down. The orchestra floor is also completely gone.

Ron: Thanks for your on site description and yes, so much for "historic preservation" in an historic city! Go figure! At least there is a nice marquee and facade yet NOTHING behind it...sort of like a "bun with no meat" as Simon on American Idol recently referred to one of the female singers after she sung! It's the gal from Mesa AZ.

All is not quite lost, after all. I was contacted this morning by someone who told me that when the Paramount Center is finished, there will be a theater inside about one-third the size of the original which will have decorative elements suggestive of the original Paramount interior and which will complement the Deco facade outside.

Ron: Good news...after all!

Glad to hear this. If the new theater will be only 1/3 the size of the original, how will the other 2/3 of the building be used? My impression is that the new dormitory use will be in the Bijou and the new back building, not in the Paramount itself.

Still a damn shame they razed the whole interior!!! I spent many happy hours in there back in the 70's :( Would love to see any pictures of interior if anyone has any?? thnx

I've heard that the plans have undergone changes. The other 2/3 or 3/4 of the building site could be used for facilities such as studios, workshops, classrooms, small "black-box" theater, movie screening room, etc. Emerson teaches Theatre, Cinema, Radio-TV; maybe journalism, public relations, advertising, too? Years ago, I know that Speech Therapy was taught there also. And they are building a branch campus on a parcel of land on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.

Here's some photos of the outside of the Paramount...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yellowstar/2369325735/in/photostream/

This is another recent photo.

I remember seeing a few movies here back in the late 60's early 70's.

I also recall Duggan Hill the founder of City Lights, a dance troupe trying to purchase the theater from the city for a $1! I think this was circa 1983 - 5. Obviously, nothing ever came of that. I believe Hill ended up with a home for City Lights on Washington Street near the old Nick the Greeks in the South End.

I'm glad Emerson is doing something with the Paramount - but, I'm not as attached to that theater as I was say, The Center, The Puritain, and the National. Those were the theaters I mainly frequented as a kid To my late teens.

I also remember Duggan Hill and his "City Lights" troupe in the early 1980s. He was a "dreamer" ! He wanted to convert the Paramount into a venue for Modern Dance, similar to the Joyce Theatre in New York City. He spent several years trying to push the right buttons to make the dream a reality, but it was hopeless.

Finally, a photo of the INTERIOR of the Boston Paramount!!

http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/paramount.jpg

As we can see, it is by far closer to the Denver Paramount than the Aurora Paramount. It is a fairly narrow auditorium, (smaller too- 1,600 seats vs Denver 2,090) and the designs are very similar to the Denver Paramount; with slightly different decorations at the top of the columns (although the light fixtures are virtually the same). Also note the narrow extension of the balcony along the sidewall. I really like the sun-ray motif above the proscenium - was the Denver paramount similar originally? One comment I read about some years ago about the color scheme of the Boston Paramount is the predominant colors on the sidewalls were blue and gold versus the Aurora's predominant red and gold.

Anyway, enjoy the picture! I wish it were in color! I wish I had been able to see it when it was still open!

I remember winching down that big light fixture to change the bulbs. In those days, they didn't have long life bulbs.

I went into it many times in the 1950s and 60s, but the houselights were never on, however I recall that the color scheme in the auditorium was "cool" like blue and not "warm" like red. I think that the sidewall extensions of the balcony had no seats in them and were for access to fire exits, not sure of that. The seating capacity of the Boston Paramount was just under 1800. I was there yesterday and the construction in back continues- the steel work is now out to Mason St. Oddly, there doesn't seem to be any construction going on in the rear section of the Paramount which was demolished a few months ago (the proscenium and stage).

I don't recall any access to the sidewall balconies from the upper lobby. I think they were decoration. Don't forget, the Paramount was built as a moviehouse. I doubt they would have had seats off to the side as they would have had a lousy view of the screen. Then, again, they had seats all the way down to the apron and people had to practically lie on their backs to look up at the huge screen.

A damn shame we lost that lovely interior -- whenever we lost it. Judging from the history, we lost it a long time ago.

Thanks for all the memories. There's some more recent photos posted yesterday at:

http://www.archboston.org/community/showthread.php?t=1147&page=5

I remember my mom taking me there in the '60s to see Disney movies. It had a small but beautiful marble lobby, which has been preserved along with the facade, but, obviously, the rest has been gutted. I think I saw Jerry Lewis' Which Way to the Front there in 1970, and my brother and I were definitely at the Planet of the Apes marathon mentioned previously, probably in 1973.

As said before, the Paramount was on the edge of the Combat Zone. In fact, the arcade next to it sold adult books in the '60s-'70s, although it did have an excellent science fiction section and it had all the Doc Savage and Edgar Rice Burroughs paperbacks when I was growing up. I'm sure many parents had to avert the eyes of their youngsters when going down to that area.

My guess is that since Emerson College restored the Majestic (Saxon), it didn't need another theater and didn't want to take on another restoration project. But Emerson does need space, and both Emerson and Suffolk University are gobbling up that block with Suffolk slated to develop the Modern Theater and Emerson making several black box theaters out of the Paramount.

danpetitpas in his posting above mentions that the amusement arcade in the Bijou Building next to the Paramount had an adult bookstore in the 1960s-70s. I believe that it was the first such store in downtown Boston, opening around 1962. It was in the right side of the arcade, at the front. It at first featured girlie magazines, pin-up calenders and main-stream books on sex. By the late 1960s, it had added erotic paperback storybooks, mostly reprints of British storybooks from the 1920s and 1930s. The first porno magazines came in around 1970. By that time, other stores had opened further south on Washington St., in the Combat Zone. When you went inside, you could hear the loud sounds of the pinball machines, which were mechanical and not like the later electronic games. The patrons were nearly all young males, with ducktail haircuts, tattoos, and leather jackets.

Paramount Theater photo

Photo is several years old, as the 'High Voltage' store is no longer in the Bijou building, and the Bijou facade itself is now largely hidden by construction work.

Ron....The date given for the photo is February 10, 2007.

1960 Photo

1969 Night Photo

1971 Photo

This is a May 2009 photo.

Look carefully at that 1969 night photo. That cannot possibly be the Paramount Theatre in Boston. Perhaps it is the one in Newton.

I might or might not be wrong, but the 1969 night photo of the Paramount Theatre doesn't look at all like the one in Boston, but the Paramount Theatre in Newton.

The Celebrity Series of Boston has scheduled several events for the Paramount in March and April 2010:

Max Raabe & Palast Orchester - A Night in Berlin - March 6
Black Grace Dance Company March 12-14
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Lady Day March 27-28
Maya Beiser, cello - World To Come April 23
Danish Dance Theater April 27-28

I was recently shown photos of the work being done inside the Paramount and I have to say that I was pleasantly astounded at the level of re-creation in what has been built inside the four walls of the auditorium. Certainly the layout of the house is a bit different but the ceiling and side-walls have been rebuilt and decorated to match the original art deco designs and looked fabulous. It may not be original at all (though it appears they saved and reused the grille-work above the proscenium) but it is a damned good recreation, or at least it appeared so in the photos. I had feared the interior would be completely foreign to what had been there originally but it would appear they have gone out of their way to capture what the Paramount looked like. I look forward to seeing it in person when the venue reopens.

I heard over a year ago that the design in the new auditorium would be influenced by the original design. I have not seen any photos, but someone I know was inside the Paramount very recently and was very impressed and happy about what he saw. The main auditorium is a good deal smaller than the original. It's due to open during the upcoming 2009 - 2010 season.

"Someone Who Was There" got inside the Paramount very recently and confirmed that the decor in the new auditorium is very much like the old original.

Here and here are 2009 photos of the Paramount.

This architect's site has three interior pictures that show that care has been taken to preserve many elements of the original design: http://www.acentech.com/studio_a/paramount.html#

Thanks for posting this link, CWalczak. I have a black & white photo of the Paramount interior when it was new. The new design elements are pretty true to the original, for the side-walls, where the walls meet the ceiling, and the ceiling itself. The first photo of the set of 3 seems to show the design right above the center of the proscenium. The caption says that the Paramount had 1,700 seats, but it was really close to 1,800. It says that they will have 800 seats in the new Paramount. Three very nice photos.

I was surprised at the restoration photos of the Paramount. I think due to pressure from many that the theatre was partly restored which I am very happy. Good going Boston. brucec

Good looking pics. Looks like every city had a PARAMOUNT the one in Nashville,Tennessee was torn down in 1977 and has been a 1 level parking lot ever since.It opened in 1930.