Pastime Theater

Theater owner, foundation reach accord
A non-profit group has taken over this theate and plan to restore it.

When the twin-screened Pastime was still open, it was the closest movie theatre to the residence of actor Anthony Quinn who lived on Poppasquash Road. I don't know if he actually ever went to the theatre, possibly yes, since he often frequented some of the local dining and shopping establishments in Bristol. After Quinn's death in 2001, the Pastime showed "Zorba the Greek" as a tribute to one of Bristol's most noted residents.

http://www.thepastime.org/

In Novemebr 2003, with the help of the Town of Bristol, the Bristol Pastime Theatre Foundation purchased the Pastime Theatre. The Foundation operates with the mission to revitalize and sustain the historic Pastime Theatre as a community-based center for performing arts and cinema. We are currently in the design development phase and have hired the architectural firm of Wilson Butler, Boston, MA to perform preliminary design work. We are actively raising funds for the renovation/rehabilitation of the theatre and hope to re-open in December 2006. Recent grant awards have included The National Trust For Historic Preservation, The Rhode Island Foundation, and Preserve Rhode Island.
It should be noted the 1934 Art Deco Theatre was designed by Providence based architect, Francis Chiaverini.

A picture is at www.preservationdirectory.com/photodatabase_theaters.html

Copy of an e-mail sent out today:
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Dear Supporters of the Pastime Theatre,

At last night's Town Council meeting, the Council voted unanimously to support the Bristol Pastime Theatre Foundation in its endeavors to keep the theatre as a valued part of the downtown Bristol area. The Board of Directors of the Bristol Pastime Theatre Foundation wants to thank every one of you for his or her support, especially during this past week. Whether it was through phone calls, personal meetings, letters of support, coming out to last night's meeting, or just positive thoughts and good wishes, we want you to know that you are an essential part of the plan "…to revitalize and sustain the historic Pastime Theatre as a community-based center for the performing arts and cinema". We thank you greatly and look forward to your continued support.

With deepest appreciation,

The Board of Directors
Bristol Pastime Theatre Foundation
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Photo of Pastime.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/italiangerry/Cinemas/PastimeTheatre-BristolRI.jpg

This thumbnail entry appears in the 1990 volume History and Architectural Resources of Bristol, Rhode Island:

"PASTIME THEATER/BRISTOL CINEMA (1934): A 1-story, flat-roofed, Moderne style building of cast concrete, with its original marquee. It stands on the site of the 1784 Congregational Meetinghouse, which had been converted into a theater. Proprietor Lon Vail built the present structure after a fire destroyed the old meetinghouse/theater in 1934."

Here are two photos of the old Pastime Theatre that burned down in 1934, before the current structure was built to replace it that same year.
1929
1930

Locals who have been attempting to restore and re-open as a cultural facility the historic Pastime Theatre are not giving up and are fighting the town of Bristol. With a deadline for mortgage payment approaching, members of the Bristol Pastime Theatre Foundation are organizing and attempting to garner support to reverse the Bristol Town Council's recent decision to lease the old theater to the Bristol Warren Regional School District for use as a school. In the most recent development the Pastime Theatre received a $200,000 federal grant. The Bristol Pastime Theatre Foundation is going to use the money to purchase the theatre from the town, but still needs to raise $141,000 to do it. And they have a very short timeframe, by December 3rd, in which to accomplish this. Yet none of this guarantees that the town will not take over the theatre by eminent domain.

Another photo of the Pastime Theater can be seen here.

The 1949 Film Daily Yearbook listed the seating capacity as 600.

The Pastime Theatre was not the only one to have existed in this town. Another Bristol theatre is the long-forgotten Star Theatre that was on Hope Street next to the Rogers Free Library. It seems to have survived into the 1920s. An old postcard image can be linked to on the Star Theatre page. Information about the Star is most welcome.

The Pastime Theatre has been demolished. Today I saw the fenced-in vacant lot.

As a kid I would attend the ten cent matinees at the Pastime. My adopted "uncle" was the projectionist (one of two, actually). We each got a quarter for the afternoon. That bought popcorn and two candy bars or popcorn and a drink.
We'd see a cartoon, the feature, and either a serial or a Three Stooges or the like.
Good times, Good times.
The Pastime was one of the first theaters in RI to get Cinemascope.

Bob Evans

When the Pastime was one theater it did hold 600 people.

Bob Evans

This is another photo of the former Pastime Theater.

1983 Photo