Old Howard, The
32 Howard Street,
Scollay Square,
Boston,
MA
02108
32 Howard Street,
Scollay Square,
Boston,
MA
02108
3 people
favorited this theater
Boston’s most famous (some would say notorious) theatre, the Old Howard opened in 1846 and evolved from legitimate theatre to vaudeville to burlesque and finally to striptease.
A movie screen was installed around 1912, to provide entertainment during hours when the performers were not on stage — probably before noon, and between 5 and 8 pm.
City censors closed the Old Howard in November 1953, and it never reopened. The city made plans to tear it down, along with the rest of Scollay Square, to make way for a new Government Center. A committee formed with the aim of saving the Old Howard and turning it into a national theatre museum, but a mysterious fire gutted it on June 20, 1961. It was torn down that same day.
Contributed by
Ron Newman
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Recent comments (view all 42 comments)
Ron is correct. How can we fix this?
The “Patriot Ledger Archives” section of the May 7th Quincy Patriot Ledger has a summary of an article with photo from the Q-PL of May 10, 1962. It seems that a local contractor from Weymouth purchased the granite rubble from the demolition of the Old Howard which was then underway. In a cornerstone, which he claims weighed 9 tons, he found a sealed lead box. There were a number of items in the box including a copy, in good condition, of the Boston Daily Atlas newspaper from 1846. There is no mention of the other items in the box.
Ron, does it mention the contractor’s name?
David- the contractor was Richard R. Jancaterino, age 34 in 1962, of South Weymouth, married to Elaine. He was self-employed and got 140 tons of granite from the demolition site.
Ron, I have the answer! I found Richard, who is now retired and living in Florida. We spoke a short while ago and he confirms that yes, he did find the cornerstone and that he sold it – and its contents – to Frank Hatch. I’m sure you’ll agree that mean it is in very good hands, with a family that appreciates the value of the artifacts.
David- It’s always nice to hear that such artifacts have been preserved in good hands.
That map is wrong. It should show center plaza in Boston not, howard street in roxbury. I’ve been to the west end museum in boston so I have a good idea where it was.
Yes, the map is wrong because Google automatically generated it from the street address, and Howard Street no longer exists in downtown Boston. I don’t know how to fix this.
Hello if anyone knows how to get in contact with some with a relic or sign from The Old Howard please let me know. Rufus AL SOmerby was my grand father and he managed in 1930’s and 1940’s thanks
The Hatch family still has several treasures from the OH. They still live in Maine. I have a few bits of ephemera, see my Scollay Square website for my direct contact info, I’d love to chat with you, anyway, about your grandfather and the OH.
David
www.joeandnemo.com