Central Theater
39 Alfred Street,
Biddeford,
ME
04005
39 Alfred Street,
Biddeford,
ME
04005
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On the very early morning hours of January 23, 1945, the entirety of the then-1,100-seat Central Theater building was completely destroyed by a massive fire, causing an estimate $125,000 to $150,000 in damage (including $75,000 in sound and projection equipment). According to manager George F. Friary, the fire apparently started at 2:57 AM that morning in the furnace room right after both Friary and box office worker Raymond Davis left the theater for the night. District Manager George Carroll of the M&P Theaters' circuit chain following conference with Acting Chief Frank Cantara and other officials reported that they indicated that the total loss would likely reach $150,000.
Other business were also devastated, including a jewelry store operated by Louis A. Menards, the A. Turcotte barber shop, and a quarter shop used by J. Hervey Salvas. Luckily enough, they managed to rescue some of the jewelry in the store. While various neighboring departments (Wells, Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach just to name a few) fight the blaze, only one hot-air explosion was reported. Eleven lines of hose were used by three departments from other areas.
Because of World War II started to die out later that year, reconstruction of the theater was halted multiple times. They managed to fully-reconstructed the theater right after the death of the war. After all the waiting and reconstruction, the M&P chain reopened the Central Theater on May 23, 1946 with Alan Ladd in “The Blue Dahlia” along with a few short subjects and a newsreel. Then-Mayor Louis B. Lausier was the first person to turn the key to open the theater.
Some of these installations include a larger inner lobby lighted by chandeliers, as well as updated restrooms and the refreshment booth located off the inner lobby. A gradually sloping arrangement of the seats from the three-quarters of the way back section, forward to the stage, which runs parallel with Foss Street, assures an unobstructed view of the stage. The seats (all metal-framed upholstered in soft leather with corduroy backs) from the three-quarters division line back to the sectional wall housing the projection booths have also been placed on a graduated slope all the way back to the rear of the theater which faces Alfred Street. Natural wood in polished panels were used on the lower part of the walls in the lobby and in the auditorium, and the walls above have been tinted in two contrasting colors. The facade/marquee was also updated and the use of an abundance of the vari-typed lights in all parts of the theater and throughout the lobby is apparent to those inspecting the new structure.
The Central Theater closed for the final time on May 14, 1972.
Grand opening ad posted. The last newspaper listings took place in April 1972.
On March 21, 1961, The Central Theatre Installed A 4-Track Stereo System With 9 Stereo Speaker Gave “Sound All Around” With A Special Run Of The Hit-Smash “Ben Hur” (1959).
The Theater Closed Between 1970 And 1971.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Central; it’s Card # 343. Address is 39 Alfred St. There is an exterior photo dated April 1941. Condition is Fair. The report says that the theater is over 15 years old and was showing MGM films. There were 647 main floor seats, 413 balcony seats and 40 seats in the loges, total 1,100. A competing theater was the Opera House (for which no report was made). The 1940 population was 19,700.
This web page has considerable information about Biddeford’s Central Theatre. It was opened on September 18, 1916, and was originally operated by Maine Theatres and later by Paramount. There were 1,192 seats at opening, but 42 were in boxes. Boxes were usually closed when theaters converted entirely to movies.
The opening date and the nae of the original operators indicates that this was the house mentioned in the March 11, 1916, issue of The American Contractor:
Jackson & Solomonson also designed other houses for Maine Theatres during this period, including the Star Theatre in Westbrook.