Roxbury Theatre
2170 Washington Street,
Roxbury,
MA
02136
2170 Washington Street,
Roxbury,
MA
02136
2 people
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The Roxbury Theatre was a neighborhood movie house located just north of the Dudley station area in the Roxbury area of Boston. It was at one time part of the Charles Morse theatre circuit of Boston. Further information welcomed.
Contributed by
Ron Salters
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Roxbury Theatre has 2 exterior photos. The first is dated 1941 and shows a small rectangular marquee with the name “Roxbury” on the front. There are cloth banners hanging from the marquee, but I can’t read what’s on them. There are poster cases on either side of the entrance. The second photo is undated but judging from the cars in the scene, it probably dates from late-1940s or circa-1950. There is a much larger marquee, with 3 sides, spanning the entire width of the theatre. It has the name “Roxbury” in huge neon letters on the front panel. Movies posted are “It Happens Every Spring” and “Guns and Guitars”. The bottom edge of the elevated railway structure shows clearly at the top of the photo. The Report states that the Roxbury had been showing MGM films for 15 years; that it was built about 1910, was in Poor condition, and had 525 seats on the main floor and 125 in the balcony, total: 650 seats. It’s listed under Charles Morse theatres in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. I saw this theatre many times while riding the old Orange Line in the period 1968-1975. It was closed and the marquee had been removed, but it was not in bad shape outside. It was brick and had an elevated stage house to the rear. It was on the east side of Washington Street a short distance to the north of Dudley MBTA “el” station.
Correction to the above: the second photo on the MGM Report is dated “July 1950”.
The site of the Roxbury Theatre is today a vacant lot just to the right of the African Art store at 2164 Washington St.
The Roxbury Th. is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 600 seats and open daily.
In the street directory section of the 1918 Boston Register and Business Directory, Issue 83, the Roxbury Theatre was the second of 3 theaters in its block, on the east side of Washington Street, with Eustis St and Nawn St. to the north, and Palmer St. to the south. The 3 theaters, from north to south, were the Orienta Theatre at 2154 Washington, the Roxbury Th. at 2174, and the Dudley Th. at 2202 Washington. I have never heard of the Orienta Th. before.
In 1915, the same building is named Rugby on a fire insurance map. Could be Rugby Theater, and could be just the Rugby Building. The same map has the Orienta Hall next door.
I see that the Orienta was a Hall and not a theater at one time. The Masons held meetings at the Orienta for a while. Maybe it was converted to a theater later.
MarkB- yes, in that era some halls, such as fraternal halls, were leased out to a movie operator and became inexpensive neighborhood silient film cinemas. Sometimes these operations didn’t last too long, especially if new “real” theaters were being built nearby.