Senator Theatre
5904 York Road,
Baltimore,
MD
21212
5904 York Road,
Baltimore,
MD
21212
47 people
favorited this theater
The Senator Theater opened October 5, 1939, with 1,024 seats, showing “Stanley and Livingston” starring Spencer Tracy. It was designed in the Art Deco style by theatre architect John J. Zink, whose other theatre designs include the Uptown Theatre in Washington DC. On one side of the projection booth was a sound-proof party room and on the other side there was a sound-proof nursery.
During its operation, the theater has been used to raise millions of dollars for local and national charitable organizations. It has also hosted world premieres and has been featured in numerous films and commercials, including “Avalon”, “12 Monkeys”, “Cecil B. Demented”, and others.
As the Senator Theatre was running in the red, ownership fell in the hands of the City of Baltimore. The City closed the theatre in July 2010, the only time it had been closed since it opened. The City selected the operator of the Charles Theatre to take over, and it reopened on October 15, 2010 with the Bruce Willis thriller “Red”.
The theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contributed by
David Frier, Colin P. Varga, Gayle Grove
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Recent comments (view all 180 comments)
Final film from current management, from Senator’s email today:
Presented with a rare 1977 35 mm British I.B. Technicolor print
from a private collection.
Show times:
4:30 pm
8:00 pm
Doors open at 4:00 pm for the 4:30 show.
Admission FREE
The Force Is With Them!
Baltimore’s Senator Theatre Ends 71 Years of Continuous
Family Ownership and Operation.
“Friends of The Senator” Express A New Hope for a Rapid Reopening
Baltimore, MD
July 21, 2010
The Friends of The Senator (FOTS) theatre advocacy group announced today
that Wednesday 7/21 marks the final day of operation for Baltimore’s historic
Senator Theatre. The shutdown date was designated by Baltimore’s City Hall.
Instructions are to cease operations, and for the theatre’s ex-owner to remove
all personal items. Baltimore City took ownership of the renowned, single screen
Art Deco landmark at a foreclosure auction in July of 2009.
For the final evening of operation, the FOTS are encouraging patrons to join
us for a gathering of The Senator’s extended family, including long time
manager Gayle Grove and The Senator’s popular border collie staff, Natty Boh
and Nipper.
The evening will feature two free celebratory screenings of a rare 1977 British
I.B. Technicolor print of “Star Wars: A New Hope” from a private collection.
Free screenings of the two hour feature will be at 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm. Doors
open at 4:00 pm for the 4:30 show.
“We wanted to do something really special for the last film to be shown at
The Senator, to honor Tom Kiefaber and his family, as well as The Senator’s
long term staff,” said FOTS President Tom Harris, who has camped on the
sidewalk at The Senator for past Star Wars midnight openings with his family.
“A film collector approached us about this rare original release print of Star
Wars, and the film is such a touchstone for so many of us, we went for it.”
“This is where I came in,” said Tom Kiefaber, in reference to Star Wars in 1977.
“I grew up in The Senator, and I officially joined the family business in 1977, just
as Star Wars was about to change the film industry forever. The saying ‘this
is where I came in’ comes from my youth, when the theatres ran short subjects,
newsreels, and features continuously. We would often arrive in the middle of a
show and stay until it was starting the repeat, noting this is where I came in."
Also popular in those days were the weekly "cliffhanger” serials where a
young George Lucas found inspiration for “Star Wars.”
“With The Senator going dark for an indefinite time, we all feel a great
disturbance in the Force,” said FOTS Managing Director Laura Perkins.
“Kathleen Cusack from the new management team predicts The Senator may
only stay dark a few days, and we hope the Cusack team understands
the importance of the theatre to this community and reopens The Senator as
quickly as possible.”
“We have many concerns about what’s in store for The Senator, particularly
plans to demolish original features that define the character of the building’s interior,” noted Kiefaber, “but we have no choice but to accept as graciously as possible that the force is with them.”
As of today, should the theater’s current status be changed to ..closed? I am surprised no one has posted anything from the last movie showing. I had work conflicts and couldn’t make it.
on a positive fun note, the Senator is featured in the new Star War Year by Year book: with a picture of the front with ‘Phantom Menace’ and queue of folk (page 204)
The new owners of the Senator have set up a new web site here: http://www.thesenatortheatre.com/
There is also a PDF document in the Renovations Blog outlining the proposed updates and renovations planned for this historic theatre.
These proposed renovations look very promising.
Interesting proposals. I am glad they are not shrinking or otherwise carving up the main auditorium. I wish/had hoped they could build a little balcony in theater 2. Its about the same size, if probably larger, than the old MacArthur theater in DC had when it had twins during its ‘83 remodel.
I’ve never regularly frequented a theater that served alcohol. I just hope the booze (as I’m a non-drinker) doesn’t lead to loud and obnoxious patrons during the shows. Its one thing to have college aged patrons when the big blockbusters are booked to full house..just imagine what it would be like if these kids are boozing.
How about an espresso/high end pastry/bakery bar? If you’re going to serve alcohol, how about some decent coffee and/or baked goods aside from the usual popcorn, candy and soda fare?
the mention of a propsed 120 seat second auditorium (in the PDF attachment) sounds like a great addition.
The new operators have received initial zoning board approval to build a second screening room, a tapas restaurant, and a creperie; they must also get the approval of the historical commission: View link
The Senator appears in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys with Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe. Willis and Stowe are watching Hitchcock’s Vertigo (the scene in which Kim Novak traces her life along the timeline of a redwood tree cross section) and when Willis and Stowe leave The Senator, the marquis indicates a set of Hitchcock films including Vertigo, The Birds, North by Northwest, Strangers On A Train and Psycho.
Jodar: I believe that a hallmark of early moviegoing experience was loud and obnoxious behavior. I’m not condoning it but pissing off the balcony was common for matinees where the audience was mainly kids. If you want to recapture early moviegoing experience you will not object to comments and heckling.