Calvin Theatre
19 King Street,
Northampton,
MA
1060
19 King Street,
Northampton,
MA
1060
2 people
favorited this theater
Once the largest movie theater in Northampton, Massachusetts, the Calvin Theatre was the home of first run films for almost 70 years.
With the arrival of megaplexes in nearby Hadley, the Calvin struggled to survive second rate film bookings and large overhead. Although Wednesday dollar nights drew crowds, little else did.
Finally, in 1994, the Calvin quietly put up a sign stating it was closed, at least temporarily. For months, a sun-bleached poster of the Jack Nicholson – Michelle Pfeiffer film “Wolf” drooped sadly in the lightbox of the film’s exterior. The Calvin had gone dark.
A shining knight saw the Calvin’s potential and bought and renovated the classic theater. Now housing mostly live performances, the Calvin does occasionally show first and second run films. The Calvin Theatre, with its new, polished marquee and facade, is back from the brink.
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Recent comments (view all 25 comments)
Here is the Calvin from another angle.
The Calvin Theater can be seen in this 2007 photo.
Here is a 1979 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cslkzk
No year is given for this photo so feel free to guess at it.
The photo must be from 1986 since it is showing the movie DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS
Just saw an interior photo of the restoration. The theatre looks beautiful.
This is another photo that claims to be from 1979.
The photo is from 1976 since that is the date the movie on the marquee was released.
There are 2 movie theaters listed under Northampton in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. One is the Academy and the other is the “Coolidge” with 1000 seats and open daily. I guess that the Coolidge is actually the Calvin.
I was never here for a movie but it is a great concert venue. They filled in the orchestra pit and add additional seating for some concerts. For the more rock and roll concerts they use the front space as a dance floor.
The theatre is really lovely, with wood paneling throughout much of the house. It does seem to have a roof problem now. There is some water damage to the plaster in a few places. It seems to be very heavily booked and I hope they can fix it before the damage becomes extensive.