When the Cinema Theatre Assoc. (U.K.) came to Boston in April 2004, members of the group peered through those glass doors on Essex Street at least twice. So did some of the people at the THSA convention in Boston last June. I know of at least two people who asked permission to look at the interior of the theatre and who were refused. It’s possible that the building management has covered up the glass from the inside to put a stop to this sort of interest.
The family name of the brothers who managed the Grand in the early 20th Century is spelled “Hamlin” not “Hamilin”. Fred Hamlin was quite well known during that period as a show producer.
One day in the mid-1980s I noticed that the scene door at the Hellinger was open, so I stepped just inside it. The stage was full of lumber and plywood and a few carpenters were busy constructing set pieces. I looked up and was surprised to find that the theatre’s stage had fly space only over the forward half; the rear half of the stage had very little fly space above it. This is unusual in a Bway musical house. The dressing rooms for the theatre apparently are located along the rear stage wall.
Hi, Dave1— the photo I have on the MGM Report, taken in May 1941, is a washed-out Xerox copy. I do think that I can see the word “New” up above the marquee, not actually on it. It appears to be on the wall directly over the marquee. In 1941, the ticket booth was in the center of the entrance, under the base of the marquee. In front of the booth was one of those old-fashioned brass railings intended to allow only one patron at a time to buy a ticket. The fact that the theatre was judged to be in “Fair” condition would have been strictly based on the opinion of the person filling out the report.Someone else might have called it “Poor” or “shabby”, like your dad.
Sorry, I don’t know. I have been told that very recently there was an article in a newspaper (I assume it’s the Worcester paper) which mentioned upcoming work in the building, and which also referred to the place not as the “Worcester Center of the Perf. Arts”, but as the “Grand Palace Theatre”.
For those bewildered about this issue, go to the pages for Loew’s Willard (4040) and Ridgewood (4021) theaters, both in Queens, NYC, and scroll thru the postings made in August 2006.
I’m sure the opening date depends on the funding stream. This is not an abandoned project and the planning for it is well along. There is vacant land directly in back of the rear stage wall on which to expand the stage rearwards. And the front wall of the theatre has already been “modernized” and could be re-used.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Warner Theatre in Lynn MA has a facade photo taken in May 1941. There was a boxy marquee with 3 lines of black letters on a white background. The movie appears to be Deanna Durbin in “Nice Girl”. There was a box office centered in the entrance below the marquee. The Report states that the Warner had been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition; and has 1023 seats on the main floor and 766 balcony seats; total: 1789 seats. The address is listed as “89 Union Avenue”. Competing theatres are: Paramount and Olympia. The 1940 population of Lynn was 98,100.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Warner Theatre on Lawrence St. has a facade photo taken in May 1941. The theatre had a long distinctive marquee with a vertical sign at the left corner. It had a beautiful classical facade. The Report states that the theatre had been playing MGM films for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Fair condition; and that it had 1132 seats on the orchestra floor and 895 in the balcony, total: 2027 seats.
To Forrest 136 – the photo is on the MGM Report. For a description of the MGM project, see the Cinema Treasures page for the Warner Theatre in Worcester MA. My copies of these Reports are Xeroxes of Xeroxes, if you know what I mean, so the photos are all washed-out.Some of the info on the Reports is not always accurate. The copies I have are mostly of movie theatres in eastern and central Massachusetts and were done in the Spring of 1941.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Embassy Theatre lists the address as 234 Moody St.There is an exterior photo of the entrance dated May 1941, The rectangular marquee had the name in big letters on the front. There were ornate poster cases on either side of the entrance, and a center box office with an old-fashioned brass railing directly in front of it. The Report states that the Embassy had been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Fair condition; and had the following seats: Orchestra, 1373; Balcony, 584; Loges, 136; total: 2093 seats. The Embassy was a M&P theatre which later went to ATC Theatres.
The Central Square was part of M&P Theatres as of 1942; it may have gone over to ATC after WWII (the Embassy did). The Central Square is listed in the 1927 Film Daily yearbook as having 800 seats and being open 6 days a week. It was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is a photo dated May 1941. At that time, the theatre had a rectangular marquee with “Central” in big bulb-studded letters on the front, and 3 lines of white letters on a dark background on each side. The Report states that the theatre is at 31 Moody St., that it is a MGM customer and has been for over 10 years; that it is over 15 years old; that it is in Good condition; with 607 seats on the main floor and 368 balcony seats; total: 975 seats. The commpeting theatres are listed as the Embassy and the Waltham Th. The 1940 population of Waltham was 40,000.
LuisV, I agree with you. It would be nice if there was a sub-program here in Cinema Treasures called “Stage Treasures” where these live theatres with no cinema history could be listed. It would mean that Cinema Treasures would become a “One-Stop Resource” for all types of theatres – cinemas, legit, concert halls, opera houses, everything !
To LuisV – you ask above about Webster Hall on East 11th St. It is briefly mentioned in the book “American Theatres” by David Naylor, published in 1997. It was opened in 1886 at 119 – 123 East 11th St. in NY. Its original function was as a ballroom and rental facility. The book provides very little detail about it, other than to note that it’s still open. A friend in NY went to the place in 1997 and obtained a brochure from someone there with some historical background. I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think that it ever served as a cinema. The Naylor book states that it has 5 levels and the various rooms seat a total of 3000. The architect was Charles Rentz.
Life may indeed be Too Short for those unwilling to walk for more than a minute! The Strand is in the 500-block of Columbia Road; the JFK Red Line station is in the 800-block, on the same side of the street. The proposed new Uphams Corner station on the rail line from South Station to Readville will be even closer. I would not hold my breath waiting for a parking garage to be constructed in Uphams Corner ! Back when the Strand first reopened as a performing arts venue, there were shuttle busses which ran to and from Copley Square to concert attractions at the theatre. But this service has not been offered for many years.
Mr. DeLuca is being too modest! He did not “tag along” on the THSA tour in Providence on June 29— he was invited to serve (and very ably, too) as a local guide/historian. The tour began with a visit to the Zeiterion Th. in New Bedford. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day; and I know that there were many who were surprised to find so much detail intact inside the Strand/Diesel. We thank Gerry DeLuca for helping to make our day in Providence a success.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Orpheum in Foxborough has a photo taken in May 1941. Unlike most of the facade photos in these Reports, the photographer stood about 100 yards away, for some reason. The address is given as “Rockhill Street”. The Report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer; but in the next line states that it has been presenting MGM product for over 10 years. It states that the theatre is over 15 years old; that it is in Good condition, and has 418 seats on the main floor and 113 in the balcony, total: 531 seats. A competing theatre is the Mansfield Theatre in Mansfield, and the 1940 population of Foxboro was 6,300.
The Dreamland is a venue for the annual Nantucket film festival, held in the early-summer. I have been told that movie presentation there dates all the way back to the 1905-1910 period. If that’s true, then it would be one of the oldest continuously-operating (albeit Summers-only) cinemas in the USA.
I was in the Larcom last Saturday morning with the THSA group. The theatre looked great — the Le Grand David company deserves much credit for the high level of maintenance of their two theatres in Beverly.
There is a map “Boston Theatre District” published by the Boston Preservation Alliance in 1993. The map shows location of theatres and former theatres downtown from West St. south to Hollis St.. It lists alternate names for some of the theatres. For the Washington Theatre there is the curious annotation that it was also known as the “Lyric Theatre”. For awhile in the early 1930s, under Shubert control, the old Keith’s Theatre was known as the Lyric (before the name was changed to Normandie. ) This was the only use of the name “Lyric” that I know of downtown.
The antique organ console is now on display in a niche in the inner foyer of the Strand. I was there last Saturday morning and I was able to walk from JFK Station on the Red Line to the theatre in 15 minutes flat.
I was inside the building with the THSA group on Friday morning, June 30. There were no work crews on duty. The 4 auditoriums are still intact and the partitions have not been removed. As pointed out above, the stage is now gone, but its outer walls are still in place. The theatre needs a lot of work !
When the Cinema Theatre Assoc. (U.K.) came to Boston in April 2004, members of the group peered through those glass doors on Essex Street at least twice. So did some of the people at the THSA convention in Boston last June. I know of at least two people who asked permission to look at the interior of the theatre and who were refused. It’s possible that the building management has covered up the glass from the inside to put a stop to this sort of interest.
According to their ad in today’s Boston Herald, Regal Entertainment is calling this cinema the “Fenway Stadium 13”.
The family name of the brothers who managed the Grand in the early 20th Century is spelled “Hamlin” not “Hamilin”. Fred Hamlin was quite well known during that period as a show producer.
One day in the mid-1980s I noticed that the scene door at the Hellinger was open, so I stepped just inside it. The stage was full of lumber and plywood and a few carpenters were busy constructing set pieces. I looked up and was surprised to find that the theatre’s stage had fly space only over the forward half; the rear half of the stage had very little fly space above it. This is unusual in a Bway musical house. The dressing rooms for the theatre apparently are located along the rear stage wall.
Hi, Dave1— the photo I have on the MGM Report, taken in May 1941, is a washed-out Xerox copy. I do think that I can see the word “New” up above the marquee, not actually on it. It appears to be on the wall directly over the marquee. In 1941, the ticket booth was in the center of the entrance, under the base of the marquee. In front of the booth was one of those old-fashioned brass railings intended to allow only one patron at a time to buy a ticket. The fact that the theatre was judged to be in “Fair” condition would have been strictly based on the opinion of the person filling out the report.Someone else might have called it “Poor” or “shabby”, like your dad.
Sorry, I don’t know. I have been told that very recently there was an article in a newspaper (I assume it’s the Worcester paper) which mentioned upcoming work in the building, and which also referred to the place not as the “Worcester Center of the Perf. Arts”, but as the “Grand Palace Theatre”.
For those bewildered about this issue, go to the pages for Loew’s Willard (4040) and Ridgewood (4021) theaters, both in Queens, NYC, and scroll thru the postings made in August 2006.
I’m sure the opening date depends on the funding stream. This is not an abandoned project and the planning for it is well along. There is vacant land directly in back of the rear stage wall on which to expand the stage rearwards. And the front wall of the theatre has already been “modernized” and could be re-used.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Warner Theatre in Lynn MA has a facade photo taken in May 1941. There was a boxy marquee with 3 lines of black letters on a white background. The movie appears to be Deanna Durbin in “Nice Girl”. There was a box office centered in the entrance below the marquee. The Report states that the Warner had been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition; and has 1023 seats on the main floor and 766 balcony seats; total: 1789 seats. The address is listed as “89 Union Avenue”. Competing theatres are: Paramount and Olympia. The 1940 population of Lynn was 98,100.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Warner Theatre on Lawrence St. has a facade photo taken in May 1941. The theatre had a long distinctive marquee with a vertical sign at the left corner. It had a beautiful classical facade. The Report states that the theatre had been playing MGM films for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Fair condition; and that it had 1132 seats on the orchestra floor and 895 in the balcony, total: 2027 seats.
To Forrest 136 – the photo is on the MGM Report. For a description of the MGM project, see the Cinema Treasures page for the Warner Theatre in Worcester MA. My copies of these Reports are Xeroxes of Xeroxes, if you know what I mean, so the photos are all washed-out.Some of the info on the Reports is not always accurate. The copies I have are mostly of movie theatres in eastern and central Massachusetts and were done in the Spring of 1941.
To Forrest136- for comments about the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project, see the Page for the Warner Theatre in Worcester.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Embassy Theatre lists the address as 234 Moody St.There is an exterior photo of the entrance dated May 1941, The rectangular marquee had the name in big letters on the front. There were ornate poster cases on either side of the entrance, and a center box office with an old-fashioned brass railing directly in front of it. The Report states that the Embassy had been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Fair condition; and had the following seats: Orchestra, 1373; Balcony, 584; Loges, 136; total: 2093 seats. The Embassy was a M&P theatre which later went to ATC Theatres.
The Central Square was part of M&P Theatres as of 1942; it may have gone over to ATC after WWII (the Embassy did). The Central Square is listed in the 1927 Film Daily yearbook as having 800 seats and being open 6 days a week. It was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is a photo dated May 1941. At that time, the theatre had a rectangular marquee with “Central” in big bulb-studded letters on the front, and 3 lines of white letters on a dark background on each side. The Report states that the theatre is at 31 Moody St., that it is a MGM customer and has been for over 10 years; that it is over 15 years old; that it is in Good condition; with 607 seats on the main floor and 368 balcony seats; total: 975 seats. The commpeting theatres are listed as the Embassy and the Waltham Th. The 1940 population of Waltham was 40,000.
LuisV, I agree with you. It would be nice if there was a sub-program here in Cinema Treasures called “Stage Treasures” where these live theatres with no cinema history could be listed. It would mean that Cinema Treasures would become a “One-Stop Resource” for all types of theatres – cinemas, legit, concert halls, opera houses, everything !
To LuisV – you ask above about Webster Hall on East 11th St. It is briefly mentioned in the book “American Theatres” by David Naylor, published in 1997. It was opened in 1886 at 119 – 123 East 11th St. in NY. Its original function was as a ballroom and rental facility. The book provides very little detail about it, other than to note that it’s still open. A friend in NY went to the place in 1997 and obtained a brochure from someone there with some historical background. I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think that it ever served as a cinema. The Naylor book states that it has 5 levels and the various rooms seat a total of 3000. The architect was Charles Rentz.
Life may indeed be Too Short for those unwilling to walk for more than a minute! The Strand is in the 500-block of Columbia Road; the JFK Red Line station is in the 800-block, on the same side of the street. The proposed new Uphams Corner station on the rail line from South Station to Readville will be even closer. I would not hold my breath waiting for a parking garage to be constructed in Uphams Corner ! Back when the Strand first reopened as a performing arts venue, there were shuttle busses which ran to and from Copley Square to concert attractions at the theatre. But this service has not been offered for many years.
Mr. DeLuca is being too modest! He did not “tag along” on the THSA tour in Providence on June 29— he was invited to serve (and very ably, too) as a local guide/historian. The tour began with a visit to the Zeiterion Th. in New Bedford. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day; and I know that there were many who were surprised to find so much detail intact inside the Strand/Diesel. We thank Gerry DeLuca for helping to make our day in Providence a success.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Orpheum in Foxborough has a photo taken in May 1941. Unlike most of the facade photos in these Reports, the photographer stood about 100 yards away, for some reason. The address is given as “Rockhill Street”. The Report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer; but in the next line states that it has been presenting MGM product for over 10 years. It states that the theatre is over 15 years old; that it is in Good condition, and has 418 seats on the main floor and 113 in the balcony, total: 531 seats. A competing theatre is the Mansfield Theatre in Mansfield, and the 1940 population of Foxboro was 6,300.
The Dreamland is a venue for the annual Nantucket film festival, held in the early-summer. I have been told that movie presentation there dates all the way back to the 1905-1910 period. If that’s true, then it would be one of the oldest continuously-operating (albeit Summers-only) cinemas in the USA.
The theatre has reopened for the 2006 summer season.
I was in the Larcom last Saturday morning with the THSA group. The theatre looked great — the Le Grand David company deserves much credit for the high level of maintenance of their two theatres in Beverly.
There is a map “Boston Theatre District” published by the Boston Preservation Alliance in 1993. The map shows location of theatres and former theatres downtown from West St. south to Hollis St.. It lists alternate names for some of the theatres. For the Washington Theatre there is the curious annotation that it was also known as the “Lyric Theatre”. For awhile in the early 1930s, under Shubert control, the old Keith’s Theatre was known as the Lyric (before the name was changed to Normandie. ) This was the only use of the name “Lyric” that I know of downtown.
The antique organ console is now on display in a niche in the inner foyer of the Strand. I was there last Saturday morning and I was able to walk from JFK Station on the Red Line to the theatre in 15 minutes flat.
I was inside the building with the THSA group on Friday morning, June 30. There were no work crews on duty. The 4 auditoriums are still intact and the partitions have not been removed. As pointed out above, the stage is now gone, but its outer walls are still in place. The theatre needs a lot of work !