Strand Theatre
128 Central Street,
Lowell,
MA
01852
128 Central Street,
Lowell,
MA
01852
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 33 of 33 comments
I am so happy I started this post, I visited the theater as a child. I remember going there with my brother & sisters, even though they were to young to remember. I had a lot of great memories of the movies there like Wizard of Oz, Snow White, Peter Pan and A Christmas Carol.
Thank you to all that have added to this posting! You all provided information that I could have never been able to research in the past. You brought back a lot of memories.
The Strand was built in 1917 by Harry Graves, a Lowell architect. A chain theater, it was quite lavish and even had a fountain with a fish pond inside the lobby. The lobby had Italian marble, gold leaf, and carved furniture, as well as cut-glass chandeliers and sconces. The Strand Symphony Orchestra played there during movies. The architecture was Movie Palace Baroque, and was quite the theater in its time. The original marquee was altered in 1939, but it remained a theater through the 1960s. The owners, New England Theaters, Inc. sold it to Esquire Theaters of America, Inc. in 1965. By 1965, the pond, chandeliers, and much of its original facade was gone or altered, replaced by florescent lights and vending machines. Lack of maintenance was a big issue, and it was eventually demolished. I wish I could have seen it in its glory days. I have a picture from 1930 and one from the late 1970s, and it is sad to see the decline. I wish that it could have been spared, but unfortunately this happens all the time.
The Strand was built in 1917 by Harry Graves, a Lowell architect. A chain theater, it was quite lavish and even had a fountain with a fish pond inside the lobby. The lobby had Italian marble, gold leaf, and carved furniture, as well as cut-glass chandeliers and sconces. The Strand Symphony Orchestra played there during movies. The architecture was Movie Palace Baroque, and was quite the theater in its time. The original marquee was altered in 1939, but it remained a theater through the 1960s. The owners, New England Theaters, Inc. sold it to Esquire Theaters of America, Inc. in 1965. By 1965, the pond, chandeliers, and much of its original facade was gone or altered, replaced by florescent lights and vending machines. Lack of maintenance was a big issue, and it was eventually demolished. I wish I could have seen it in its glory days. I have a picture from 1930 and one from the late 1970s, and it is sad to see the decline. I wish that it could have been spared, but unfortunately this happens all the time.
The Strand in Lowell MA was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report Project, but no one bothered to fill out the form, unfortunately. There is a facade photo taken in June 1950, 9 years after the photos were taken for all the other Reports. The Strand had a triangle marquee with 4 rows of black letters on a white background, above which was “Strand” in huge letters. Above the marquee was an arch and above that was a cornice. The entrance structure was 2-plus stories high. The films playing were “Three Came Home” and “Everybody’s Dancing”.
My first recollections of the Strand were in the 1950’s. Even in those days there was significant plaster damage in the ceiling top left of the proscenium. While the Strand was built as a movie palace, it did have a full stage house and orchestra pit. And even though it was the largest theater in Lowell, it was not a particularly good looking theater…just big…like a warehouse. It was a stadium style theater with the vast balcony actually a rear extension of the orchestra. The unimpressive lobby, reached by a very long entry way from Central Street, was tucked underneath the balcony. Naturally, I was sorry to see it go…there was talk in the 1970’s of incorporating the old Strand into the construction of the then-new Lowell Hilton (now the Doubletree). The Strand would have somehow served as the ballroom to the new hotel. But such was not the case, and the Strand came down. If I could have saved any theater in Lowell, it would have been the Opera House (which ended its days as the State), or R. K. O. Keith’s, but not the Strand.
When was this demolished and why?
What a great place this was! My first memories of going to the movies involved seeing lots of Disney movies here. My understanding is that it was once an opera house, then was on the vaudeville circuit. Performers included Caruso, Abbott and Costello, and Houdini. It was a beautiful theater with a huge chandelier. I was so sad when it was torn down. I have great memories of this theater.
The Strand Theatre seated 1763 people.