Park Theatre
848 Park Avenue,
Cranston,
RI
02910
848 Park Avenue,
Cranston,
RI
02910
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From Boxoffice magazine, February 4, 1956:
“In the most extensive cooperation promotion ever seen in this area, 14 Providence and nearby houses used record-breaking newspaper advertising space in heralding the joint premiere of "The Day the World Ended” and “Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.” Virtually taking over the amusement pages of the local press for several days, the following houses united in the ad: Elmwood, Hope, Uptown, Liberty, Castle, all in this city; Community, Centredale; Strand, Pawtucket; Union, Attleboro; Hollywood, East Providence; Palace, Cranston; Community, Wakefield; Park, Auburn; Palace, Arctic and Stadium, Woonsocket. A brief checkup of local houses indicated that opening days were solid."
Item in Boxoffice magazine, August 22, 1953.
“Peter R. Nelson, one of the best-known and well-loved showmen in the state, recently died at the age of 76. Nelson was at various times owner of the old Auburn Theatre and the Park in Cranston. At one time he also was associated in the operation of the old Bijou in Providence and the Royal in Olneyville. Entering the theatre business in 1920, he operated the Auburn for three years before selling his interests to the Park Theatre Corp., of which he remained a partner until 1936 During the period from 1933 to 1936 he operated the Park. For more than 30 years he also operated a store in the Park Theatre building, retiring in 1951 because of his health.”
Licenses may be revoked in three months if the Park and adjacent 848 Martini Lounge fail to control violence and noise:
Providence Journal
October 15 Cranston Herald article says film screenings are a possibility.
October 28 Cranston Herald article about the reopening.
The official name is now “Rhode Island Center for Performing Arts” but the “PARK” sign has been removed, refurbished, and reinstalled atop the building.
It’s baaaaaaaaaaccccccccckkkkkkkkkkk!!!
View link
It’s not quite finished, but the theater is opening its doors for a sneak peek tonight!
Today’s Providence Journal suggests an early- to mid-October opening.
The Park Café and 848 martini lounge are open! The second-floor LOL Comedy Lounge opens September 12. As for the theater itself, they have hired a manager who is traveling the country booking entertainment.
Cranston Herald article #1
Cranston Herald article #2
Cranston Herald article #3
New feature on the Park at Art in Ruins, with photos from 2004 to 2008: View link
Video tour of the project with mayoral candidate Cindy Fogarty and Councilman Emilio Navarro, from August 2008. “The restaurant and bar should be open within the next two months” – well, not quite.
Work continues! The entire building is now two stories, including over the former storefronts, and it’s four stories over the stage. It appears that interior work is going on now, as there was a truck making deliveries to a loading dock at the rear of the building. If things continue at this pace, a 2009 opening is likely.
Work on the theater is progressing. There is a very large two-story building rising west of the existing theater building (visible as steel framework in Roland’s photos) with windows on the north (Park Avenue) and west sides. It looks like the auditorium will be expanded into part of the first floor of the building. As Roland’s photos indicate, there is nothing left of the lobby and Park Avenue storefronts except the exterior walls.
Here are some photos that I took today to show just how much destruction (renovation?) that is taking place. I’ll go back during the week when I can take closer up photos of the renovations of the interior. I can tell you that this doesn’t look like a renovation, it looks like a total redo.
View link
Last time I was by a few weeks ago, construction seemed to be in progress, with a massive rear-of-stage area being readied. But there have been so many starts and stops here that I can only believe it when I see the final results.
Any updates?
July, 1963 program shared with the Seekonk “Art” Drive-In.
Okay, looks like it is still a go as it is now GOING!
Taken from my ISP online newspage.
Park Cinema Renovations Underway
03-13-2007 11:41 AM
(Cranston, RI) — Renovations at the Park Cinema in Cranston are finally underway. Beams for the planned addition arrived last week as did a refurbished portion of the 1920s-era stage. Crews are hard at work and city officials tell the “Providence Journal,” final work is scheduled for the end of July. When complete, the downtown building will contain the cinema, an upscale Mediterranean-style restaurant and gourmet coffee shop.<
Okay, looks like it is still a go as it is now GOING!
Taken from my ISP online newspage.
Park Cinema Renovations Underway
03-13-2007 11:41 AM
(Cranston, RI) — Renovations at the Park Cinema in Cranston are finally underway. Beams for the planned addition arrived last week as did a refurbished portion of the 1920s-era stage. Crews are hard at work and city officials tell the “Providence Journal,” final work is scheduled for the end of July. When complete, the downtown building will contain the cinema, an upscale Mediterranean-style restaurant and gourmet coffee shop.<
As of last week, it looked pretty much the same as it does in Gerald A. DeLuca’s June, 2005 photos. The owner of an antique store nearby said a portion of Pontiac Avenue is supposed to be closed soon to accommodate construction activity, so maybe there is hope.
At a July debate, mayor-elect Michael Napolitano threatened that he would take the property by eminent domain if work doesn’t progress.
The theatre owners finally secured funding for the project in May, 2006. Construction was to have restarted, but some elements of the building needed to be redesigned following review by the Cranston Historic District Commission. Now the owners say sidewalk demolition and erection of scaffolding will happen this month, and steel will be delivered in mid-January.
When completed, the theatre will have 1,100 seats and will feature a “Cyber Café” and a second-floor upscale Meditteranean-style restaurant where the Park Avenue storefronts were.
Here’s more from the Providence Journal, 12/5/06.
This history of Cranston theaters mentions the Park:
http://tinyurl.com/yyq3hk
That was an interim period before the Paris went hardcore. Gay on one screen, straight on the other, I believe.
I just saw what I thought looked like and X rating (turned out to be an X if it is an Warhol film) and made an assumption. That is pretty adventurous booking for a downtown Providence theatre.
Lonesome Cowboys, which I actually saw there, is not porno. It was an Andy Warhol factory film co-directed by Paul Morrissey, with Joe Dallessandro. Raunchy, yes. Porno, no. A very bad film.
If I am reading that Esquire Theatre Ad right, that is quite the double bill for the Paris Cinema in Providence. “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” on one screen with what looks like a porno film, “Lonesome Cowboys” on the other.
You’ve got the highbrows in one theatre and the raincoat brigade going into the other. Strange bedfellows.