Stoneham Theatre
395 Main Street,
Stoneham,
MA
02180
395 Main Street,
Stoneham,
MA
02180
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 38 of 38 comments
Where is the profile of the defunct Stoneham Cinema that once operated out of the Redstone Plaza? I’ve tried searching under every criteria I could think of, and this is all that comes up.
A little more history… “Background Music” as my Father used to say when he would tell a long story..lol.
From what I heard while I was away in the Military, Stoneham Theatre was saved by the Cummings Family. Owners of Cummings Park in Woburn. I can’t thank them enough.
In 1979 the town of Stoneham was applying for a Revitalization Grant. One day a draft plan was brought to a friend and I at the Stoneham Aquarium, he was the owner, showing plans to put parking all around the Theatre in the rear and tear down the Wheeler building near the fire station to replace the parking that would be lost due to the new parking ban removing street parking to improve traffic flow.
Having grown up in Stoneham and attending the Theatre every week as a child in the 50’s and 60’s, my first thought was the obvious. These changes placed the Theatre in the middle of the parking and could be what was needed for the theatre to come back as a focal point to the whole revitalization of Stoneham Square. I took it upon myself to lead that charge.
In order that my friend and I could have two votes,. I started a business and opened an office in Stoneham Square.
After working with business owners to form a Stoneham Business Association (SBA) to direct the business' input for the plan, these very same business people who had encouraged me all along, voted to tear down the main Theatre Building in the rear, leaving the office/apartment building in front standing and place a driveway to that parking through the opening under the marquee.
Mr. Zaltman, the owner may have something to do with that plan… (He writes with a smirk…)
I was able to stall the plans to demolish the theatre by nominating the Stoneham Theatre to the National Registry of Historic Places. This idea to save the Theatre came from a man who showed up at my front door one day out of nowhere. He had seen the news paper articles reporting my plan to save the theatre. He looked like Santa Clause with his white beard and was like an angel sent from God to save the Theatre..lol.
After all the paperwork was submitted, the “Revitalization” plans were stalled to a point the town might have lost their grant approval if they waited for the building to be rejected. (It was eventually rejected.) They had to come up with another building to demolish. They eventually went back to the Wheeler Building as the original plan had called for and the Theatre was saved.. for the time being from demolition.
I tell you this to fill in a gap in the history all of you are providing. This is to let you know how close the only Theatre north of Boston was almost lost.
P.S. to BCNet. I had heard that story about it being owned by Joseph Kennedy as well. I looked into it. He owned a film company that supplied films to the theatre, but he never owned the theatre.. I wish it was true.
Long live Stoneham Theatre
The Real Estate page of the Boston Herald of Nov. 2, 2007 has an article titled “Theatre’s Restoration Livens Up Downtown – Stoneham Square is Getting Hipper” which credits the reopening of the Stoneham Theatre as the driver for the commercial resurgence in Stoneham Square. The article states that the theatre reopened in 2000 after being vacant for 3 decades and that it now has 350 seats.
The fire was featured on the 11PM news on Channel 7 last night; the fire was still raging at the time. Since then, no follow-up; I’m guessing that “no news is good news” and hoping the theatre is OK.
I’m sorry to hear that. Is the theatre OK and still open?
The Stoneham Theatre was endangered by fire on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. A fire started in the wood-framed building next to the theatre, on the left, and because it was a very windy evening, soon turned into a raging inferno. Firefighters with hoselines were stationed on the roof of the theatre to put out the flaming embers landing up there. There were good shots of the theatre front on local TV news.
I can see how a marquee like that would upset the local citizens of this quiet suburb.
What kind of a film title is “BLUE LLOON” ?
The theatre was originally owned by Joseph Kennedy, father of the president. Since it reopened it has been doing very well, drawing large audiences.
I’d be curious to know if the 2-screen Stoneham Cinema was originally opened as a single screen. I think it may have beeen. The two houses were configured side by side and the center aisle in each auditorium was quite off-center, as my memory recalls.
Actually, Ron, that 2-screener stayed open until 1993 or so. I remember the last thing the roadside marquee said was “Congratulations to the class of 1994”.
This theatre is not to be confused with the General Cinema, and later independent, “Stoneham Cinema” in the Redstone Shopping Center a mile north of the town center. I think that was a 2-screener, built in the 1960s and closed in the late 80s.
The Stoneham Theatre was closed after attempting to show “Deep Throat” in the 70’s (the locals shut it down for this). The building was owned by a rather mean old fellow named Zaltman for many years. Numerous groups offered to purchase the theater from him over the years but he never sold, leaving the theater to fall apart. When he finally died, the building was sold.
The new owners had to basically build a new theater space, including an entire new roof and ceiling, because the old space was so far gone.
The theater no longer has 35mm projection capabilities.
The Film Daily Yearbook 1941 lists the seating capacity as 750.