You’ll want to visit the newly reopened Lincoln Theatre in Columbus. For earlier restorations in Columbus, check out the Ohio, Palace, and Southern theatres (all downtown).
I walked by this site today. The building truly is totally demolished. A sign on the temporary wooden wall between the street and sidewalk tells people to visit http://www.suffolk.edu/moderntheatre for more information.
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester – A Night in Berlin – March 6
Black Grace Dance Company March 12-14
Dee Dee Bridgewater – Lady Day March 27-28
Maya Beiser, cello – World To Come April 23
Danish Dance Theater April 27-28
Here’s the Chevalier Theatre website. To my knowledge, it has been used only for live stage shows. If a movie is ever shown there, we can even add it to CinemaTreasures.
Thanks for the street address. Now, is ‘Closed/Demolished’ accurate? When I look at this location with Google Street View I see a building that looks like it might once have been a theatre.
The marquee in the 1986 photo reads CLOSED DUE TO FIRE. To the left of the theatre and downstairs was a Videosmith store, which I think was damaged but did reopen for a while. Further left is Chi-Chi’s restaurant, which I think replaced The Restaurant At The Orson Welles. It too was damaged in the fire and I don’t think it ever reopened.
Responding to Ron Salters: The Strand was turned into a burlesque bar in the 1930s and was no longer a movie theatre in 1950. The Casino and Old Howard were primarily live burlesque theatres, showing movies only as an incidental sideline. The Scollay Square Olympia closed in December 1950.
All of the Boston movie theatres that Alvin mentioned are listed here at CinemaTreasures, but not always under the names Alvin gave in his post.
Washington Street, east side, south to north:
Stuart (called Pussycat when it closed) Center (called Pagoda when it closed) Pilgrim (opened as Washington St. Olympia) RKO Boston (later called Boston Cinerama, then Essex, then Star Cinema when it finally closed)
Washington Street, west side, south to north:
Publix (opened as Gaiety)
Trans-Lux is listed here as State, the name it had when it closed (opened as Park) Paramount
Laffmovie is listed here as B.F. Keith’s Theatre, the name it had when it opened
RKO Keith Memorial is listed here as Opera House, its current name (was also called Savoy for a while) Modern (aka Mayflower) Orpheum Old South (this was actually the name of two different and unrelated theatres at approximately the same location)
Tremont Street, south to north:
Wang (opened as Metropolitan, later Music Hall) Majestic (was called Saxon for a while) Astor (opened as Tremont) Beacon Hill (opened as Beacon)
Colonial
Shubert – never a movie theatre so not listed here
Plymouth is listed here as Gary,the name it had when it closed Majestic Boston Opera House on Huntington Ave (not to be confused with the current Opera House on Washington St)
The Wang Theatre is now officially ‘Citi Wang’, a name I dislike. I prefer to keep it named after An Wang, the local businessman who gave money to repair it keep it running back in the 1980s.
Glad to hear that. Columbus actually has a pretty good record in saving historic theatres — the Ohio, Palace, Southern, Pythian (in the King Arts Complex) and now the Lincoln.
“For consumers, the latest ownership change is unlikely to have a significant impact on the programming or ambiance of the three venues. Law said he does not anticipate making significant renovations to any of the facilities.”
The Boston Globe and Boston Herald websites both report that Live Nation has sold the Orpheum, the Opera House, and the Paradise Rock Club (in Allston) to the newly organized Boston Opera House Ventures LLC , owned by Don Law and David Mugar. Law is president of Live Nation New England, but his new company will operate separately from Live Nation, according to the Herald.
The Boston Globe and Boston Herald websites both report that Live Nation has sold the Orpheum, the Opera House, and the Paradise Rock Club (in Allston) to the newly organized Boston Opera House Ventures LLC , owned by Don Law and David Mugar. Law is president of Live Nation New England, but his new company will operate separately from Live Nation, according to the Herald.
I hope Don Law and David Mugar invest some money into fixing up the Orpheum. Its current condition should make them embarrassed to own it.
The marquee advertises Prom Night and the sign at street level advertises Oh God! Book II with George Burns. Both movies indeed came out in 1980, according to IMDB.com .
Since there are only two movie theatres in Boston, and this is the larger one (with 19 screens, vs. 13 at Regal Fenway 13), I’d guess that it is also the ‘busier’ one.
No, definitely not. I’m not immediately recognizing the location in this photo, and question whether it is actually in Boston.
You’ll want to visit the newly reopened Lincoln Theatre in Columbus. For earlier restorations in Columbus, check out the Ohio, Palace, and Southern theatres (all downtown).
I walked by this site today. The building truly is totally demolished. A sign on the temporary wooden wall between the street and sidewalk tells people to visit http://www.suffolk.edu/moderntheatre for more information.
The Celebrity Series of Boston has scheduled several events for the Paramount in March and April 2010:
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester – A Night in Berlin – March 6
Black Grace Dance Company March 12-14
Dee Dee Bridgewater – Lady Day March 27-28
Maya Beiser, cello – World To Come April 23
Danish Dance Theater April 27-28
Here’s the Chevalier Theatre website. To my knowledge, it has been used only for live stage shows. If a movie is ever shown there, we can even add it to CinemaTreasures.
Thanks for the street address. Now, is ‘Closed/Demolished’ accurate? When I look at this location with Google Street View I see a building that looks like it might once have been a theatre.
The marquee in the 1986 photo reads CLOSED DUE TO FIRE. To the left of the theatre and downstairs was a Videosmith store, which I think was damaged but did reopen for a while. Further left is Chi-Chi’s restaurant, which I think replaced The Restaurant At The Orson Welles. It too was damaged in the fire and I don’t think it ever reopened.
Responding to Ron Salters: The Strand was turned into a burlesque bar in the 1930s and was no longer a movie theatre in 1950. The Casino and Old Howard were primarily live burlesque theatres, showing movies only as an incidental sideline. The Scollay Square Olympia closed in December 1950.
All of the Boston movie theatres that Alvin mentioned are listed here at CinemaTreasures, but not always under the names Alvin gave in his post.
Washington Street, east side, south to north:
Stuart (called Pussycat when it closed)
Center (called Pagoda when it closed)
Pilgrim (opened as Washington St. Olympia)
RKO Boston (later called Boston Cinerama, then Essex, then Star Cinema when it finally closed)
Washington Street, west side, south to north:
Publix (opened as Gaiety)
Trans-Lux is listed here as State, the name it had when it closed (opened as Park)
Paramount
Laffmovie is listed here as B.F. Keith’s Theatre, the name it had when it opened
RKO Keith Memorial is listed here as Opera House, its current name (was also called Savoy for a while)
Modern (aka Mayflower)
Orpheum
Old South (this was actually the name of two different and unrelated theatres at approximately the same location)
Tremont Street, south to north:
Wang (opened as Metropolitan, later Music Hall)
Majestic (was called Saxon for a while)
Astor (opened as Tremont)
Beacon Hill (opened as Beacon)
‘Outlying’ houses, east to west:
Telepix is listed here as Park Square, the name it had when it closed
Exeter Street
Fenway is listed here as Berklee Performance Center, its current name
Loew’s State
Esquire is listed here as Boston University Theatre, its current name (but this was never a Sack theatre, to my knowledge)
Kenmore (the original) and Kenmore Square (the replacement)
Alvin’s list of legit stage houses:
Colonial
Shubert – never a movie theatre so not listed here
Plymouth is listed here as Gary,the name it had when it closed
Majestic
Boston Opera House on Huntington Ave (not to be confused with the current Opera House on Washington St)
The Wang Theatre is now officially ‘Citi Wang’, a name I dislike. I prefer to keep it named after An Wang, the local businessman who gave money to repair it keep it running back in the 1980s.
The marquee in that photo advertises what appears to be a triple-bill concert on October 24, which was a Thursday in 1968:
KAREN WYMAN
HOLIDAYS
MICKEY FREEMAN
but I don’t know anything about these performers. Do any of you?
While the big vertical sign says ORPHEUM, a small sign to the left of and below the marquee says ‘aquarius’.
To the right of the theatre entrance is a store called “I.J. Fox”. To the left is Gilchrist’s Department Store.
Slight correction: the Paris theatre in Boston was turned into a Walgreens.
Glad to hear that. Columbus actually has a pretty good record in saving historic theatres — the Ohio, Palace, Southern, Pythian (in the King Arts Complex) and now the Lincoln.
Memorial Day weekend is coming up soon. Is the grand opening still scheduled for then?
Has this theatre reopened yet?
I’d say yes, if it once again operates as a theatre and keeps the same name.
Whereas today’s Boston Globe article says:
“For consumers, the latest ownership change is unlikely to have a significant impact on the programming or ambiance of the three venues. Law said he does not anticipate making significant renovations to any of the facilities.”
Who to believe here?
I’m sorry to read this. If the story is online, can you link to it? Thanks.
Anyone have a full street address for this one?
The Boston Globe and Boston Herald websites both report that Live Nation has sold the Orpheum, the Opera House, and the Paradise Rock Club (in Allston) to the newly organized Boston Opera House Ventures LLC , owned by Don Law and David Mugar. Law is president of Live Nation New England, but his new company will operate separately from Live Nation, according to the Herald.
The Boston Globe and Boston Herald websites both report that Live Nation has sold the Orpheum, the Opera House, and the Paradise Rock Club (in Allston) to the newly organized Boston Opera House Ventures LLC , owned by Don Law and David Mugar. Law is president of Live Nation New England, but his new company will operate separately from Live Nation, according to the Herald.
I hope Don Law and David Mugar invest some money into fixing up the Orpheum. Its current condition should make them embarrassed to own it.
Assuming this happens, this will be one of the very few times that we get to change a theatre’s status from “Closed/Demolished” back to “Open”.
The marquee advertises Prom Night and the sign at street level advertises Oh God! Book II with George Burns. Both movies indeed came out in 1980, according to IMDB.com .
Since there are only two movie theatres in Boston, and this is the larger one (with 19 screens, vs. 13 at Regal Fenway 13), I’d guess that it is also the ‘busier’ one.
The Broadway musical “Ain’t Misbehavin'” comes to the Strand for a three-day run starting tomorrow, starring 2003 American Idol Winner Ruben Studdard. Today’s Boston Globe has a long article on the show and the theatre’s recent restoration.