Publix Theatre
659-65 Washington Street,
Boston,
MA
02201
659-65 Washington Street,
Boston,
MA
02201
12 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 203 comments
Articles about the zoning hearing, and first-person accounts of it, are being posted as comments on this thread.
Ron: Thanks for these great photos—a real study in urban history. Dwodeyla: I recall seeing the National Screen Service building when I made a pilgrimmage to look for the plaque for the Cocoanut Grove. It’s an interesting, isolated, slightly off-beat section of the city which has avoided getting demolished for high rises…so far.
Yes, the parking garage south west corner has a plaque.
I believe that the Radisson Hotel (originally Howard Johnson’s 57 Park Plaza) and the Stuart Street Playhouse (originally Sack Cinema 57) now stand on, or at least near, the former site of the Cocoanut Grove.
Thanks for finding and linking all of the excellent photos, Ron. I started
exploring the site, and found a nice photo of National Screen Service which used to provide us with posters, stills, and pressbooks. I remember placing orders with Ann Morton who worked there for many years.
View link
as you look at the building, take a left onto Peidmont St and you are on the site of the Cocoanut Grove. I believe it’s now a corner of a parking garage.
Another 1947 Victory Theatre photo, described here. The marquee advertises “Call of the Jungle” and “Dynamite”.
The same theatre in 1947, but this time the vertical sign and marquee read “VICTORY” instead of “Gayety” or “Publix”. Photo is described here.
Yet another Publix Theatre photo, this one from 1954 and described here. The marquee advertises Randolph Scott in “A Stranger With A Gun”, and Abbott and Costello in “Africa Screams”. I believe the side of the marquee facing the street has an “E.M. Loew’s” logo on top.
And here’s anothr photo of Washington Street, looking south from Boylston, taken June 3, 1934 and described here.
The Gayety Theatre vertical sign and marquee are visible on the right side of the street. On the left, you can just barely see part of a vertical sign that says OLYMPIA. That sign belongs to what was later renamed the Pilgrim Theatre.
Thanks for these photos. I’d forgot what Washington Street looked like then.
The Publix Theatre marquee is visible in this July 1972 photo from the Bostonian Society Library, described here. The marquee advertises a double feature of “Pretty Maids All In A Row” and “Sweet Nov”. In the top background, the word “GAYETY” is faintly visible, painted on an exposed brick wall.
To the left of the Publix, a storefront appears to have been crudely converted into the “Cinema X Twin”, with “Cinema 1” and “Cinema 2” marquees.
Here’s a second photo, taken at the same time from a different angle. (Description here.) This one shows more of the faded painted signs on the theatre’s side wall. You can see the words GAYETY, BURLESQUE, TWICE DAILY 2:10 and 8:10, and even COLUMBIA — not sure what that’s doing here.
Ron: Woops, sorry. I failed to see that the word “here” in your message above is in blue and a clickable link.
I found this article from the Globe,
and this from the Herald
It all sounds somewhat less than encouraging.
I could not attend yesterday’s hearing, but I’ve posted articles about it here, from today’s Boston Globe and Boston Herald. I expect to see another article in tomorrow’s weekly Boston Phoenix.
Gaiety Theatre Friends
For Immediate Release March 28, 2005
The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) will hold a hearing on appeals challenging the issuance of a demolition permit for Bostonâ€\s historic Gaiety Theatre.
Two Boston City Councilors, Felix Arroyo and Chuck Turner, and the Asian American Resource Workshop are the appellants.
The hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 29, at noon, in Boston City Hall Room 801.
The public and press are invited to witness and/or participate in this hearing. Â Please plan to come and demonstrate your support. While spoken testimony will be limited, everyone who attends will learn about the issues and receive photos of the theatre. Â All interested parties should submit written comments to the ZBA, at the hearing or in advance by fax 617-635-2918.
Possible outcomes include reversing the demolition permit, or mandating a replacement or substantial renovation to another existing theatre.
Members of the Appellants Groups will meet with the Press after the hearing.
More information about The Gaiety:
http://gaietyboston.com
Contacts:
Lee Eiseman, 617-241-7848 or Shirley Kressel, 617-421-0835
SUMMARY OF LEGAL ISSSUES
Boston Zoning Board of Appeal regarding appeals to reverse the Inspectional Services Department demolition permit # 1965 issued for the Gaiety Theatre, 659-665 Washington Street, Ward 3, BZC # 25978 & 25989 (3/29/05).
ISD should not have issued the demolition permit because the Zoning Board of Appeal has not made the findings required in Boston Zoning Code Article 38-21.2.  Article 38-21.2 prohibits Change of Use or Occupancy of any theatre in the Midtown Cultural District without specific ZBA findings that the change will not ³unduly diminish the historic character of the Midtown Cultural District as a cultural, entertainment, and theatrical showcase.² The ZBA has not yet reviewed this issue nor made these findings. Nor has any court ruled on any of the issues here presented, although Massachusetts Land Court ruled that certain appellants lacked standing to sue in that venue to prevent demolition.
The developer acknowledges that the project is subject to Article 38-21.2 but seeks to avoid the Article¹s theatre protection provisions by asserting that the Gaiety is not legally a theatre.  However, this is refuted by ISD¹s own records, including the demolition permit itself, which classify the Gaiety as a theatre.  History and common sense also contradict this claim. Â
When ISD issued the demolition permit, it reportedly assumed that the project¹s designation as a Planned Development Area overrides all zoning, including Article 38-21.2.  However, Article 80C-9 of the Zoning Code, which allows the creation of PDAs, states: ³Nothing in this Article shall be construed to limit the power of the Board of Appeal to grant Zoning Relief for Proposed Projects in Planned Development Areas…² Â
If ISD issued the demolition permit in violation of the Boston Zoning Code, the ZBA must reverse it. Â If the ZBA subsequently decides to grant a Change of Use or Occupancy after considering evidence regarding the criteria set forth in Article 38-21.2, the code requires that the developer build a replacement theater or rehabilitate an existing theater.
An alternative development proposal preserving the Theatre would provide more construction jobs, more permanent jobs, and more economic development (related businesses, jobs and customers) than the current proposal, and would bring residents and tourists to the area to make a vibrant 24-hour neighborhood.  The revitalized Gaiety Theatre could become an economic engine that is part of the city¹s ³creative economy.²
When I walked by the Gayety this afternoon, I saw no signs of any demolition activity. The exterior of the building appears untouched, though it is very obviously being prepared for demolition.
However, I talked to the operator of the parking lot on Lagrange Street, and he told me that the street had been blocked off yesterday by the demolition contractors. He expects them to return tomorrow and close the street again. Two buildings are to be demolished — the Gaiety Theater, and another structure on Lagrange that has signs reading “Club New Orleans” and “Good Times”.
This I don’t know. I remember that he opposed demolishing the Pilgrim Theatre ten years ago — mainly because the owner at the time had no development plan at the time and was going to put in a parking lot.
Ron: In your research, did you note if the Globe architecture critic, Robert Campbell, ever weighed in on this subject? He should have, if he did not. Tom
I don’t see anything in today’s paper, but I’ll keep looking. When I walked by the building yesterday afternoon, it was not yet obvious to me that demolition had begun.
Ron: A very dark day for the City of Boston. Has the Globe noted the theater’s demise? Tom
The very latest from Lee Eiseman:
At 9:20 this morning, after a brief staging process on Lagrange Street, the wrecking ball began the final demolition of the Gaiety Theatre.
Â
The appeal in the Zoning Board of Appeal and the cases in Massachusetts Land Court will nevertheless proceed. Whether Kensington Investments and the City of Boston will make reparations for their offenses remains to be decided.
lostmemory: Thanks for these comments. It brings out again the Gayety/Publix paradox: a first rate auditorium hidden in a building dominated by small business rentals. Interesting the relatively recent variance for the food store. Ironically, if the theater survives, having that retail/office rental space would be good source of income and encourage smaller businesses that would serve the area. This is what city planners should encourage.
Ron: Thanks for this update. Will this pending appeal prevent demolition until March 29 or when the ZBA makes their decision, whichever comes later (I hope)?
The latest from Lee Eiseman of Gaiety Theatre Friends:
The Zoning Board of Appeal of The City of Boston has scheduled a hearing as to whether the demolition permit issued by Boston Inspectional Services for The Gaiety Theatre is legal. The hearing is being held upon the appeals of City Councilors, Felix Arroyo and Chuck Turner as well as the Asian American Resource Workshop.
While this action may not be successful in preventing the demolition of the the Gaiety, it will lay critical groundwork for future lawsuits on the question of whether significant reparations will be required. Article 38-21.2 of Boston Zoning code provides for the replacement of any theater demolished within the Midtown Cultural District. IT’S CRITICAL TO ESTABLISH TO ADDRESS THE ZBA THAT 38-21.2 CRITERIA FINDS THAT IT IS STILL A THEATRE AND ITS LOSS WOULD HURT THE CULTURAL DISTRICT.Â
We have to line up testifiers to address each element in Article 38-21.2 about what theatres are worth saving, and we have to cite Article 80C.9, “Nothing in this Article shall limit the power of the ZBA to grant exceptions….”
Please plan to come prepared to testify on March 29 at 12:30 in room 801 at Boston City Hall.
Ron: You make good points. Also, from what I could see, it lacked much of a lobby. It was the auditorium itself that made it worth saving—acoustics, sight lines, overall architecture—and that was a tougher sell. No one had been inside for a couple decades. Your excellent research is telling about its years as a movie house that was below the radar.