Wollaston Theatre
14 Beale Street,
Quincy,
MA
02170
14 Beale Street,
Quincy,
MA
02170
13 people
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Showing 126 - 150 of 165 comments
The City of Quincy conducted an extensive Historical and Architectural Survey in 1986.
It includes this photo, which shows the marquee advertising “Jour of Natty Gann”, “Family Adventure”, and “Nitemare Elm St 2”. I cannot find the second film in the Internet Movie Database, but the other two came out in 1985.
This page has the Survey’s detailed description of the theatre and its surroundings. I’ll quote briefly from it:
“The Wollaston Theatre is a well-loved aspect of Wollaston community life and every effort should be made to insure its preservation. It was built as a 1259-seat legitimate theatre at a cost of $90,000 in 1926. The original owner was W. W. Wilson, a Wollaston realtor, but he sold it to the well-known contractor Edward H. Sears, who had actually built the building, by 1932. The architect for the building is listed as "James Tucker” which may be James A. Tuck of Boston. In between 1930 and 1935, the structure was converted to a movie theatre. In an amazing example of longevity of ownership, the Sears retained the theatre until 1977 when they sold it to the present owner, Arthur Chandler."
Follow the link to read more.
617-773-4600 has been “temporarily disconnected”.
If anyone passes by the theatre, could you report on what it now looks like? Does it have any signs, are the windows boarded up, etc.
Ian,
You are right on. Surely, any profits made from second-run flicks or “dollar nights” would not even begin to cover the costs of an extensive renovation. If there are indeed severe structural issues, then this is a different story entirely. It is obvious that Mr. Chandler does not have the resources available to make this a viable venue once again, so we can only hope for another solution!
I have heard from credible sources that there are severe structural problems with the back wall of this theater – meaning any renovation/reuse would be very cost prohibitive. I doubt that there is much money to be made in second run movies at this location; the best bet would be if a donor or community group tried to save the theater.
I last visited the Wollaston in 2002. Yes, the paint was peeling off the walls and ceiling and the place smelled of mold. But, I recall it being exactly the same way in the 80’s as I was growing up. The side rows of seats have been roped off for years. The bottom line is, the Wollaston will need much work to rehab the interior, but it really hasn’t deteriorated much (at least to the naked eye) in the past 20 years or so. It is my opinion that the Wollaston is not nearly a “lost cause”. Fixing the roof and doing some cosmetic work would probably go a long way. The place hasn’t seen a new coat of paint in the past 25 years, at least.
A photo from early 2004:
View link
My friends and I spent many Friday nights at the Wollaston theater and I have a lot of fond memories of it.
The last time I viewed a movie there was probably some time in the 1980’s and it was a less then pleasent experience. The paint was peeling from the walls, a whole bunch of seats were either missing or blocked off and the whole building smelled of mold and mildew from the leaky ceiling.
It’s a shame that it is in the state that it’s in, but I can’t believe that it would be cost effective to renovate it. The only hope for the theater is if some rich patron comes along and restores it as a labor of love.
http:\www.carnali.com
If you call the theatre’s answering machine at 617-773-4600, you will hear this message:
“We’re still working on what has to be done. We’re hoping to reopen soon and we thank you for checking on us. Thank you.”
The message hasn’t changed in months.
Ron: I had no idea that the loan Mr Chandler received to fix the marquee didn’t have to be repayed, not that its any of my business. But, Mr. Chandler’s other excuse for not fixing the marquee in the first place was because “it was costing so much to renovate the inside” Makes no sense to me. At the moment the only decent part of the theater IS the marquee, the rest of the front is still a mess, including the movie poster for “ELF” which has been up for ever.
I looked up the Wollaston Theatre on the Quincy Patriot Ledger’s web site, and found these articles:
Juen 10, 2003: Owner Arthur Chandler said yesterday that fixing a leaking roof is a slow process, and said he didn’t have a timeline for the theater’s opening. “We’re still trying to make headway,” Chandler said. (Most of this article is actually about the reopening of the Flagship Cinemas.)
August 12, 2002: “Just the ticket: THEY LOVE The Wolly”. The article describes the joys of visiting this theatre on dollar nights, complete with 10-cent coffees, 55-cent popcorn, and 60-cent candy bars. But it also points out the lack of air-conditioning as well as “the rows of roped off seats, leaky ceiling patches and peeling paint”.
September 27, 2000: Mazel Tov also to the same players n and other politicians n who’ve transformed Wollaston Center and Quincy Center from near seedy to near beautiful in recent years. They’ve creatively used block grants, private donations and even outright giveaways such as last year’s “non-repayable loan” for $60,000 to Wollaston Theater owner Arthur Chandler n to successfully spur business owners to spruce-up their properties.
Whoa, taking my comments way too personally.
I never said I personally knew Mr. Chandler, nor do I know what his financial situation is, however, he does OWN the entire block that the theater is located on. He also didn’t have a problem getting a low interest LOAN to repair the marquee.
Furthermore, I assumed this site was for opinions, which mine was. I do not appreciate your “tone” I never said I knew what Mr Chandler’s intentions were or are, but yes it is “a shame” that he continues to lie to whomever questions him about the status of the theater. If you were to meet him outside the theater today HE would tell you that he is in the process of doing renovations.
Only the exterior of the Wollaston is a listed as historically significant – not the interior, so loans for the interior may not be available, and if they are, they are still LOANS and loans cost money. Either way, I’ve heard the building has major structural issues that would take a great deal of money to repair.
Renovating a theater is not as simple as some people may think it is. It is a huge and expensive undertaking that does not always pay off financially. Once the theater is open, business needs to meet certain levels, and you have to have a good film booker to know what will play well.
Criticize the owner all you want, but he probably doesn’t have the money to renovate and yet doesn’t want to give up the theater either. People have no idea what variables there are in situations like this; you can say ‘what a shame’ or ‘why don’t they do something about it’ but you can’t really know the circumstances unless you are the owner.
I believe that the Wollaston is an historical site, therefore they should be able to get low interest loans in order to fix the inside, as I’ve stated before Mr. Chandler has been saying for years that he is in fact fixing the inside, which of course is not true. Its really a shame because there are several elderly housing complexes in the area and the seniors enjoyed going to a local theater, since many of them do not drive.
As for the Flagship Cinema in Quincy Center, yes the do only charge $2.50 but the movies that are shown are already out on dvd. So although it is cheaper to pay $2.50 then to rent the dvd I would still rather view the movie in my own home if it is out on dvd. I haven’t been to a movie there recently but my son has and he says the inside is disgusting.
The owner refused for years to raise prices — well into the 1990s you could still see a movie here on a Monday night for $1. Concessions were cheap too. While I’m sure the audience loved the low prices, the owner would have done better to raise them and invest in keeping the place in good repair.
By the way, the Flagship Cinemas in Quincy Center last month changed their ticket price to $2.50 at all times. But they still don’t advertise in the Globe, so who’s going to know about it? I hope they know what they’re doing, but it looks like a desperate move to me.
The one and only time when I visited this venue was in 2002. The building is in poor condition and I’m almost surprised that they hadn’t lost their public occupancy permit. The ceiling was disintegrating badly and sections of seats were roped off as a result. The interior is “nice,” but nothing special. No huge chandelier, no ornate plaster work. The staff were somewhat rude and the presentation was fair (for example, house lights were switched off and not dimmed). I was somewhat disappointed. At the time, they were still running carbon arc—as far as I know, they were the only theatre in the Boston area that hadn’t converted to xenon. Unfortunately, I did not get a look at the booth.
It’s the sort of venue that probably has “potential” to be successful, but the building is likely so far gone that it would be tremendously expensive to salvage it and, thus, probably not worthwhile. Very sad.
Microfilmed newspapers would be the best bet — look for Summer ‘50 for a sure bet.
There was a Quintree Drive-In in Braintree before General Cinema’s South Shore Twin Drive In. The question remains, where was it located? Locals may want to check the old telephone books or microfilm at the Library.
The “Art” was the “Art” and was located on Hancock Street, close to City Hall and diagonally across from the historic Unitarian Church. The design was Art Deco. I saw “The Prince of Foxes” there in January ‘50, whence I associate it with 20C-Fox films (theaters in those days were wedded to particular studios). At the Strand in Summer '50 I saw “The Flame and the Arrow,” whence I link it to Warner Bros. Both films initiated me to Renaissance Italy, an awful thing to have done. The Strand had a Palladian design. The theater that you call the Regent might very well have been the one I called the Capitol. It was located near St. John the Baptist RC Church and was designed in streamlined Beaux Arts. I remember seeing the sepia-tinted “Lust for Gold” there in Summer '49. My staggering recall for such details might be a curse, but sites like this can put different generations in touch with a common cultural history. Quincyites ought to get these theaters listed on this site.
Box Office Bill- You sure have a great memory! The outdoor theater that you are thinking of was probably the one that was located off the present 93/3, I believe it was called the South Shore Drive In (though it could have had a different name before that). One screen is actually still standing, and is very close to Route 37. I was curious about the name “Quintree Drive-In”, because I read something at one time that said there was a drive-in on Quincy Avenue, Route 53 called the Quin-tree. I have never seen any reference to it anywhere else, so I’m not sure where that one was…..Anyway, as I am in my 30’s, I missed the era of great movie houses in Quincy, but I do remember the Strand. I went there as a young child and I think it was torn down in the early to mid 80’s. I have also done a little research and found out there was also a Regent Theater on Hancock Street in North Quincy. I’m not sure how long that one was around, but it was built at the same time as the Wollaston, about 1925-26. I also know there was a Quincy Theater in Quincy Square on Hancock Street, is this the “Art” theater that you remember? I’ve never heard of the Capitol theater…was that on Quincy Ave?
mb848—It was likely on route 37. The years were ‘49-'50 and I was seven to eight years old, a pint-sized nut about movies who more than a half-century later still has disturbingly vivid and usually accurate memories about the circumstances I saw them in. I remember seeing two films at the Braintree: “The Loves of Carmen” and “The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady,” likely in the summers of '49 and '50 respectively. I’m sorry I can’t be more precise about the location: I clearly recall that it was on a major highway between Quincy and Braintree in the days before the present route 93/3. Is it possible that route 3 has been modernized from an older thoroughfare that might have been accessed the drive-in? or that the drive-in was located further east on route 53 in East Braintree? I’ve named a few indoor theaters in Quincy (i’m less sure about the Publix than the others, but it was a theater on Washington Street that showed Paramount films where I saw “Fancy Pants”), and am curious about their fates. I grew up in Brooklyn NY and visited my transplanted aunt several times during that period. During my college years in the early '60s, I passed through the area because some friends lived nearby. At that time, Quincy seemed the same as it had been a decade earlier. On more recent work-related trips there, I’ve encountered great changes.
Box Office Bill, I am a resident of East Braintree and am surprised to find out that a drive-in was located here. Where exactly was the Quintree Drive-in? Was it located where the former Quintree Mall and current Quirk car dealership is?
As I stated before Mr. Chandler owns almost the entire block of stores where the Wollaston Theater is located, since the day he purchased the theater he hasn’t done one bit of work on it except for the marquee which the Business Association insisted upon. If anyone is lucky enough to catch Mr. Chandler in the Wollaston area and inquires about the theater reopening his answer is always the same, it will open when the renovations are done, which I suppose is true, but since no renovations are being done at this time it is going to be a long time before it reopens. Since I was a child my one dream has been to buy that theater and reopen it, but I have never had the funds needed for such a project.
In the early 1990s, Garen Daly (formerly of the Somerville, and later of the Dedham Community Theatre) brought a few live music shows to the Wollaston.
But he didn’t keep it up for very long, and I recall him telling me that the physical condition of the theatre was a big reason that he stopped.
Sorry— the Drive-In was aptly named the “Quintree.”