Senator Theatre
5904 York Road,
Baltimore,
MD
21212
5904 York Road,
Baltimore,
MD
21212
55 people
favorited this theater
Showing 151 - 175 of 180 comments
Good to hear …made a donation for there fundraiser because it look so great……so few left……
longislandmovies-the Senator had a successful four week run of “300”,from March 9 to April 5, then moved it to it’s sister theatre-the Rotunda Cinematheque, for two more weeks. This is an awesome theatre, and the last of it’s kind for our area here in Baltimore- a city that only possesses two other movie theaters in it’s central limits- the above mentioned Rotunda and the Charles.
This week, for a few more days, the Senator is featuring the restored 1964 epic “Becket”
I’d love to see more classic films shown at this classic, and class act Art Deco gem!
love to know how this theater did with ‘300"
All,
Thank you to all who donated to help save the Senator from auction. The goal was to preserve the Senator as the last single screen, first run movie house in the region.
This week, the Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) “voted unanimously… to recommend to the City Council that the 67-year-old Art Deco building be designated a landmark.
The commission voted also to write a letter to the City Council urging it to support the Senator’s continued existence as a first-run movie theater. The Senator is the last single-screen movie house in Baltimore, which once had more than 175."
Hopefully, the Landmark status will prove beneficial for the Senator, by opening it up for grants to offset maintainence costs of the historical structure.
The theatre also plans to improve its business position by including creative and unique programming offerings. There are many interesting propositions already posted to the Senator Theatre’s on-line Forum (www.Senator.com).
Combined with the Landmark status, fans of the theatre hope that it can overcome the challenges brought on by multiplexes and local art-movie houses, to remain a premier first-run theatre.
The full text of a Baltimore Sun article on the CHAP hearing is available at:
View link
The THX Historic thing never went to fruition at the Senator
This theatre is also featured in an episode fom the 7th season of the TV series “Homicide, Life On The Street” On the show, a patron is found dead in the Senator.The investigation reveals that the murdered man was a regular at the theatre, who liked to yell back at the screen, telling how the movies end. (Rosebud was a sled. he had it when he was a kid) The theatre manager tries to sedate him into being quiet with barbituate flavored popcorn butter. When this doesn’t work, he ups the dosage, and the patron dies. Had this fictional theatre manager been tried by a jury of CT members I am sure he would have been acquitted.
Although the Senator Theatre’s structure is old, the technology employed inside is state-of-the art. The combination results in one of the most astounding movie going experiences on America’s East Coast.
The Senator Theater was completely restored several years ago. The 900 seat Senator Theatre now boasts a massive 40 ft Hurley screen, state of the art projection systems, and Dolby Digital surround sound. In July of 2003, it became the first venue to complete the “Historic Cinema Certification Program” offered by THX Ltd. The sound system was certified by THX itself.
Today, the Senator Theatre mainly showcases first run movies. It is also able to screen classic films in 35mm or 70mm.
The snack bar offers traditional movie house snacks, and real, freshly popped, hot buttered popcorn.
The August, 5, 2005 edition of Entertainment Weekly Magazine named the Senator one of “ 10 Theaters doing it right… movie houses that make watching films a dream”.
On September 29th, 2003, USA Today named the Senator Theatre in Baltimore as #4 in a nationwide list of “Places to see a classic cinema”.
This theatre is truly a gem and she deserves to live on.
Donations are now being accepted in campaign to save historic Senator Theatre, in Baltimore, MD.
If you love this historic theatre as much as I do, please consider helping out. Please e-mail friends and neighbors to join the cause.
Donations to the theatre (Limelight Inc) can be made through Pay Pal, via the Senator’s website http://www.senator.com/
S.O.S.
ONLY DAYS REMAIN TO
“SAVE OUR SENATOR!"
1939 – 200?
This is more than another single screen theatre.
There are slabs on the sidewalk with pictures and signatures from tall the movies that premeried here.
You can see the theatre in the Trolley crash seen in the movie Avalon.
Speaking of, Barry Levinson always screens here as he is from Baltimore.
We should NOT lose this place!
Barry.. can you help!?
If this theater is sold, they should make it a stage theater ala Radio City Music Hall!!!
not almost paid off ………………they are behind $90.000. on a million dollar mortgage………..
Really a nice looking building! I almost like the facade on this one as much as the Norwalk Theatre in Ohio. Love the curved marquee. Really nice! Believe it or not the only thing I DON’T like is the name. One solution would be to remove the S and the R and you would have ENATO. Now THAT sounds much better. Yet I do have my reservations about altering a piece of history.
So they almost have this building paid off then, huh? Curious to see what this one will sell for.
Another curious feature is the two box seats as opposed to a balcony. Why only two? I would figure you should be able to get more up there unless they use that area for office and storage. Pretty cool idea though.
Geo
Please Help Save Her.
The Senator Theater is to be sold at a foreclosure auction Feb. 21.
She is a wonderful, magnificent beauty that deserves to live on. Many of us have sworn off multiplexes in her favor.
The story was just posted in the Baltimore Sun newspaper on 2-6-07.
The Senator’s owner, acknowledged yesterday that the theater owes $90,000 on a $1.2 million mortgage.
Please visit www.Senator.com for more info.
We just drove 45 miles to see this year’s best film, The Illusionist, at the Senator Theater rather than the local multiplex. Happy to report the Senator is alive and well, and is a great place for grown-ups or anyone else to enjoy a movie. Happy also to report there were plenty of moviegoers at the normally slow 5:30 show, lots more going in for the 8:00 PM.
We cheat ourselves so much by allowing trash-atmosphere multiplexes, with their video games and awful surroundings to be the place where we see our movies.
RE: “This theatre can be seen right before the "Trolley Car Accident” sequence in the movie “Avalon”. The kids with the mothr come out of the theatre, and you get a great big shot of thr marquee as a trolley car careens out of control from down the side street (which is where I usually park)."
They set up a fake set accorss the street that posed as a gas station."
Mike, the streetcar accident in Avalon was filmed in two locations and made to appear that it was one. As you mention, the streetcar did come down Rosebank Avenue, next to the Senator and as it turned, it derailed and careened into the filling station across the street. Across the street was actually filmed in Canton area of Baltimore City on a set built to look like a filling station. The streetcar was actually a 1:1 mockup of one of the streetcars at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum (www.baltimorestreetcar.org) built by Levinson’s production company. For the record, trolleys never travelled down the side street, but rather on York Road in front of the Senator on the #8 streetcar line. The City of Baltimore, in its infinite stupidity, refused to allow the closing of York Road to properly film the scene as it should have occured.
I was involved with both the Avalon and Liberty Heights (its sequel) filming
This page has some interesting photos:
http://www.agilitynut.com/theatres/md.html
The Senator Theatre was renovated back in 1999 in time for the release of Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace. It went through a full Art Deco style restoration of the Lobby and Theatre area, including the installation of a new sound system and screen. It still plays first run movies and classic films from 35mm to 70mm and hosts premiers for films shot in Baltimore. The Senator still remains the best place in Baltimore and MD in my opinion to see movies and it’s always the hot spot for Star Wars. As I’ve heard some of the money given to restore the theatre back in 1999 came from George Lucas himself.
More photos:
http://www.kilduffs.com/SAA.html
Also, love the curved marquee!
And I believe the Senator is featured in Popcorn Palaces.
Beautiful art deco design and the photo with King Kong above the marquee during the showing of that movie was a great promotional idea! “……is also considered one of the most endangered theaters in the country.” Why is this?
Color photo at this link:
View link
The Senator is featured on page 81 in Popcorn Palaces.
There were plans to add two additional smaller theatres and a restaurant to the Senator but they never came to fruition. Instead, the owner of the Senator, Kiefaber, bought the Rotunda Twin Theatres located in a shopping center at nearby Guilford in the northern part of Baltimore city. A few years ago The Sun reported he had financial problems and was deep in a few months debt. But the Senator theatre is still here. Even though I live in Columbia I still enjoy going to the theatre. It’s not stadium seats and 200 screens but it’s still far more enjoyable than the multiplex theatres.