The Lechmere Theatre in Cambridge was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project, but no one filled out the form, so there is no info. There is an undated photo taken from across the street. The theatre occupied a free-standing building 3 stories high, with a center entrance. Above is a small triangle marquee with a ticket booth centered below. There are poster cases along the wall on either side of the entrance, and to the right of the building is what appears to be a fence with the theatre’s name printed in large letters on it.
I’ve heard that the plans have undergone changes. The other 2/3 or ¾ of the building site could be used for facilities such as studios, workshops, classrooms, small “black-box” theater, movie screening room, etc. Emerson teaches Theatre, Cinema, Radio-TV; maybe journalism, public relations, advertising, too? Years ago, I know that Speech Therapy was taught there also. And they are building a branch campus on a parcel of land on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.
All is not quite lost, after all. I was contacted this morning by someone who told me that when the Paramount Center is finished, there will be a theater inside about one-third the size of the original which will have decorative elements suggestive of the original Paramount interior and which will complement the Deco facade outside.
Being a member of the senior set, I can attest to the fact that there were indeed “pests” at the movies in the 1940s and 50s, but because the theatres were so much larger one was not aware of them that much. Just one example from circa late-50s: at a “Nabe” in the South End of Boston there was the “Laughing Lady”, a person who burst out laughing at inappropriate moments in the movie. If someone was being chased by the Bad Guys, or attacked, she would laugh her fool head off. In addition to movie pests, there was also “Road Rage” back in those days. But today, there are far more “crazies” running around in public, and huge armies of selfish and self-absorbed people. So I can see why today there are people who “love movies, but hate going”. BTW, I liked “The Bank Job” also; saw it at the Cameo Th., South Weymouth MA. It held my attention: no fidgeting, no yawning, no dozing off.
I visited the site today to see for myself. I went around back to Mason St. They demolished the rear of the theater, from a point just forward of the balcony front. You can see the outline of the big balcony along the south interior wall. There is nothing left of any decoration in what’s left of the auditorium – it has been stripped down to the brick walls. There was someone working up within the roof either welding or grinding metal. There were periodic showers of sparks coming down. The orchestra floor is also completely gone.
I visited the site today, both the rear (Mason St.) and the front, where there is a handy little window on the sidewalk for interested passersby. Everything is gone except for the facade. For the past many years it has been possible to see the outline of the sloping balcony of the Bijou on the south sidewall of the Opera House. Because of the demolition, you can now also see the sloping outline of the orchestra floor. As the new building progresses upward, these 2 outlines will no longer be visible.
Like brucec I’m also disappointed. I didn’t think that Emerson would completely wreck the historic Bijou building between the Opera House and the Paramount, and then demolish the rear half of the Paramount after gutting out the interior. Except for the facades of the two buildings, there is nothing left. So much for “historic preservation”.
The Braden now has 3 screens with a total of 473 seats and reopened on March 1, 2008, according to an article in the “University Times”, published by the Univ. of Maine at Presque Isle.
Closing day was Thursday April 10, 2008. TV news coverage showed the 71-year-old projectionist, who had been there since Day One, in the booth. Ticket prices were rolled back to $2.50 for all shows which included the 1971 flick “The Last Picture Show”. The head of National Amusements, Shari Redstone, is notably bullish on the future of cinemas.
The Showcase Cinemas Dedham is to be demolished soon. It will be replaced by the Showcase Cinemas de Lux Dedham which will have 15 screens, 4 of which will be “de Lux”. The head office of National Amusements will remain on the site. The cinema opened in the 1970s on a highly visible, high-traffic 38-acre parcel on US Route 1,Providence Highway, just east of the interchange with Route 128. The new development on the parcel is called Legacy Place and will feature 75 shops and restaurants plus the new cinema. It is hoped to open it in mid- or late-2009.
While on weekend leave from Fort Benning GA, I took the train to Atlanta and saw “Some Came Running” at the Loew’s Grand on Sat. evening, Feb. 7, 1959. It was a large theatre in good condition, and the main floor was maybe 2/3 full for the movie.
I was stationed at Fort Benning GA near Columbus for 2 months in early-1959. According to notes in my travel log, and in my memory, I saw “Auntie Mame” on screen at the Bradley Th. at a Sunday matinee on Jan. 26, 1959. It was a very nice theatre, clean and spacious, and there was a very good house there for the film. Glad to see that it’s still around. I also attended a couple of movies at a theatre in downtown Columbus which I can’t find here in C.T. My notes say that it was the Georgia Theatre and it was located on a side-street which I think led to a bridge which overlooked the Central of Georgia railroad station. I saw “Bridge on the River Kwai” there on a Sat. evening January 31, 1959. This theatre had maybe 1000 seats and was in excellent condition. There was a full house for the movie. I seem to recall that there was a steep incline in the lobby from the sidewalk to the rear of the auditorium. I also saw movies at the main post theatre at Fort Benning.
Father Nature- thanks for posting the photo of the marquee of the Stoneham Cinema. That’s all you need to Add a Theater here in C.T. is the street it was on, the Zip Code if you know it, the number of screens, the approximate seating capacity, the years it opened and closed. Plus, who ran it and what’s there now.
The Grand Opera House in Atlanta is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The theater was managed by H.L. & J. DeGive. Seating was 2,644 with admissions ranging from 25 cents to $1.25. The house was on the ground floor and had electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 40 feet wide X 36 feet high and the stage was 50 feet deep. There were 8 in the house orchestra. Also listed in the Guide is the Columbia Theatre (see J. Tanner above on July 5 2007). The Columbia was also managed by H.L. & J. DeGive. It had 1,792 seats, electric illumination and a stage 35 feet deep. It was located on the second floor. A third theater listed for Atlanta was the Lyceum with 1,816 seats. The 1897 population of Atlanta was 100,000.
The photo posted above by Lost Memory on March 25 shows the Hamilton Place entrance. Note the new doors and the generally well-maintained look of the facade. Unfortunate that the interior is such a dump. The building on the left with the big cornice “looks old” but was actually constructed by Suffolk University in recent years.
Ed Solero and LuisV are correct; woody’s first photo posted above on March 31st shows the red brick rear stage wall of the Liberty. The old scenery loading door is in the middle of the wall; the stage entrance for performers and stagehands was a few steps up the alley on the west side of the stage house, but that alley is no longer there. There were also fire exits and fire escapes on the west wall of the Liberty which one could easily see while walking east on 41st St. before all of the construction in recent years. The yellow brick wall of the Harris Th. was next to the Liberty. In the old days to get into the Liberty you walked in from 42nd St. and then turned right and walked aways westward to get to the rear of the Liberty’s auditorium. The Liberty’s entrance did not line up directly with the back of the auditorium as is usually the case.
The photos of the Denver Paramount auditorium posted above are similar to the Boston Paramount. I went to the movies there many times in the 1950s but the houselights were never on so it never looked to me like the Denver photos. After it closed there was no electricity or heat in the building. There may have been some roof leaks as well (which are the death knell of any old building). When I went into it in 1983 with a THSA group we had to supply our own lights. The seats were mostly still in place. There were piles of steel piping and lumber in the aisles making it difficult to walk. We had flashlights plus 2 little floodlights powered by battery packs. The interior was unimpressive at that time. Then it went downhill from there. The City was mostly concerned with the preservation of the facade and marquee as part of the “streetscape” in that section of Washington Street. For a short time there was talk of turning it into the front part of a multiplex cinema, but the cinema was built on Tremont Street instead (Loews Boston Common). The basic problem is that the building was neglected for too long, from 1976 to 2007.
The 19th Century building which contained this theater’s Washington Street entrance and lobby was demolished recently except for its facade which has been repaired and which will front the new Emerson College building on the site. Keith’s Theatre entrance was in the left bay of this facade, right next to the adjacent Paramount.
It all boils down to “Product” (attractions). There seems to be less and less of it in recent years. So our downtown theaters sit vacant and dark much of the time.
According to recent construction photos posted on the page for the Paramount Theatre in Boston, there is now nothing at all left of the Bijou building but its facade.
The Paramount did have a small stage, but I have never found any info that it was ever used for anything. It also had a Wurlitzer organ and I have heard that this organ was recently installed in the Aztec Th. in San Antonio. When I was last inside the theater in 1983 it was a total mess after being closed for several years. Then they had an asbestos-removal project in there which I’m sure did nothing to enhance the already-bad appearance inside. From what I gathered over the last 10 years or so, the City was primarily interested only in the preservation of the facade, marquee and vertical.
Howard, I totally agree. This circling of vultures is unseemly.
Arthur Chandler’s widow Yvonne is the co-owner of the Wollaston Th. According to the obit in the Patriot Ledger, they have no children.
The Lechmere Theatre in Cambridge was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project, but no one filled out the form, so there is no info. There is an undated photo taken from across the street. The theatre occupied a free-standing building 3 stories high, with a center entrance. Above is a small triangle marquee with a ticket booth centered below. There are poster cases along the wall on either side of the entrance, and to the right of the building is what appears to be a fence with the theatre’s name printed in large letters on it.
The owner-operator of the Wollaston Th., Arthur Chandler, passed away in Quincy on April 23rd, age 77.
I’ve heard that the plans have undergone changes. The other 2/3 or ¾ of the building site could be used for facilities such as studios, workshops, classrooms, small “black-box” theater, movie screening room, etc. Emerson teaches Theatre, Cinema, Radio-TV; maybe journalism, public relations, advertising, too? Years ago, I know that Speech Therapy was taught there also. And they are building a branch campus on a parcel of land on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.
All is not quite lost, after all. I was contacted this morning by someone who told me that when the Paramount Center is finished, there will be a theater inside about one-third the size of the original which will have decorative elements suggestive of the original Paramount interior and which will complement the Deco facade outside.
Being a member of the senior set, I can attest to the fact that there were indeed “pests” at the movies in the 1940s and 50s, but because the theatres were so much larger one was not aware of them that much. Just one example from circa late-50s: at a “Nabe” in the South End of Boston there was the “Laughing Lady”, a person who burst out laughing at inappropriate moments in the movie. If someone was being chased by the Bad Guys, or attacked, she would laugh her fool head off. In addition to movie pests, there was also “Road Rage” back in those days. But today, there are far more “crazies” running around in public, and huge armies of selfish and self-absorbed people. So I can see why today there are people who “love movies, but hate going”. BTW, I liked “The Bank Job” also; saw it at the Cameo Th., South Weymouth MA. It held my attention: no fidgeting, no yawning, no dozing off.
I visited the site today to see for myself. I went around back to Mason St. They demolished the rear of the theater, from a point just forward of the balcony front. You can see the outline of the big balcony along the south interior wall. There is nothing left of any decoration in what’s left of the auditorium – it has been stripped down to the brick walls. There was someone working up within the roof either welding or grinding metal. There were periodic showers of sparks coming down. The orchestra floor is also completely gone.
I visited the site today, both the rear (Mason St.) and the front, where there is a handy little window on the sidewalk for interested passersby. Everything is gone except for the facade. For the past many years it has been possible to see the outline of the sloping balcony of the Bijou on the south sidewall of the Opera House. Because of the demolition, you can now also see the sloping outline of the orchestra floor. As the new building progresses upward, these 2 outlines will no longer be visible.
Like brucec I’m also disappointed. I didn’t think that Emerson would completely wreck the historic Bijou building between the Opera House and the Paramount, and then demolish the rear half of the Paramount after gutting out the interior. Except for the facades of the two buildings, there is nothing left. So much for “historic preservation”.
Make that 476 seats ( 144/161/171).
The Braden now has 3 screens with a total of 473 seats and reopened on March 1, 2008, according to an article in the “University Times”, published by the Univ. of Maine at Presque Isle.
Closing day was Thursday April 10, 2008. TV news coverage showed the 71-year-old projectionist, who had been there since Day One, in the booth. Ticket prices were rolled back to $2.50 for all shows which included the 1971 flick “The Last Picture Show”. The head of National Amusements, Shari Redstone, is notably bullish on the future of cinemas.
The Showcase Cinemas Dedham is to be demolished soon. It will be replaced by the Showcase Cinemas de Lux Dedham which will have 15 screens, 4 of which will be “de Lux”. The head office of National Amusements will remain on the site. The cinema opened in the 1970s on a highly visible, high-traffic 38-acre parcel on US Route 1,Providence Highway, just east of the interchange with Route 128. The new development on the parcel is called Legacy Place and will feature 75 shops and restaurants plus the new cinema. It is hoped to open it in mid- or late-2009.
While on weekend leave from Fort Benning GA, I took the train to Atlanta and saw “Some Came Running” at the Loew’s Grand on Sat. evening, Feb. 7, 1959. It was a large theatre in good condition, and the main floor was maybe 2/3 full for the movie.
I was stationed at Fort Benning GA near Columbus for 2 months in early-1959. According to notes in my travel log, and in my memory, I saw “Auntie Mame” on screen at the Bradley Th. at a Sunday matinee on Jan. 26, 1959. It was a very nice theatre, clean and spacious, and there was a very good house there for the film. Glad to see that it’s still around. I also attended a couple of movies at a theatre in downtown Columbus which I can’t find here in C.T. My notes say that it was the Georgia Theatre and it was located on a side-street which I think led to a bridge which overlooked the Central of Georgia railroad station. I saw “Bridge on the River Kwai” there on a Sat. evening January 31, 1959. This theatre had maybe 1000 seats and was in excellent condition. There was a full house for the movie. I seem to recall that there was a steep incline in the lobby from the sidewalk to the rear of the auditorium. I also saw movies at the main post theatre at Fort Benning.
Father Nature- thanks for posting the photo of the marquee of the Stoneham Cinema. That’s all you need to Add a Theater here in C.T. is the street it was on, the Zip Code if you know it, the number of screens, the approximate seating capacity, the years it opened and closed. Plus, who ran it and what’s there now.
The Grand Opera House in Atlanta is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The theater was managed by H.L. & J. DeGive. Seating was 2,644 with admissions ranging from 25 cents to $1.25. The house was on the ground floor and had electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 40 feet wide X 36 feet high and the stage was 50 feet deep. There were 8 in the house orchestra. Also listed in the Guide is the Columbia Theatre (see J. Tanner above on July 5 2007). The Columbia was also managed by H.L. & J. DeGive. It had 1,792 seats, electric illumination and a stage 35 feet deep. It was located on the second floor. A third theater listed for Atlanta was the Lyceum with 1,816 seats. The 1897 population of Atlanta was 100,000.
The photo posted above by Lost Memory on March 25 shows the Hamilton Place entrance. Note the new doors and the generally well-maintained look of the facade. Unfortunate that the interior is such a dump. The building on the left with the big cornice “looks old” but was actually constructed by Suffolk University in recent years.
Ed Solero and LuisV are correct; woody’s first photo posted above on March 31st shows the red brick rear stage wall of the Liberty. The old scenery loading door is in the middle of the wall; the stage entrance for performers and stagehands was a few steps up the alley on the west side of the stage house, but that alley is no longer there. There were also fire exits and fire escapes on the west wall of the Liberty which one could easily see while walking east on 41st St. before all of the construction in recent years. The yellow brick wall of the Harris Th. was next to the Liberty. In the old days to get into the Liberty you walked in from 42nd St. and then turned right and walked aways westward to get to the rear of the Liberty’s auditorium. The Liberty’s entrance did not line up directly with the back of the auditorium as is usually the case.
The photos of the Denver Paramount auditorium posted above are similar to the Boston Paramount. I went to the movies there many times in the 1950s but the houselights were never on so it never looked to me like the Denver photos. After it closed there was no electricity or heat in the building. There may have been some roof leaks as well (which are the death knell of any old building). When I went into it in 1983 with a THSA group we had to supply our own lights. The seats were mostly still in place. There were piles of steel piping and lumber in the aisles making it difficult to walk. We had flashlights plus 2 little floodlights powered by battery packs. The interior was unimpressive at that time. Then it went downhill from there. The City was mostly concerned with the preservation of the facade and marquee as part of the “streetscape” in that section of Washington Street. For a short time there was talk of turning it into the front part of a multiplex cinema, but the cinema was built on Tremont Street instead (Loews Boston Common). The basic problem is that the building was neglected for too long, from 1976 to 2007.
The 19th Century building which contained this theater’s Washington Street entrance and lobby was demolished recently except for its facade which has been repaired and which will front the new Emerson College building on the site. Keith’s Theatre entrance was in the left bay of this facade, right next to the adjacent Paramount.
It all boils down to “Product” (attractions). There seems to be less and less of it in recent years. So our downtown theaters sit vacant and dark much of the time.
According to recent construction photos posted on the page for the Paramount Theatre in Boston, there is now nothing at all left of the Bijou building but its facade.
The Paramount did have a small stage, but I have never found any info that it was ever used for anything. It also had a Wurlitzer organ and I have heard that this organ was recently installed in the Aztec Th. in San Antonio. When I was last inside the theater in 1983 it was a total mess after being closed for several years. Then they had an asbestos-removal project in there which I’m sure did nothing to enhance the already-bad appearance inside. From what I gathered over the last 10 years or so, the City was primarily interested only in the preservation of the facade, marquee and vertical.