My understanding is that the roof leaked badly for the many years that the building has been vacant. 2 or 3 years ago the building was said to be in danger of collapsing. If it had not suffered such neglect then it probably could be restored, but not with a 12-story dorm tower constructed on top of it ! It does not seem likely that the dorm tower could be built on such a small lot without destroying the original building.
The theatre was badly damaged (gutted) by fire on Monday evening, October 8, 2007. The fire apparently started in the kitchen of Java Joe’s and spread into the restaurant’s storage space (which is the theatre). The Milton Fire Chief described the theatre as a “tinderbox”. The fire went to 5 alarms. The roof was burned off, as was some of the roof of Java Joe’s. Luckily, there was little damage to adjacent shops. Java Joe’s manager was quoted as saying that there had been plans to remodel the restaurant space plus the theatre into one big new restaurant, but those plans came to nothing some time ago. The news report in the Quincy Patriot Ledger does not state what will happen next. (Nowhere in this news story is the theatre’s name mentioned).
The Brooks Opera House opened in 1899. Its immediate predecessor in Guthrie was the McKennon Opera House which is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses for the theatres listed in this Guide. The McKennon had 700 seats and was located on the second floor of its building. Its stage was 26 feet deep and there were 8 members of its house orchestra. The 1897 population of Guthrie was 12,000.
As the Opera House, this theatre is listed under Woonsocket in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The Mgr. was G.C. Sweatt and the seating capacity was 1,716. The theatre had both gas and electric illumination; admission prices were 25 cents to $1. The auditorium was on the ground floor; the proscenium opening was 29 feet wide and the stage was 56 feet deep. There were 7 in the house orchestra. The 1897 population of Woonsocket was 25,000. Newspapers were the “Reporter” and the “Call”, both daily. Hotels for show folk were the Monument House, St. James, Hotel Woonsocket, and the Music Hall Hotel. Railroad was the New Haven Railroad. Also listed in this Guide under Woonsocket is the Music Hall. It had 1,400 seats, was on the second floor, and had a large stage 60 feet deep.
According to a short report in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of Oct.4th, the BRA has approved Suffolk Univ. as developer of the Modern Theatre. There will be a 12-story building with dorm rooms for up to 200 students. The ground floor will have cultural uses: an 800 sq. ft. art gallery, and a 2400 sq. ft. theatre. The Modern’s facade will be preserved at the front of the building. The news report does not state when work will begin.
Under Biddeford Maine in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide is listed the City Opera House. K.W. Sutherland was the Mgr. The theatre was on the second floor and had electric illumination. The seating capacity was given as 1,075 which is higher than the capacity today. The proscenium opening was 25 feet wide X 39 feet high, and the stage was 35 feet deep. Local newspapers were weeklies: Journal and the Times, and the Saco Record. Hotels for show folk were the Thatcher and Smith’s. Local railroad was the Boston & Maine; the 1897 population of Biddeford was 18,000.
rivjr’s description of a burlesque show at this theatre in the 1950s is totally different from my experiences watching “burley” during the same time period in Boston. We had 2 old theatres, the Old Howard and the Casino; both showed 2nd-run movies in between stage shows. The shows on Fri. and Sat. nights (around 8PM) and the Midnight shows that followed were often sold out. The striptease dancers were mostly young, some in their late-teens, and they ended up nearly nude, and after 1960, totally nude. There were low-brow comedy acts in front of colorful backdrops. There were 3 to 5 musicians in the orchestra pit. The Old Howard was closed by police action in Nov. 1953 and the Casino was closed by Urban Ruin-all in May 1962. I loved these shows and did not have the negative impressions in Boston that rivjr had in Washington.
The Broadway Th. in Springfield is listed in the 1942-43 edition of the Motion Picture Almanac as being run by Western Massachusetts Theatres (Nathan Goldstein) whose address is given as 101 Bridge Street in Springfield. Their 2 other theatres in Springfield at that time were the Arcade and the Paramount.
As the Lafayette Square Opera House, this theatre was listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, under Washington DC. It was one of 6 theatres listed in Washington, the others being the Academy of Music, the Bijou Family Theatre, the Columbia, the Grand Opera House, and the New National. The Lafayette Square was managed by John Albaugh, it was on the ground floor, and had electric illumination. The seating: Orchestra & mezzanine 650, Balcony 400, Gallery 450, Boxes 48; total: 1,548 seats plus 500 standing room spaces. The proscenium opening was 31 ½ feet wide X 39 feet high, and the stage was 49 feet deep. There were 9 in the house orchestra. The population of Washington in 1897 was 300,000.
Far be it to me to defend anything printed in the Washington ComPost (pile), but perhaps what the reporter described as a “mezzanine” at the Metropolitan Theatre was actually the front of the big balcony. It was common in many theatres with only one balcony to refer to the front section as the “mezzanine”. This only applies if there was a cross-aisle spanning the width of the balcony behind the front section. I don’t know if such a cross-aisle existed at the Metropolitan. Also note the difference between the actual seating capacity and that reported in the newspaper article.
In the 1942-43 edition of the Motion Picture Almanac, the Lawler in Greenfield is listed as part of the Peter Latchis theatre circuit of Brattleboro VT.
Here is a very belated answer to cine paradis’s question. The Peter D. Latchis theatre circuit of Brattleboro VT is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. It ran 2 theatres in Leominster: this one, (Rialto); plus the Plymouth Theatre. Their only other Massachusetts theatre was the Lawler Th. in Greenfield (as of 1942).
In his posting of June 9, 2007, dave-bronx is correct: it is the State Theatre which has the massive new stage, not the Palace. The Playhouse Square Center published a one-page sheet with a plan of the complex, showing all 4 theatres, and the office buildings, their lobbies and the inside passageways which connect them. It’s possible to walk from the garage on the northwest corner of the complex to any of the theatres, or from one theatre to another, without going outside to Euclid Avenue. The State Theatre is directly behind the Palace. All of the theatres in Playhouse Square are well worth seeing, as is the beautiful Severance Hall, a super-deluxe concert hall in its own park a few miles east of downtown. There are some very interestng buildings downtown, plus a great park on the lakefront near which is the rock ‘n roll museum, a big sports stadium and a trolley car museum.
In ken mc’s old photo, the theatre and the building to the left are the same as in the 1941 MGM photo. By 1941, there was a rectangular marquee on the front of the theatre.
The Met’s marquee in the 1950s was a typical movie theatre marquee of the times, only slightly larger. I can’t recall if it had much neon on it. There was a lot of light underneath it, on the soffit. I think Ben Sack in 1962 either installed a new marquee, or rebuilt the old one. Today, the organization which runs the theatre has money problems, so adding a new marquee with lots of neon on it would probably be a very low priority for them.
I agree – the interior of this theatre is beyond hope and the exterior has been an eyesore for over 20 years.
My understanding is that the roof leaked badly for the many years that the building has been vacant. 2 or 3 years ago the building was said to be in danger of collapsing. If it had not suffered such neglect then it probably could be restored, but not with a 12-story dorm tower constructed on top of it ! It does not seem likely that the dorm tower could be built on such a small lot without destroying the original building.
When this project is finished, I don’t think there will be much left of the Modern/Mayflower Theatre except for the restored facade.
The theatre was badly damaged (gutted) by fire on Monday evening, October 8, 2007. The fire apparently started in the kitchen of Java Joe’s and spread into the restaurant’s storage space (which is the theatre). The Milton Fire Chief described the theatre as a “tinderbox”. The fire went to 5 alarms. The roof was burned off, as was some of the roof of Java Joe’s. Luckily, there was little damage to adjacent shops. Java Joe’s manager was quoted as saying that there had been plans to remodel the restaurant space plus the theatre into one big new restaurant, but those plans came to nothing some time ago. The news report in the Quincy Patriot Ledger does not state what will happen next. (Nowhere in this news story is the theatre’s name mentioned).
The Brooks Opera House opened in 1899. Its immediate predecessor in Guthrie was the McKennon Opera House which is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses for the theatres listed in this Guide. The McKennon had 700 seats and was located on the second floor of its building. Its stage was 26 feet deep and there were 8 members of its house orchestra. The 1897 population of Guthrie was 12,000.
As the Opera House, this theatre is listed under Woonsocket in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The Mgr. was G.C. Sweatt and the seating capacity was 1,716. The theatre had both gas and electric illumination; admission prices were 25 cents to $1. The auditorium was on the ground floor; the proscenium opening was 29 feet wide and the stage was 56 feet deep. There were 7 in the house orchestra. The 1897 population of Woonsocket was 25,000. Newspapers were the “Reporter” and the “Call”, both daily. Hotels for show folk were the Monument House, St. James, Hotel Woonsocket, and the Music Hall Hotel. Railroad was the New Haven Railroad. Also listed in this Guide under Woonsocket is the Music Hall. It had 1,400 seats, was on the second floor, and had a large stage 60 feet deep.
According to a short report in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of Oct.4th, the BRA has approved Suffolk Univ. as developer of the Modern Theatre. There will be a 12-story building with dorm rooms for up to 200 students. The ground floor will have cultural uses: an 800 sq. ft. art gallery, and a 2400 sq. ft. theatre. The Modern’s facade will be preserved at the front of the building. The news report does not state when work will begin.
Under Biddeford Maine in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide is listed the City Opera House. K.W. Sutherland was the Mgr. The theatre was on the second floor and had electric illumination. The seating capacity was given as 1,075 which is higher than the capacity today. The proscenium opening was 25 feet wide X 39 feet high, and the stage was 35 feet deep. Local newspapers were weeklies: Journal and the Times, and the Saco Record. Hotels for show folk were the Thatcher and Smith’s. Local railroad was the Boston & Maine; the 1897 population of Biddeford was 18,000.
rivjr’s description of a burlesque show at this theatre in the 1950s is totally different from my experiences watching “burley” during the same time period in Boston. We had 2 old theatres, the Old Howard and the Casino; both showed 2nd-run movies in between stage shows. The shows on Fri. and Sat. nights (around 8PM) and the Midnight shows that followed were often sold out. The striptease dancers were mostly young, some in their late-teens, and they ended up nearly nude, and after 1960, totally nude. There were low-brow comedy acts in front of colorful backdrops. There were 3 to 5 musicians in the orchestra pit. The Old Howard was closed by police action in Nov. 1953 and the Casino was closed by Urban Ruin-all in May 1962. I loved these shows and did not have the negative impressions in Boston that rivjr had in Washington.
The Broadway Th. in Springfield is listed in the 1942-43 edition of the Motion Picture Almanac as being run by Western Massachusetts Theatres (Nathan Goldstein) whose address is given as 101 Bridge Street in Springfield. Their 2 other theatres in Springfield at that time were the Arcade and the Paramount.
As the Lafayette Square Opera House, this theatre was listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, under Washington DC. It was one of 6 theatres listed in Washington, the others being the Academy of Music, the Bijou Family Theatre, the Columbia, the Grand Opera House, and the New National. The Lafayette Square was managed by John Albaugh, it was on the ground floor, and had electric illumination. The seating: Orchestra & mezzanine 650, Balcony 400, Gallery 450, Boxes 48; total: 1,548 seats plus 500 standing room spaces. The proscenium opening was 31 ½ feet wide X 39 feet high, and the stage was 49 feet deep. There were 9 in the house orchestra. The population of Washington in 1897 was 300,000.
Far be it to me to defend anything printed in the Washington ComPost (pile), but perhaps what the reporter described as a “mezzanine” at the Metropolitan Theatre was actually the front of the big balcony. It was common in many theatres with only one balcony to refer to the front section as the “mezzanine”. This only applies if there was a cross-aisle spanning the width of the balcony behind the front section. I don’t know if such a cross-aisle existed at the Metropolitan. Also note the difference between the actual seating capacity and that reported in the newspaper article.
In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, the Capitol in Springfield is listed as part of the Warner Brothers theatre circuit.
In the 1942-43 edition of the Motion Picture Almanac, the Lawler in Greenfield is listed as part of the Peter Latchis theatre circuit of Brattleboro VT.
The ads, such as they are, are not obtrusive.. at least, there are no sudden pop-ups in the middle of the screen !
cine paradis- I typed out the list of Latchis theatres as of 1942-43 in a posting to the Latchis page in Brattleboro, made on March 7, 2007.
Here is a very belated answer to cine paradis’s question. The Peter D. Latchis theatre circuit of Brattleboro VT is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. It ran 2 theatres in Leominster: this one, (Rialto); plus the Plymouth Theatre. Their only other Massachusetts theatre was the Lawler Th. in Greenfield (as of 1942).
In his posting of June 9, 2007, dave-bronx is correct: it is the State Theatre which has the massive new stage, not the Palace. The Playhouse Square Center published a one-page sheet with a plan of the complex, showing all 4 theatres, and the office buildings, their lobbies and the inside passageways which connect them. It’s possible to walk from the garage on the northwest corner of the complex to any of the theatres, or from one theatre to another, without going outside to Euclid Avenue. The State Theatre is directly behind the Palace. All of the theatres in Playhouse Square are well worth seeing, as is the beautiful Severance Hall, a super-deluxe concert hall in its own park a few miles east of downtown. There are some very interestng buildings downtown, plus a great park on the lakefront near which is the rock ‘n roll museum, a big sports stadium and a trolley car museum.
In ken mc’s old photo, the theatre and the building to the left are the same as in the 1941 MGM photo. By 1941, there was a rectangular marquee on the front of the theatre.
The Met’s marquee in the 1950s was a typical movie theatre marquee of the times, only slightly larger. I can’t recall if it had much neon on it. There was a lot of light underneath it, on the soffit. I think Ben Sack in 1962 either installed a new marquee, or rebuilt the old one. Today, the organization which runs the theatre has money problems, so adding a new marquee with lots of neon on it would probably be a very low priority for them.
The Cambridge Historical Commission lists the period of existence for the Porter Square Theatre as 1927 – 1967.
The Cambridge Historical Commission lists the period of existence for the Olympia Theatre as 1910 – 1954.
The Cambridge Historical Commission lists the period of existence for the Harvard Theatre as 1914 – 1955.
saps – there aren’t any fictional theatres, like the Aztec in the Simpsons cartoons, listed here in Cinema Treasures, only real theatres.
Congrats to Ken Roe and others who have built up the listings of UK cinemas and theatres here in CT.