The Byrd spanned 4716-4720 Baltimore Ave and was demolished in 1970. I don’t think it was 1,800 seats, more like a third to half that size. There’s been a parking lot in its place since its destruction, flanked by two murals. One of them features an image of the Byrd in tribute.
I worked here in the early 90s when we had lots of concerts and big Bollywood film events that filled all 900 seats on the weekends. This was around the time when the Somerville shifted from showing rep, foreign, and art films to showing second-run movies for $1. There was an all-staff walkout around 93 or 94, and it was sometime after that when the owners added the additional screens next door. I’ve seen Davis Square change a lot, but the Somerville Theatre was always a prominent fixture.
I grew up going to see double features at the Coolidge and then landed my first job there in high school under the ownership of Justin Freed. He had hated to twin the place, but did a great job preserving the original screen and converting the balcony into a nice 290 seat theater. After the Foundation took over, they sold the original street front lobby space to retail and moved the theatre entrance to the side. I have many good stories about the Coolidge.
The Byrd spanned 4716-4720 Baltimore Ave and was demolished in 1970. I don’t think it was 1,800 seats, more like a third to half that size. There’s been a parking lot in its place since its destruction, flanked by two murals. One of them features an image of the Byrd in tribute.
I worked here in the early 90s when we had lots of concerts and big Bollywood film events that filled all 900 seats on the weekends. This was around the time when the Somerville shifted from showing rep, foreign, and art films to showing second-run movies for $1. There was an all-staff walkout around 93 or 94, and it was sometime after that when the owners added the additional screens next door. I’ve seen Davis Square change a lot, but the Somerville Theatre was always a prominent fixture.
I grew up going to see double features at the Coolidge and then landed my first job there in high school under the ownership of Justin Freed. He had hated to twin the place, but did a great job preserving the original screen and converting the balcony into a nice 290 seat theater. After the Foundation took over, they sold the original street front lobby space to retail and moved the theatre entrance to the side. I have many good stories about the Coolidge.