Franklin Theatre
13 Jenkins Court,
Durham,
NH
03824
13 Jenkins Court,
Durham,
NH
03824
1 person
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The Franklin Theatre was located in the college town of Durham, NH. It opened on Main Street in 1924 and closed in 1954. It was converted into a ballroom. In 1983 it was converted into a gymnasium and bar and later became a restaurant, which had closed by 2005. It resumed restaurant use in the 2010’s and into the 2020’s
Contributed by
John Elwood
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
I went for a drive by here. (Ok I lied, I went to UNH to drink beer and meet the freshman girls…) There is an older brick building located at this site housing a now closed restaurant. The building is built on a slight hill, with a front entrance at a probable two foot elevated grade difference from the side exits. The building has no space that clearly defines a stage or fly loft or any other signal that this was a theater. I think the grade difference in the entrances is a pretty clear signal that the “Franklin” still stands.
—John
13 Jenkins Court has a variety of businesses, including this wings place and a restaurant called Benjamin’s.
http://tinyurl.com/5laoao
Hi John this is I am looking around for good independent theaters to join our network of digital cinemas that show indy films as well as operas and ballets. You seem to know a lot about the local scene I was wondering if you had any tips or info you could share. Thank you in advance. Yaron
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Franklin; it’s Card # 483. Address is “Main St.” There is an exterior photo dated March 1941. Condition is Good. The report says it opened about 1925, shows MGM movies, and has 399 seats. It has a college student patronage, and closes summers. The 1940 population was 1,500.
In 1984, The Franklin Theater, under Bill Davison’s management since 1957, gave up on showing movies, after sixty years of dedication to bringing the best films to Durham at reasonable prices. The building has been a ballroom-bar called the Franklin Ballroom since then, but in 1985 it is being converted into a multipurpose fitness club and nonalcoholic bar and lunch room by the Clark brothers.
As of 2019, an operating restaurant.