Day Street Olympia
50 Day Street,
Somerville,
MA
02144
50 Day Street,
Somerville,
MA
02144
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Related Websites
Lost Theatres of Somerville (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: E.M. Loew's Theaters Inc.
Previous Names: E.M. Loew's Davis Square Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jul 31, 2007 — Nathan Gordon's Olympia circuit
The Day Street Olympia theatre opened on August 4, 1913, in what had been the West Somerville Congregational Church. But before it could open, it had to overcome more than three years of opposition from neighbors and even from the president and women’s dean of nearby Tufts University.
Initially, this theatre was part of Nathan Gordon’s Olympia circuit, which included Somerville’s Union Square Olympia Boston’s Scollay Square Olympia and Washington Street Olympia theatres. In the 1920’s, Elias M. Loew acquired the Day Street Olympia, and he later changed its name to E.M. Loew’s Davis Square Theatre.
The theatre suffered frequent fires, and closed for good after a fire on May 1, 1942. Eventually it was torn down and replaced by a metered municipal parking lot, which is still there today. In warm weather months, the parking lot hosts a popular Wednesday afternoon farmer’s market.
(All of this information comes from David Guss’s excellent website, Lost Theatres of Somerville.)
Contributed by
Ron Newman
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for E.M. Loew’s Davis Square Theatre in Somerville has a facade photo taken in May 1941.The entrance was on a corner, with a box office in the center. There was a boxy marquee with white letters on a black background. Movies playing are “Kit Carson” and “Moon over Burma”. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Fair condition; and hasd 645 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The photo described above is the first one on this page.
David Guss’s article “Lost Theatres of Somerville”, from the First Quarter 2006 issue of Marquee, the journal of the Theatre Historical Society of America, is now online at View link .
Besides an extensive history, the article also contains many old photos of and advertisements for the various theatres in Somerville.
(This is a 17-page scanned-image PDF, so unfortunately you cannot search or copy the text.)
There is a “Day Square” theater listed under Somerville in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook with 700 seats, open 6 days/week. The seat count is close to that of this theater.