Boulevard Theatre
Revere Beach Boulevard,
Revere,
MA
02151
Revere Beach Boulevard,
Revere,
MA
02151
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A 1914 map from the Register of Deeds' website shows the buildings next door to be 102 and up so it’s somewhere lower than 100 Revere Beach Blvd.
Someone who worked here as an usher said that the Boulevard had two entrances: one on the east side on Revere Beach Boulevard, and the other on the west side, on Ocean Avenue. He said that the latter was the main entrance when he worked there. He couldn’t remember what the theater’s street address was.
No entries because Boston issued their own venue licenses and did their own inspections…those listed are those who didn’t have their own inspectors or venue licensing.
Boston is frequently mentioned in there, only it’s to mention their own processes and procedures alongside the state’s.
The theater name was listed as “Crescent Gardens Theatre” in the 1914 list of theaters and halls inside the Report of the Chief of the Mass. District Police linked to above. Wonder why that very informative list has no entries for the City of Boston ??
About the name…Page 59 of the Image of America Series book “Revere Beach” states that the theater was called “Boulevard Theatre” while the entire complex that included the theatre and ballroom was called “Crescent Gardens”.
Very interesting link- lots of good stuff to study in it.
Theater is mentioned on page 55 of the Report of the Chief of the Massachusetts District Police:
View link
Pages 30-50 might be of interest to theater history buffs…
Other theaters mentioned not already known may not have been full theaters.
Thanks for the confirmation…
According to a caption in the book “Greater Boston Fires of the 1950s and 1960s” the ballroom opened on May 30, 1913. It’s possible to assume that day and year was also the opening year for the theatre.
What year it closed or if it was still open as an active theatre isn’t mentioned…
The building in the beautiful postcard which Ed Findlay has found is the same building as in the May 1941 MGM Theatre Report photo. In 1941, the ballroom was called “Beachview Dancing” and the theatre was the “Boulevard Theatre”. This postcard implies that the original name was “Crescent Gardens Theatre”.
Unless there was another one on the boulevard, according to Image of America Revere book, it was located on the corner of Shirley Ave. making it the park directly across the street from the bandstand and MGH Revere health center. It was destroyed by fire on March 14th, 1960…I have seen during and after shots- it was a total loss burned down to the bare wood supports unfortunately.
A shot of the complex: View link
Yeah, me too. I have no idea where the Boulevard Theatre was in Revere. The MGM Theatre Report doesn’t list an address other than to say that it’s on “the Boulevard”. It was a big theater.
Does anyone know what now occupies this space on the beach? I’m curious to know where it was…
In the Boston Post entertainment pages in the late-1940s, the Boulevard Theatre and the Revere Theatre shared the same small ad, with their names at the top. They both showed the same program, which seems odd.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Boulevard Theatre in Revere has an exterior photo dated May 1941. The theatre entrance was in the middle of a large, rambling old 3-story commercial block with a tower at its right end. The theatre had a wide entrance with a fancy 3-sided marquee above. Above the theatre’s marquee was another large, glittering marquee proclaiming “Beachview Dancing”. The Report states that the theatre is on the “Boulevard”. Looking at a street map of Revere, I conclude that it refers to the Revere Beach Boulevard. The Report states that the theatre has been showing MGM films for over 10 years, that it’s over 15 years old; in Good condition, and has 1302 orchestra seats and 486 balcony seats; total: 1,788 seats. It was run by Interstate theatres.