Concord Theatre

18 S. Main Street,
Concord, NH 03301

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Additional Info

Functions: Performing Arts

Nearby Theaters

Rendering for proposed renovation/rebuild

I went snooping around this place, but it looked rather derelict but intact. There is a shoe repair shop let into the front of the building. The Concord NH walking tour lists it together with the "Norris Bakery" and I can’t really tell if they are saying Norris’s house with a mansard roof was the Concord Theatre or not. The building I know of as the Concord Theatre (the give away being the words "Concord Theatre" in ceramic tiles at the door and a ticket booth) has no mansard roof and surely was never a house. Perhaps he means the SITE of Norris’s house, but anyway this is the quote… "Norris Bakery/Concord Theatre 16-18 South Main Street. James S. Norris operated one of the largest bakeries in the state. In this building he made bread, crackers, and confectioneries from 1860 until the late-1920’s. During the Civil War, his business supplied two tons of bread each day to local military camps. The mansard-roof house directly south of the bakery, also built in 1860, was Norris' residence. From 1934 until 1994 the Concord Theatre showed motion pictures here. It is now a live performing arts theatre.

There were four auditoriums in Concord, NH used at one time or another for movies.

Contributed by John Elwood

Recent comments (view all 40 comments)

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 28, 2015 at 1:46 pm

The page for the Concord Theatre at the Cinema Data Project has excerpts from a 1974 newspaper article about the theater, including several quotes from long-time operator Theresa Cantin.

Also, click this hyperlink to reach Paul Brogan’s 2014 article about the Concord. There’s also a slide show with five photos.

Paul Brogan
Paul Brogan on February 25, 2017 at 11:28 am

It appears the Concord Theatre is about to be saved. It has been purchased with a plan toward restoring it and reopening it as a smaller performance venue as part of the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Here is my blog from February 23rd, discussing this plan: patch.com/new-hampshire/concord-nh/not-last-picture-show

Joe Gleason
Joe Gleason on February 25, 2017 at 6:48 pm

Yes! There is a plan moving forward to save this building and turn it into a live performance venue as part of the Capitol Center for the Arts. I’ll provide updates when possible. There are quite a few moving pieces to this project and it is far from being a sure thing right now.

Joe Gleason
Joe Gleason on December 8, 2017 at 7:14 am

Just a quick update – it looks like the building will need to transfer ownership by the end of December, just a few weeks away. The reason for this is to secure tax credits which make the project viable. It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to pull a project like this together. More to come by the start of the new year!

Joe Gleason
Joe Gleason on April 19, 2018 at 6:49 am

Well, we are getting closer to bringing this theatre back to life. financial package is nearly complete, pre-construction meetings are happening and the current schedule is to begin renovation in July of 2018. The plan is to be open for business in April of 2019, just one year away!

BVD1
BVD1 on July 5, 2018 at 12:08 pm

Does anyone know if the theater had a balcony? Or a photo of the cast iron ends of the seat rows? I have several seats and want to know if they came from the Concord Theater. Thanks

Joe Gleason
Joe Gleason on July 5, 2018 at 12:12 pm

The theater did not have a balcony but one will be added during the renovation. I’ll upload a photo tonight of the seat end.

Paul Brogan
Paul Brogan on July 5, 2018 at 12:12 pm

There was never a balcony in the Concord Theatre. There were 499 seats and all seats were given out in June of 2018. Prior to that, no seats had been made available. A few years back, balcony seats from the former Capitol Theatre in Concord, now the Capitol Center for the Arts, were available and sold.

BVD1
BVD1 on July 9, 2018 at 9:18 pm

Thanks for the info Joe and Paul. I would really appreciate the uploaded photo to identify the seats I have. Thanks again BVD1

Jake Bottero
Jake Bottero on October 11, 2022 at 1:07 am

Live performing arts venue.

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