Teele Square Theatre
1156 Broadway,
Somerville,
MA
02144
1156 Broadway,
Somerville,
MA
02144
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Sadly, the building turned out to be a total loss and was demolished last week. Nothing now remains of the former Teele Square Theatre.
A multiple-alarm fire several hours ago seriously damaged the carpet store and several other businesses in this block. Some of the building may need to be demolished.
from Somerville.Patch.com: Major Fire Strikes Teele Square Saturday Night
But that’s typical of the spelling errors and other inaccuracies which are found in these old industry sources.
Toole Square? That’s quite funny, as it was never called this.
As the “Toole Square”, this theater is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook with 1000 seats, open 6 days/week.
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, including the Teele Square.
(This is a 17-page scanned-image PDF, so unfortunately you cannot search or copy the text.)
According to Guss’s website, the Teele Square opened on Monday, January 16, 1922, closed in 1967, and was demolished some time in the mid-1990s.
David Guss has recently added many pictures and posters of the Teele Square Theatre to his “Lost Theatres of Somerville” website. A few of the photos show the theatre’s demolition in progress. Go to http://www.losttheatres.org/theaters.htm and click on “Teele Square”.
You’re right. It is Broadway…Are you from Somerville?
Mike
Clarendon Avenue and Broadway. The building stood for many years after it closed as a theatre. The site is now a parking lot.
Hi… I can remember as a kid growing up in Teele Sq. in the early 60’s till about 1990 that the theater used to be on the corner of Clarendon Ave and Holland St. Can anyone please verify that. I can almost see the faded advertisement on the building. Thanks in advance
Mike
Ron Thanks Jim
It’s not my picture — ask David.
Hi Ron, Great picture of The Teel Square Theatre. Got any of the interior? I use to go to The Sat. Mats. every week in late 1950s I had a half a dollar to spend what a ball I had.
Jim Callahan Winchester,Ma. Old Somerville Guy
A photo of the Teele Square Theatre, from David Guss’s “Lost Theatres of Somerville” website. David will eventually add more material about this theatre.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Teele Square Theatre has a facade photo taken in 1941. Movies on the marquee are Abbott and Costello in “Buck Privates” and “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. There are small stores on either side of the theatre entrance. The auditoirum in back appears to be only one story-plus high. The Report states that the Teele Sq. has been showing MGM product for over 15 years; that it’s in Good condition; and that it has 980 seats. After it closed, it was occupied by the Charles Stewart Company, a theatrical supply house. The owner was Earle Stanley “Charlie” Stewart who was son or grandson of the original owner. “Charlie” was a talented scenic painter, and the shallow stage of the theatre had had a paint frame affixed. In the auditorium were many racks holding hundreds of rolled-up scenic backdrops. Charlie’s office was in the right-front auditorium exit space. The place also had rental equipment, such as fog machines. Charlie, who was an elderly man in the 1980s, was a real “Character” and was the subject of a feature article in the Phoenix weekly newspaper in the mid-1980s. He loved to talk about Boston-area theaters and had a large collection which, I understand, was willed to one of the libraries at Tufts University. The auditorium of the Teele Square Theatre had only one floor, no balcony.