National Theatre
533 Tremont Street,
Boston,
MA
02118
533 Tremont Street,
Boston,
MA
02118
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: E.M. Loew's Theaters Inc.
Architects: Clarence H. Blackall
Previous Names: Boston Hippodrome, New Waldorf Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts & Stage I Theatre at the National Theatre
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A large 2-balconied movie house a few blocks from the center of Boston in the South End. The 3,300-seats National Theatre was opened with vaudeville and a minstral show on November 18, 1911. On November 24, 1917 it was renamed Boston Hippodrome. From March 17, 1919 to April 20, 1920 it operated as the New Waldolf Theatre, screening Julia Dean in “Ruling Passions” and presenting 5-acts of vaudeville on the stage. At Christmas 1920 it reopened as the National Theatre, a legit playhouse theatre. From July 13, 1928 the National Theatre was operated by E.M. Loew’s Theaters Inc. as a movie theatre. The seating capacity was reduced by closing off the upper balcony. It was a second run movie theatre for many decades screenings its final movies on May 11, 1969 with Stella Stevens in “The Mad Room” & Jack Palace in “Torture Garden”.
It became a neighborhood cultural center, the Boston Center for the Arts & Stage I Theatre at the National Theatre in 1971. It was purchased by the City of Boston in 1975 and was used for opera and special events. It was closed in 1978 due to Code violations. It stood vacant and deteriorating and was demolished in 1997.
Contributed by
Gerald A. DeLuca
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Recent comments (view all 39 comments)
Nice memories, Leni ! I, too, thought the National was “beautiful and magical” (and glamourous) when I first went into it as a kid of 12 or so in the late-1940s. There were many plans to try to save it but nothing worked out and it was finally demolished around 1997, by which time it was a battered hulk.
During Christmas week of 1921, the National was featuring the Italian actor Giovanni Grasso and a company of 30 on stage in a repertoire of Italian plays. No movies.
I’m a Three Stooges Fan Club member, trying to confirm a personal appearance by the “3” Stooges (Moe Larry and Shemp), on a bill with Wee Bonnie Baker, the Barretts and Don Hooton, after an appearance by the A.B. Marcus Revue. The movie “Queen of Burlesque” was also shown. I have a display ad, but no dates (or town shown). Believe it was the Summer of 1946, and may have been Shemp’s first appearance after Curly’s strokes. The National was advertised as air cooled and showed a phone number of JA-7863.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks Frank Reighter
I remember the National Theatre in the mid50’s. It tried to become part of the chitlin circuit(Apollo-Howard. D.c) Uptown(philadelphia)ETC: The shows came in from the Apollo and were here for 7-10 days. There were not too many of them, and they were not successful and were cancelled. The theatre had a huge stage and was greatly under advertised and the area was beginning to become dangerous.
The National is listed as the “Boston Hippodrome” Theatre in the Boston Register and Business Directory, Issue 83, 1918.
This opened as Waldorf on March 17th, 1919. The Central Square theatre in Cambridge also opened on the same day.
When it opened as the Waldorf, it was a name change. It had been purchased by the man who ran a chain of local Waldorf cafeterias. It originally opened in Sept. 1911.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the National Theatre. Exterior photo taken in May 1941 on Tremont St. The condition is “Poor”. There are 1000 orchestra seats, 950 balcony seats and 50 seats in the loges (boxes); total: 2,000 seats. No mention of the second balcony which may have been out of use in 1941.
Hello everyone i am searching for my father who worked as a doorman or ticket sales.. name of anthony “tony” rodrigues ..worked there sometime in the 60s to 70s if anyone could be of help i would greatly appreciate it! Thanks
The National Theatre launched with vaudeville on November 18, 1911 on Tremont Street. The building cost $500,000 - above average for a 1911-built theater but not overwhelmingly as it had 3,300 seats. It would not be unfair to place it with architect Clarence Howard Blackall’s top Boston venues though two steps down from the Colonial and one each from the Metro and Olympia. However, its name and programatic direction didn’t get on track. Just six years later, it became the Boston Hippodrome on November 24, 1917.
It had a brief run as the Waldorf as they tried photoplays and vaudeville for a year from March 17th, 1919 to to April 20, 1920 to no avail. It reopened Jun 11, 1920 reverting to the National Theatre. That lasted six months. It found new operators on Christmas of 1920 and tried legit stage. That appears to have stalled in early 1923. Its biggest booking was actress and notorious drug user Juanita Hansen on the vaudeville circuit who sold out the 3,300 seat theatre for the first time likely since opening day, 1911, for a multiple live appearance show with “The Drug Traffic" as she talked about her struggles with cocaine and life with the addicted star, Wallace Reid.
E.M. Loew took it on the venue on July 13, 1928 wiring it for sound soon thereafter and giving it its first real marketing / advertising since 1923. In 1932, seating was reduced to the main floor indicating that Loew likely re-seated the main floor and gave up servicing the vast reaches of the third and second balconies. Loew left on July 13, 1938 - exactly 10 years and, therefore, likely a sublease expiry only to return for an extended encore run. Loew left in April of 1968 ending a long, 40-year run on a third-run, grind policy.
The venue had a last film run as an independent by the operator of the West End Cinema. The National’s last advertised movie was May 11, 1969 with Stella Stevens in “The Mad Room” and and Jack Palance in “Torture Garden.” In 1971, it became the home of the Boston Center for the Arts and Stage I Theatre at the National Theatre.
The City of Boston had acquired it in 1975 operating it as the National Theatre with opera and other live events. But it closed the National in 1978 for a variety of code compliance issues.
Its lack of architectural firepower, cost of code upgrades, and lengthy dormancy doomed it. The National’s last ad was in August of 1996 asking for bidders to demolish it. That took place in 1997. Its structural resolve wasn’t in question as the building was stout until the midpoint of its razing.