I thought maybe it was the mansard roof building but the platform shot nailed it…whoever built the new building sure went to great length to make it look like it was there all along.
The building shows up as a huge apartment complex, and the apartment complex is from that era from the look of wear and brickwork on three sides…It even has a separate entrance in the front that has been bricked over where that address should be- perhaps the theatre wasn’t outright demolished simply renovated out of existence and it’s old space reused for apartments…
Also from Arcadia is “Boston’s South End” which has front door/marquee view and a side corner view of the theatre…it also had a shot of the Grand Opera House as well as the three other South End theatres(Puritan, Castle Sq., and National).
Ron I thought it was the same place, I missed the single most important word in the description: “almost”. It said “almost at the corner of Dover and Washington Streets”…I didn’t see the “almost” before.
Ron, that information about the Austin & Stone is just the tip of the iceberg for Scollay Square information- it’s a gold mine for information about the long gone section of the city including the aforementioned Old Howard among other theatres.
The building still stands and has the Hub name still on it, apparently renovated into apartments at some point…actual address looks to be 1140 Washington Street as per city directory from 1915.
Here’s a shot of the side of the building from around the 80s, compare that with the Google Street View from today and you can see it’s the same building: View link
It’s almost 2/3rds of a mile between Maverick Square and the theatre, “close” but far enough to catch one of the trolleys coming out of the tunnel.
There is a claim that Fred Allen was talking about another place with a similar name, this Scenic Temple was on Revere Beach and from the sound of things it was very close by or next door to the Crescent Garden/Boulevard Theatre http://www.bambinomusical.com/Scollay/Maam.html
I find the Revere claim a bit dubious- East Boston and Revere Beach are two entirely different kind of locations and audiences…
2006 is still a good 45 years after forced relocation…
The smokestacks are gone, but yes that far distance is the same from Congress Street on.
I saw the shot with the steps taken from across the street, that one is in the Arcadia Boston’s South End book…
Rick, it’s held on in another location after their forced move so it must be in decent enough demand to survive!
I thought maybe it was the mansard roof building but the platform shot nailed it…whoever built the new building sure went to great length to make it look like it was there all along.
The building shows up as a huge apartment complex, and the apartment complex is from that era from the look of wear and brickwork on three sides…It even has a separate entrance in the front that has been bricked over where that address should be- perhaps the theatre wasn’t outright demolished simply renovated out of existence and it’s old space reused for apartments…
Also from Arcadia is “Boston’s South End” which has front door/marquee view and a side corner view of the theatre…it also had a shot of the Grand Opera House as well as the three other South End theatres(Puritan, Castle Sq., and National).
The marquee from roughly the mid 50s: View link
Mid to late 50s shot of the exterior: View link
Another shot from the 50s this time head on of the facade: View link
Another from the 50s: View link
And yet another of the theatre from the same 50s era: View link
Side view from Pemberton Square taken in the mid 50s: View link
I assume this is the same theatre taken what looks like after closing but before demolition: View link
A shot from the mid 50s: View link
Ron I thought it was the same place, I missed the single most important word in the description: “almost”. It said “almost at the corner of Dover and Washington Streets”…I didn’t see the “almost” before.
A shot of the facade that was recreated for the movie “The Brinks Job”
http://www.bambinomusical.com/Scollay/Brinks4.jpg
Ron, that information about the Austin & Stone is just the tip of the iceberg for Scollay Square information- it’s a gold mine for information about the long gone section of the city including the aforementioned Old Howard among other theatres.
Two maps, one from 1938 and one from 1950 showing the before and after of what looks like could be a renovation of the building…
View link
View link
The theatre is talked about at length here, in which it is referred to as the Grand Opera House: View link
A 1984 shot of the theatre:
View link
View link
The building still stands and has the Hub name still on it, apparently renovated into apartments at some point…actual address looks to be 1140 Washington Street as per city directory from 1915.
Here’s a shot of the side of the building from around the 80s, compare that with the Google Street View from today and you can see it’s the same building: View link
A rarity, I get to post a picture of a theatre before someone else!
A picture of the theatre from the Washington Street Elevated station: View link
It’s almost 2/3rds of a mile between Maverick Square and the theatre, “close” but far enough to catch one of the trolleys coming out of the tunnel.
There is a claim that Fred Allen was talking about another place with a similar name, this Scenic Temple was on Revere Beach and from the sound of things it was very close by or next door to the Crescent Garden/Boulevard Theatre http://www.bambinomusical.com/Scollay/Maam.html
I find the Revere claim a bit dubious- East Boston and Revere Beach are two entirely different kind of locations and audiences…
Mr. Salters- is this the book you are referring to? View link
May have been owned until 1955 but it was closed as a theatre around 1950.