Google street views show a building at SW corner of the intersection which obviously was once a theatre – lots of decorative brickwork and the entrance facade and stagehouse. Looks like it was gutted decades ago; old-style windows along the auditorium wall which faces the sidwalk. Old entrance now has a laundry with a Furniture Warehouse in the auditorium.
Located in a shopping center, the auditoriums seat 150 seat, plain simple decor. SShows 1st run films, and has an annual day of silent comedies with live piano accompaniment.
I believe both are the sme theatres. I have the Lyceum having been built in 1886, with 2,605 seats, designed by J. B. McElfatrick (who designed a lot of Boston theatres and playhouses). At one time it was also known as the Grand Opera House.
A new marquee was dedicated a couple months ago. It’s a reproduction of a 1920s era marque albeit with LED lights. Looks nice, and easy to read! The interior lobby and auditiroium were restored around 1980 and still looks great to this day! They still have live performances and occasional movies.
Also, the building has a classical style facade – the auditorium is behind the side facade. Looks to have been built in the 1920s; and the building is on the national registry of historic places.
Looks like the theatre is still intact! The first floor retail section is now office space with the upper floors congregate housing for the elderly. The auditorium section is still intact with balcony and equipment and restorable according to the real estate listing. Exterior looks in excellent shape! Hopefully someone will step in and save this place!
The “light up the queen” link above has a nice photo gallery and thelatest news – they just had the groundbreaking for the restoration on October 2, 2009! Looks like this place will be reborn! Auditorium is in prettyy ropugh shape, but looks like the original details can definitely be restored. Has kind of a beaux-arts look to it.
Checked the Google photos – Looks like it has been razed. The surrounding parking lots are now underconstruction with a new urban complex – very well designed – at first it looks like a series of old-style retail buildings. If only more modern urban construction looked like this.
Since it reopened, it looks like they have put in new carpeting and possibly projection equipment (It’s a platter system) The seats are probably ten years old, quite comfortable and iun good shape, and identical in the downstairs theatre (no more directors' chairs!). Hasn’t been repainted, but current paint job is in good shape. Sound and projection are fairly good. Main auditoprium is probably 30 feet wide – 11 seats wide vs. 12 rows. And still a great selection of films not available elsewhere!
A real nice shopping complex set right across the street from Mt. Holyoke College, which was built in late 1980s when the original buildings (including one housing the much belowed Odyssey Bookshop) were burned by arsonists. Eleven old-style house-type buildings are interconnected and filled aith interesting stores and services, with beautiful courtyards and walkways (One features the rebuilt Odyssey).
The Tower Theatres are on the third floor of one of the buildings – a beautiful spiral staircase takes people up to the lobby which has amusing carpeting featuring images of film reels and popcorn buckets. The two auditoriums seat 140 each, and there is nice simple colored paneling along the sidewalls, and unique cathedral ceilings with a little bit of ornate wood trim and gold leaf. Screens are a little small but projection is very good and sound excellent, and the popcorn has real butter!
Auditorium two seats about 400, auds 1 and 3 looks to be about 250, auditorium 5, the “screening room” seats about 40. Aud 2 is a fairly nice place, large screen – auds 1 and 3 look like a larger screen twinned down the middle (off-center screen). The complex opened in 1973.
Anybody know what happened to the 4/32 Kimball previously installed at the Colonial? I have a recording by Clark Wilson of the final concert before the organ’s removal in 1995.
From the aerial google view, there is part of the building which looks like it may be a former auditorium – when you look at the facade from the street, it is the left storefront space that leads to it – currently that section is vacant, the middle one has a store and the right hand section has a recessed entrance which appears to just go to a lobby to the upper floors. From the air, it definitely looks like the auditorium still exists, you can see the outline for the stagehouse. According to a link above, the actual street address is 208 main street. The facade was extensively remodeled from the old pictures of the 1800’s. The photo from the 1961 newspaper article shows a narrow building with an old civic hall style arched proscenium opening and a pressed tin ceiling. for a “deserted ruin” it looks in fairly good shape – certainly some theatres that have been rescured were in worse shape. Would be interested in seeing what the space was used for since 1961, and iif it is still available for rent.
Just found out, the organ is indeed in playable condition, “playing better than it has in years” – looks like some restoration has been done and they are organizing volunteers to continue with restoration and maintenance. Hopefully there will be some organ concerts to come. This is one of the few organs remaining as originally installed in its original theatre.
Finally got to see the place. Large wide main concourse down the middle of the building with a main coordior extending north and one south, and cinemas going off on either side of these two corridors. Except for the big screens – 8 and 9, they open off the main concourse.
They have both a concession area in the center of the concourse, as well as a food court with several fast food chains represented.
auditoriums are all stadium seating plain walls with heavy soundproofing and minimal decoration. the main auditoria have impressive screens.
Google street views show a building at SW corner of the intersection which obviously was once a theatre – lots of decorative brickwork and the entrance facade and stagehouse. Looks like it was gutted decades ago; old-style windows along the auditorium wall which faces the sidwalk. Old entrance now has a laundry with a Furniture Warehouse in the auditorium.
Google photos just show a parking lot at this address.
The auditorium is definitely demolished, but the lobby portion may be intact. Can’t really tell from the google photos.
This theatre looks from the google photos to be demolished.
From the google photos this looks to be demolished. Just a parking lot now.
Located in a shopping center, the auditoriums seat 150 seat, plain simple decor. SShows 1st run films, and has an annual day of silent comedies with live piano accompaniment.
Website is at:
View link
The UNCSA completed their multimillion dollar renovation of the Stevens Center in 2003.
Their web page is now:
http://www.uncsa.edu/StevensCenter/
I believe both are the sme theatres. I have the Lyceum having been built in 1886, with 2,605 seats, designed by J. B. McElfatrick (who designed a lot of Boston theatres and playhouses). At one time it was also known as the Grand Opera House.
Accoring to the current (10/09) google street photo, the building is still vacant.
A new marquee was dedicated a couple months ago. It’s a reproduction of a 1920s era marque albeit with LED lights. Looks nice, and easy to read! The interior lobby and auditiroium were restored around 1980 and still looks great to this day! They still have live performances and occasional movies.
according to their official website, the Egyptian was restored in 1999.
Also, the building has a classical style facade – the auditorium is behind the side facade. Looks to have been built in the 1920s; and the building is on the national registry of historic places.
Looks like the theatre is still intact! The first floor retail section is now office space with the upper floors congregate housing for the elderly. The auditorium section is still intact with balcony and equipment and restorable according to the real estate listing. Exterior looks in excellent shape! Hopefully someone will step in and save this place!
Complete restoration was completed in 1999.
The “light up the queen” link above has a nice photo gallery and thelatest news – they just had the groundbreaking for the restoration on October 2, 2009! Looks like this place will be reborn! Auditorium is in prettyy ropugh shape, but looks like the original details can definitely be restored. Has kind of a beaux-arts look to it.
Checked the Google photos – Looks like it has been razed. The surrounding parking lots are now underconstruction with a new urban complex – very well designed – at first it looks like a series of old-style retail buildings. If only more modern urban construction looked like this.
Since it reopened, it looks like they have put in new carpeting and possibly projection equipment (It’s a platter system) The seats are probably ten years old, quite comfortable and iun good shape, and identical in the downstairs theatre (no more directors' chairs!). Hasn’t been repainted, but current paint job is in good shape. Sound and projection are fairly good. Main auditoprium is probably 30 feet wide – 11 seats wide vs. 12 rows. And still a great selection of films not available elsewhere!
The July 2009 photo shows the facade nicely cleaned up, but the trees are still there! Now open as the Playground Nightclub, an adult-oriented venue.
A real nice shopping complex set right across the street from Mt. Holyoke College, which was built in late 1980s when the original buildings (including one housing the much belowed Odyssey Bookshop) were burned by arsonists. Eleven old-style house-type buildings are interconnected and filled aith interesting stores and services, with beautiful courtyards and walkways (One features the rebuilt Odyssey).
The Tower Theatres are on the third floor of one of the buildings – a beautiful spiral staircase takes people up to the lobby which has amusing carpeting featuring images of film reels and popcorn buckets. The two auditoriums seat 140 each, and there is nice simple colored paneling along the sidewalls, and unique cathedral ceilings with a little bit of ornate wood trim and gold leaf. Screens are a little small but projection is very good and sound excellent, and the popcorn has real butter!
Auditorium two seats about 400, auds 1 and 3 looks to be about 250, auditorium 5, the “screening room” seats about 40. Aud 2 is a fairly nice place, large screen – auds 1 and 3 look like a larger screen twinned down the middle (off-center screen). The complex opened in 1973.
Anybody know what happened to the 4/32 Kimball previously installed at the Colonial? I have a recording by Clark Wilson of the final concert before the organ’s removal in 1995.
From the aerial google view, there is part of the building which looks like it may be a former auditorium – when you look at the facade from the street, it is the left storefront space that leads to it – currently that section is vacant, the middle one has a store and the right hand section has a recessed entrance which appears to just go to a lobby to the upper floors. From the air, it definitely looks like the auditorium still exists, you can see the outline for the stagehouse. According to a link above, the actual street address is 208 main street. The facade was extensively remodeled from the old pictures of the 1800’s. The photo from the 1961 newspaper article shows a narrow building with an old civic hall style arched proscenium opening and a pressed tin ceiling. for a “deserted ruin” it looks in fairly good shape – certainly some theatres that have been rescured were in worse shape. Would be interested in seeing what the space was used for since 1961, and iif it is still available for rent.
Just found out, the organ is indeed in playable condition, “playing better than it has in years” – looks like some restoration has been done and they are organizing volunteers to continue with restoration and maintenance. Hopefully there will be some organ concerts to come. This is one of the few organs remaining as originally installed in its original theatre.
Finally got to see the place. Large wide main concourse down the middle of the building with a main coordior extending north and one south, and cinemas going off on either side of these two corridors. Except for the big screens – 8 and 9, they open off the main concourse.
They have both a concession area in the center of the concourse, as well as a food court with several fast food chains represented.
auditoriums are all stadium seating plain walls with heavy soundproofing and minimal decoration. the main auditoria have impressive screens.
Seating capacity totals 3,765 arranged as follows: 1-285, 2-285, 3-240, 4-240, 5-210, 6-210, 7-220, 8-410, 9-355, 10-165, 11-210, 12-220, 13-220, 14-220, 15-220.
1: 285
2: