Since the Boston Opera House on Huntington Avenue was demolished in 1958, there can be no “recent exterior view” of it.
Your photo is of the former BF Keith Memorial Theatre on Washington Street, later called Savoy, and now called Opera House. Its CinemaTreasures page is here.
And yes, that photo is the same Star Theatre. I don’t remember whether I saw that photo before in a book or online, but it’s the same theatre. Changing the address to “5 Tremont Row” would not help Google Maps, since Tremont Row is another discontinued street.
Scollay Square doesn’t exist anymore as a street address, and the street layout in that area has been changed so much (by the project that demolished the Rialto) that it doesn’t make sense to replace it with a current address.
The neighborhood surrounding Symphony Hall is largely populated by students from Northeastern, Berklee, Boston Conservatory, and New England Conservatory. I’ve never seen or heard of any “social decay” anywhere near there, beyond the occasional drunk student. I’d walk there at any time of day or night.
There’s nothing “rough” about Symphony Hall’s neighborhood. It is next to Northeastern University, Jordan Hall, the Christian Science Church, and other fine institutions.
The ang doesn’t seem to be doing to well these days. Every other major local performing-arts organization has long since announced their 2008-09 calendar and starting selling subscriptions. Not the Wang. When I walked up to their box office a couple of weeks ago, they still had no information available about the upcoming season.
It’s true that there are only two movie theatres remaining in Boston — Regal Fenway 13 and Loews Boston Common (which was built partly on the former site of the State).
But I would not describe these two, with stadium seating and large screens, as “mini-box multiplexes”. That label would better describe the late and mostly unlamented Copley Place Cinemas.
Boston does still have a number of former movie theatres now used for live performances: the Orpheum, Opera House (originally Keith Memorial, later Savoy), Majestic (formerly Saxon), Wang (originally Metropolitan, then Music Hall), Stuart Street Playhouse (originally Cinema 57), Berklee Performance Center (originally Fenway), Boston University Theatre (originally Repertory Theatre of Boston, later Esquire), C. Walsh Theatre (originally Suffolk). and the Strand Theatre in Dorchester.
In yesterday’s Boston Globe City Weekly: Strand repairs worth all the bother, an article explaining why the theatre has been closed more than it’s been open over the last three years. It will reopen next month, but more repairs are planned for 2009. I don’t know if that work will require closing it again.
> I don’t believe that one single-screen theatre was built in Boston after the Circle went up
The Abbey, (second) Beacon Hill, Charles, Pi Alley, Paris, and Village Cinema (West Roxbury) all opened as single-screeners after 1940, though the first four eventually acquired more screens.
There was also Cinema 733, the second Kenmore Square theatre, and the Garden Cinema, but these opened in buildings originally built for other purposes.
More specifically here.
Since the Boston Opera House on Huntington Avenue was demolished in 1958, there can be no “recent exterior view” of it.
Your photo is of the former BF Keith Memorial Theatre on Washington Street, later called Savoy, and now called Opera House. Its CinemaTreasures page is here.
Can you scan that in, upload it to some place like flickr or photobucket, and post a link to it here?
Thanks. Why are so many cars parked in the lot?
Are movies still shown here? The marquee in that photo advertises only a flea market.
Aren’t the Walter Reade and the Symphony Space/Thalia also single screens?
And yes, that photo is the same Star Theatre. I don’t remember whether I saw that photo before in a book or online, but it’s the same theatre. Changing the address to “5 Tremont Row” would not help Google Maps, since Tremont Row is another discontinued street.
Scollay Square doesn’t exist anymore as a street address, and the street layout in that area has been changed so much (by the project that demolished the Rialto) that it doesn’t make sense to replace it with a current address.
The neighborhood surrounding Symphony Hall is largely populated by students from Northeastern, Berklee, Boston Conservatory, and New England Conservatory. I’ve never seen or heard of any “social decay” anywhere near there, beyond the occasional drunk student. I’d walk there at any time of day or night.
Will you get to Boston eventually?
Unfortunately, Ferrante-Dege closed on October 13, 2006.
Will you be presenting just movies, or also live entertainment?
There’s nothing “rough” about Symphony Hall’s neighborhood. It is next to Northeastern University, Jordan Hall, the Christian Science Church, and other fine institutions.
I wouldn’t call the Orpheum “little”.
It lasted 21 years — that’s reasonably long.
I hope that’s not true, as I have tickets to the Old 97’s at the Wilbur on October 5!
The ang doesn’t seem to be doing to well these days. Every other major local performing-arts organization has long since announced their 2008-09 calendar and starting selling subscriptions. Not the Wang. When I walked up to their box office a couple of weeks ago, they still had no information available about the upcoming season.
Also worth noting: CinemaSmith is across the street from Brookline’s lovely Coolidge Corner Theatre.
That’s a lot of bicycles out front!
It’s true that there are only two movie theatres remaining in Boston — Regal Fenway 13 and Loews Boston Common (which was built partly on the former site of the State).
But I would not describe these two, with stadium seating and large screens, as “mini-box multiplexes”. That label would better describe the late and mostly unlamented Copley Place Cinemas.
Boston does still have a number of former movie theatres now used for live performances: the Orpheum, Opera House (originally Keith Memorial, later Savoy), Majestic (formerly Saxon), Wang (originally Metropolitan, then Music Hall), Stuart Street Playhouse (originally Cinema 57), Berklee Performance Center (originally Fenway), Boston University Theatre (originally Repertory Theatre of Boston, later Esquire), C. Walsh Theatre (originally Suffolk). and the Strand Theatre in Dorchester.
You’re welcome. Also, if you visited it in 1966, it was still then a single screen.
In yesterday’s Boston Globe City Weekly: Strand repairs worth all the bother, an article explaining why the theatre has been closed more than it’s been open over the last three years. It will reopen next month, but more repairs are planned for 2009. I don’t know if that work will require closing it again.
adding to the above: the letter-writer was manager of the Circle from 1971 to 1976, and assistant manager before that.
A long letter from James Bodge in yesterday’s Boston Globe City Weekly: The Circle was grand as long as it lasted
> I don’t believe that one single-screen theatre was built in Boston after the Circle went up
The Abbey, (second) Beacon Hill, Charles, Pi Alley, Paris, and Village Cinema (West Roxbury) all opened as single-screeners after 1940, though the first four eventually acquired more screens.
There was also Cinema 733, the second Kenmore Square theatre, and the Garden Cinema, but these opened in buildings originally built for other purposes.