According to Patriot’s web site, this theatre is temporarily closed because of construction. Here is a whole page of construction photos. Looks like they’re adding on a new front.
The ‘Narcissus’ club was formerly called ‘Lucifer’. There were two other clubs in the same building, ‘K-K-K-Katy’s’ and ‘Yesterday’.
But these were not the only clubs in Kenmore Square, nor the last ones to operate. That honor goes to the ‘Rathskeller’ (almost always called the ‘Rat’) on the south side of the square. It was torn down, along with many other buildings, to make way for the Hotel Commonwealth.
WHDH radio 85 (really 850) no longer exists. The frequency now belongs to WEEI Sports Radio, home of the Red Sox. No idea if Jess Cain is still living.
The Little Building at 80 Boylston Street, now an Emerson College dormitory, displays at its front entrance some panels detailing the college’s history. One of them says that Emerson College occupied Chickering Hall from 1901 to 1911, with offices and a library on the first floor, nine classrooms on the second floor, and morning use of the (then) 800-seat auditorium.
By 1911, the college could no longer afford to remain here, and it relocated to smaller and less luxurious quarters in Copley Square.
(Of course, Emerson is much richer and larger these days. It now owns the beautifully restored Majestic Theatre and has announced plans to renovate the Paramount as well.)
The current Loews Liberty Tree Mall cinema replaced this one and this one. Loews inherited both of these from Sack Theatres, though it had originally built one of them.
When I was a very little kid, my mom used to take me to the Sears store at Crosstown. It seemed enormous to me at the time. Was it near this theatre, and is it still a Sears store?
This page from Memphis Magazine says the first Holiday Inn opened in 1952 at 4941 Summer Avenue, just east of Mendenhall. That would be a few blocks west of the older drive-in, and on the other side of Summer Avenue.
The page says that Holiday Inn was converted into a Royal Oaks Motel, then torn down in 1995 and replaced by a funeral home.
Those listings say that one of them closed on August 31, 1966 and the other one opened the following day, just up the street. This makes me wonder if Interstate highway construction was responsible for this drive-in being relocated.
Now I’m wondering if there used to be another drive-in in the same neighborhood, that got replaced by this one. The one I remember going to was on the north side of Summer, right around White Station, just west of I-240 (which was still under construction back then). This one seems to be east of I-240.
This week’s Boston Phoenix, on page 20, has a 1985 photo of the Pilgrim Theatre and two neighboring strip clubs — all of which have been demolished. The photo is also online here, but the online version is much too small.
I don’t know anything about it, but have you tried contacting that library branch? They probably have some historical records of the neighborhood, including what preceded them on their site.
Recent construction at Charles River Plaza has changed the street addresses of some buildings there. The building that formerly contained the Charles Cinema is now called 185 Cambridge Street.
People on the ArchBoston.com forum (see this thread and this one) say that the Gaiety’s last wall was finally demolished over the last few days. I haven’t had a chance to take my own look yet.
If anyone from Cinema Treasures is listening here,
can you do something about the very wide column of text?
It’s impossible to read without horizontal scrolling.
The Boston Athenaeum has an extensive collection of Boston theatre playbills. Send a message to their librarian, Rebecka Persson: and she may be able to help you.
According to Patriot’s web site, this theatre is temporarily closed because of construction. Here is a whole page of construction photos. Looks like they’re adding on a new front.
That’s sad to hear. I hope someone else can repoen it, but I have to wonder — if Patriot couldn’t make it here, who can?
Why? Surely the Embassy is a better theatre in every way.
The ‘Narcissus’ club was formerly called ‘Lucifer’. There were two other clubs in the same building, ‘K-K-K-Katy’s’ and ‘Yesterday’.
But these were not the only clubs in Kenmore Square, nor the last ones to operate. That honor goes to the ‘Rathskeller’ (almost always called the ‘Rat’) on the south side of the square. It was torn down, along with many other buildings, to make way for the Hotel Commonwealth.
The same organization, CAPA, operates both the Ohio and the Palace. They probably think the Ohio’s organ is all they need downtown.
WHDH radio 85 (really 850) no longer exists. The frequency now belongs to WEEI Sports Radio, home of the Red Sox. No idea if Jess Cain is still living.
Suburban? At this location?
The Little Building at 80 Boylston Street, now an Emerson College dormitory, displays at its front entrance some panels detailing the college’s history. One of them says that Emerson College occupied Chickering Hall from 1901 to 1911, with offices and a library on the first floor, nine classrooms on the second floor, and morning use of the (then) 800-seat auditorium.
By 1911, the college could no longer afford to remain here, and it relocated to smaller and less luxurious quarters in Copley Square.
(Of course, Emerson is much richer and larger these days. It now owns the beautifully restored Majestic Theatre and has announced plans to renovate the Paramount as well.)
The current Loews Liberty Tree Mall cinema replaced this one and this one. Loews inherited both of these from Sack Theatres, though it had originally built one of them.
When I was a very little kid, my mom used to take me to the Sears store at Crosstown. It seemed enormous to me at the time. Was it near this theatre, and is it still a Sears store?
This page from Memphis Magazine says the first Holiday Inn opened in 1952 at 4941 Summer Avenue, just east of Mendenhall. That would be a few blocks west of the older drive-in, and on the other side of Summer Avenue.
The page says that Holiday Inn was converted into a Royal Oaks Motel, then torn down in 1995 and replaced by a funeral home.
The Brattle Theatre is in imminent danger of closing if it does not raise $400,000 by the end of this year.
Those listings say that one of them closed on August 31, 1966 and the other one opened the following day, just up the street. This makes me wonder if Interstate highway construction was responsible for this drive-in being relocated.
Now I’m wondering if there used to be another drive-in in the same neighborhood, that got replaced by this one. The one I remember going to was on the north side of Summer, right around White Station, just west of I-240 (which was still under construction back then). This one seems to be east of I-240.
No, this article on the Gaiety, from a year ago, was even longer than the Glass Slipper article.
This week’s Boston Phoenix has a long article about the Glass Slipper, the neighboring strip club that had a prominent role in the Gaiety Theatre saga.
This week’s Boston Phoenix, on page 20, has a 1985 photo of the Pilgrim Theatre and two neighboring strip clubs — all of which have been demolished. The photo is also online here, but the online version is much too small.
I don’t know anything about it, but have you tried contacting that library branch? They probably have some historical records of the neighborhood, including what preceded them on their site.
Recent construction at Charles River Plaza has changed the street addresses of some buildings there. The building that formerly contained the Charles Cinema is now called 185 Cambridge Street.
People on the ArchBoston.com forum (see this thread and this one) say that the Gaiety’s last wall was finally demolished over the last few days. I haven’t had a chance to take my own look yet.
If anyone from Cinema Treasures is listening here,
can you do something about the very wide column of text?
It’s impossible to read without horizontal scrolling.
I never knew this theatre ever showed silent films with live musical accompaniment. How common are such events here?
This theatre was no longer named “Keith’s” by 1935. The show was probably at the RKO Keith Memorial, or possibly the RKO Keith-Boston.
The Boston Athenaeum has an extensive collection of Boston theatre playbills. Send a message to their librarian, Rebecka Persson: and she may be able to help you.
Yes; please read all of the comments above.
The Zeotrope has closed. Here are two articles from the Milford Daily News:
Zeotrope Theatre fades to black
Zeotrope takes a bow