Publix Theatre
659-65 Washington Street,
Boston,
MA
02201
659-65 Washington Street,
Boston,
MA
02201
12 people
favorited this theater
Showing 151 - 175 of 203 comments
It’s time for some dedicated folks to get out onto the site in shifts and physically prevent demolition. Dramatic confrontations like that get big news coverage and might result in some kind of compromise with the developer. There might be a few arrests, but I doubt there would be any prosecutions.
Well, I guess that isn’t going to happen, is it? I just had to make the suggestion, though.
The very latest from Lee Eiseman:
Subject: last word
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Tonight on WGBH 2 at 7:00 PM, Emily Rooney’s Greater Boston, will feature a 10 minute segment on the plight of The Gaiety Theatre. [i believe this show repeats at midnight — RN]
Unfortunately I must also report that Judge Spina of the SJC has rejected the standing of the Glass Slipper to request an injunction against demolition. His decision begins, “I have failed to conclude that the petitioners will suffer irreperable harm if an injunction does not issue…”
Thus, the remaining impediment to demolition of The Gaiety Theatre will be removed without a trial on the merits of the case ever having been heard. There now appears to be no further recourse.
Though this may be of little consolation to Gaiety Friends, the appeals process remains open to challengers of Kensington Place.
Ron—Many thanks for the Gaiety updates. Thank heaven for coverage by the “Sampan” and the “Phoenix.” Those and other postings provide a timely chronicle of the unfolding fate of this theater. They make a real case study in urban planning.
And here’s an editorial from Sampan: The Gaiety Deserves a Fair Trial
The demonstration took place and attracted about 40 people, many from Chinatown. I haven’t seen it written up in the daily papers, but the Chinatown newspaper Sampan has posted a short video. (Warning: this is a 6 meg video file).
Sampan also published this article last week, shortly before the demonstration:
A Third Life for the Gaiety? Also chech out their Timeline of Recent Events.
Did the demonstration take place? Was there any coverage by the press?
I apologize for all the typos in the previous post. I meant to hit the “preview” button.
I’m surprised the Globe hasn’t done so. I the eighties, they had a strong interest in city planning, even sponsoring conferences. I’d have hope that at least their architecture critic, Robert Campbell, might have weighed in on the matter.
The weekly Boston Phoenix has, along with publishing the most comprehensive coverage. Neither of the dailies have taken an official position.
Have any of the papers taken an editorial stand in favor of saving the theater?
To All Concerned: I hope you get a good turnout for and coverage of the rally tomorrow. It might help if representatives of interested groups get to speak in a presentation at the theater site. Some thoughtful quotes in the papers and sound bites on radio and TV news could only do good. I share BillA’s cautions; with land use cases, you just never know. It’s one of the more arcane areas of law, which sometimes can work in your favor. At least the Supreme Court has agreed to hear it.
The best way to get something like that fixed is to fill out the Contact Us form, specifying that this is a “Correction”.
As per my message dated Nov 13, 2004, the headers need to be updated for the Publix Theatre.
Seats: 1,700
Architect: Clarence H. Blackall
Today’s Boston Phoenix has an update on the situation.
What a saga!!! And the irony of an attorney for a strip club taking up the cudgel to save the marvelous old Gaiety!! As an attorney myself I despair of the ultimate result, yet there is still hope. Also, a good dose of civil disobedience mught be in order should the bulldozers actually roll. I await continuing developments with great interest. This case has all the earmarks of a death penalty case, which actually is quite appropriate. God willing, our client will prevail.
Advocate
A friend who works in downtown Boston just informed me that, earlier this afternoon, he saw construction-type (or, more aptly, given the situation, demolition) workers in the former Gaiety lobby space… an interesting sight, to say the least, given the circumstances and some of the illegal demo-prep done prior to the work-stop action issued against Kensington…
And now it looks like the demonstration has been postponed to Friday, January 7 at noon, because of anticipated bad weather on Thursday.
The court hearing has also been postponed, to Tuesday, January 11 at 10 am, still at 1 Beacon Street, third floor.
Define irony: the banner I spotted hanging on a utility pole extension outside the Gaiety/Publix Theatre building (and, granted, these banners are posted throughout the area) while visiting family over the holidays, touting passersby presence in ‘Boston’s Historic Theatre District’. Interesting idea that, hanging one of those banners out front of a building so distinctly, at least in the eyes of Mayor Thomas Menino and the other supporters of the Kensington Place development, NOT a theatre…
I got another e-mail from Lee after submitting the above item. There will be one demonstration in front of the theatre this week (not one per day). It will take place at noon on Thursday, January 6.
It’s a relief that Judge Spina sees the links between the cases filed by attorney Ken Tatarian. This is why we have an appeals process.
The latest e-mail missive from Lee Eiseman of Friends of the Gaiety Theatre:
As of New Year’s Eve I can report that The Gaiety has had another reprieve!
In a brief submitted to Judge Francis Spina of The Massachusetts Supreme Court, the lawyer for The Glass Slipper [a strip club next to the Gaiety, also threatened with demolition] argued that demolition of the theatre would deprive his client of the right to several substantial arguments in cases still open in Massachusetts Land Court.
Judge Spina asked Kensington Development for assurances that they would refrain from demolition until after Judge Spina decides the case which will be heard on Friday, January 7, 9:30 am at 1 Beacon Street 3rd floor. Kensington has assented to this request. The public and press may attend.
The Supreme Court has very high standards for accepting cases. They must believe that a message needs to be sent to the lower courts. There are some substantial legal issues here that need enlightened adjudication.
Starting Monday, I would like to have half-hour lunchtime vigils in front of the theatre every day through Friday. Please let me know if you will participate.
Thanks,
Lee
I e-mailed Lee Eiseman to ask what the latest news is, if any. He told me that he heard the Glass Slipper was appealing to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. But this is unconfirmed information for now.
When this theatre was still open as a double-feature second-run house in the 1970s, it never advertised in any newspaper. To find out what was playing here, you had to look in the (probably unpaid) fine-print listings in the Boston Globe, Boston Phoenix, or Real Paper.
Publix Theaters were a part of Paramount Pictures, which was known as Paramount-Publix Corporation in the 30’s before reorganizing into Paramount Pictures Corp. The theater chain later was spun off into United Paramount Theatres, then bought by ABC, then sold off to other regional chains like Plitt Theatres. Many of the local Paramounts were operated by affiliated companies rather than direct subsidiaries of Paramount. The consent decree broke this system up and many local Paramounts became independent theaters or parts of smaller and unrelated chains. The last chain to operate the Boston Paramount was General Cinemas.
This chain was entirely unrelated to the Publix/Gaiety Theatre, which was last operated by E.M. Loew’s Theatres (not to be confused with Loew’s Theatres of NYC). It was E.M. Loew who renamed it the Publix Theatre.
Responding to the very first comment above…
The Publix and Paramount were two separate theaters — BUT, the Paramount has a logo on it that says “Publix Theatres”. You can see it near the top right of the Paramount’s (restored) façade.
That’s too bad…here’s my great Publix memory: a street person trying to sell me reefer in front of the building around 1990. For the record…I declined…looked like it was about to fall down at that time.
But, I don’t think Boston has done badly. If you live in Houston or Cincinnati…I will listen to your complaints.
By the way…this is a great site. I haven’t had the time to keep on preservation efforts much in the last ten years…and this makes it possible. Good job!