Paramount Center
549-59 Washington Street,
Boston,
MA
02111
549-59 Washington Street,
Boston,
MA
02111
18 people
favorited this theater
Showing 176 - 200 of 266 comments
This glass high-rise next door to the Paramount – is that the building that contais the Loews Boston Common Theatre?
Is jmorong still around? The link to his photos doesn’t work anymore.
Emerson College has issued a new press release about the Paramount Center project.
“New drawings prepared by Elkus/Manfredi Architects show a revised design for the buildings and the layout and space utilization inside the buildings. It depicts two theaters — a 550-seat main stage theater in the existing Paramount Theater with a proscenium opening, trap room, orchestra pit, dressing rooms and green room — and a 125-seat black box theater in the new building with dressing rooms and a green room. There will also be a 200-seat film screening room in the new building.”
View link
Ron,
I have spoken with David Guss (curator of the Lost Theatres of Somerville event) and we hope to host a THSA group at Somerville too. Thanks for your reply about Mr. Viano’s lecture. Bob was the theater’s historian, but unfortunately after his death, his meticulous archives were accidentally thrown out by movers cleaning out his home. What a loss. I hope to go along for some of the THSA visits around town next year.
The THSA convention in Boston-Providence-Worcester is scheduled for late-June of 2006, not 2005 as stated above. The Paramount will be viewed during the downtown walking tour.
to Ian Judge: I’m glad to know that the facade panels which I saw being applied to the front of the theatre are the original pieces and not replicated material, as I thought at the time. Yes, I attended the late Bob Viano’s lecture from the stage of the Somerville Th. during the THSA convention in July 1983. Bob spoke for a good 10 minutes with considerable warm feeling about the history of the theatre, which his family owned. I was on the THSA Conclave committee (4 persons), so I attended almost all of the events that July, 22 years ago! THSA is having a convention centered in Boston in late-June 2005, and I’m on that committee, too. I know that the attendees will enjoy the Paramount’s facade.
I’m looking at the marquee photos here (http://www.archboston.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=100&start=15), and what doesn’t look right about it is that they are using reverse zip-change letters (clear letters – blk bkgrnd) and all the areas where the white plastic is exposed without a letter should be covered by black spacers. With those type of letters the only white on the marquee should be the lettering.
Ron, I am fairly certain that the facade was removed and cleaned and put back in place, medallions and all, not replaced or replicated by new material. I worked next door during the time it was renovated, and all of the pieces of masonry were numbered as they were removed and returned in crates with numbers as well, so the construction crews put every slab back in the correct place. I believe that everything is original on the exterior.
I think the marquee looks not quite ‘right’ because they use (as all new marquees do) plastic panels for the lettering areas, as opposed to the milky glass old marquees used to have. That old glass look is more attractive visually than the super-clean plastic.
Did you attend other tours with the THSA group in ‘83? I ask because I am trying to locate any photos taken during a tour of my theater (Somerville Theatre) during that year. A lecture was given by the late Robert Viano about the Somerville’s history. Any chance you attended? Thanks!
The Paramount often showed films day-and-date with the Fenway uptown in the 1950s. It was in good condition back then, and even up into the 1960s. Back around 2001, when the marquee was disassembled and the vertical was removed so that they could be rebuilt and rewired, the facade was stripped down, the 2 medallions were removed also.Then the facade was replicated using panels of some sort of material which were applied one by one. The 2 medallions were then put into place, but I don’t know if they are original or replicas. After this work was done, the restored vertical was reattached and relit, followed by the marquee in the spring of 2003. The marquee doesn’t look quite “right” to me, but is better than nothing ! It was a nice place to see the latest flicks and drew good houses, even in the afternoons when I went there after classes. I was shocked when I got inside it in 1983 with a THSA group— the place was in shambles after being closed for about 7 years.
I hope the Paramount is restored at least a little to resemble its art deco past. I hope the theatre isn’t chopped up to look like modern day black box theatres because that would be a shame.brucec
There was a film company called Cinerama Releasing that distributed films such as, “Me, Natalie” with Patty Duke, “Scrooge” with Alber Finny, “The Boys In The Band”, and I think “Lovers And Other Strangers”
Are you sure about that? I thought Cinerama films showed only at the former RKO Boston (later renamed Boston Cinerama).
This was a great large theatre that showed alot of Cinerama relaeasing films in the 70’s. saw “Scrooge” there and the size of the screen and sound was great!
According to Donald C. King’s new book The Theatres of Boston: A Stage and Screen History, General Cinema leased the Paramount in October 1968, operating it as a first-run house. General Cinema left in March 1972, and new management changed the booking policy to low-priced double features. In June 1974, it began showing pornographic films.
also…they will need to make space for sound and light booths for both theaters…man space is filling up fast!
Dave:
A black box theater is a small theater (usually under 100 seats) that has no fixed stage per say. The seats are usually located directly on the floor of the space or on small risers etc. They are not fixed to allow greater flexibility for shows etc.Usually smaller shows and staged readings are done in spaces like this.They are very nice intimate theater spaces and i for one am very glad that they are making one. The BCA has a black box theater that seats 90, i think and is only about 1000-1200 square feet. I think if you go to their website they may have pictures or floorplans.
So it does make sense that they may have two theaters but with a black box of about 100 and then a 475 seat theater. They will probably use the existing stage for the big 475 theater and then do somehting with the upper levels to create the black box etc. You also have to take into accout that the theaters will need dressing rooms etc. Not to mention probably small rehearsal spaces, offices and prop/scenic storage etc.
Hope that helps…
I haven’t seen a proposed floorplan yet, though it’s possible one is available at Emerson’s press office. Planning is still in a preliminary stage. Emerson is starting with an earlier proposal that was developed a couple years ago when the American Repertory Theatre was considering taking over the Paramount.
I did run into someone from Elkus-Manfredi over the weekend, and he made it pretty clear that this should be considered a renovation rather than a restoration.
And here’s one other thing to keep an eye on. Yesterday Emerson’s faculty voted overwhelmingly to demand the college president’s resignation. If they get their way, will it affect plans for the Paramount?
Could someone please define “black-box theater”?
To the Bostonians on this site: Has there been a proposed floorplan published anywhere for the public to see? I’m curious to see how a theatre that originally had 1700 seats in one space will have, post-restoration, only 575 seats in two spaces. Has there been any indication of what architectural elements will be restored?
I remember seeing the then X rated Fritx the cat at the paramount when it first came out…I skipped school from Taunton Mass with a friend to see our FIRST x rated flick!! after moving to Boston in the 70’s I did sit thru a Thangsgiving program of ALL Planet of the apes flicks believe it was round 74 or 75!!! Also remember all the ADULT theaters there in late 70;s as well Marty
And here’s the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s press release about this project.
A few weeks ago, before the Emerson announcement, someone started a thread about this theatre at CinemaTour.com . I posted a message there, linking to all the photos taken by Downtown Dave, Ian, and jmorong. It got a long response, which you can read here:
CinemaTour.com forum: Restoring An ‘Original’ Boston Treasure
Thanks, j. If you could put symlinks at the two old URLs, pointing to the new one, that will be helpful to people who try to use them.
My friend returned to the Paramount with a better camera, and took some more interior shots:
Paramount Interior Views
He also took a couple more exterior shots of the vertical sign and marquee.
(on both pages, scroll down to “Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005”)
Ron:
I will not change it again. Here is the final URL where it will sit:
View link
-j.