I can try to find a Spanish-language newspaper from the 1970s at the Boston Public Library, and see if it had an advertisement for this theatre. I don’t know anyone at Villa Victoria or the South End Historical Society, but people there might know as well.
The street address 1741 Washington no longer exists; the numbers now jump from 1723 (a newly-built extension to the Smith Block, where the theatre used to be) directly to 1745 (Olympia Flower Store).
All Salem has today is the Museum Place triplex, one of those multiplex shoeboxes. It was built by Sack in 1982, later became independent, and is now run by Patriot Cinemas. It doesn’t have an entry here at CinemaTreasures. I posted a 1982 Boston Globe article about its opening here.
At least there are still movies in downtown Salem. So many other town centers no longer have theatres of any kind.
I encourage you to submit new entries for all of the Salem theatres you remember.
The Strand seems to be in a state of limbo. The city did not renew the 25-year lease of the McCormack Center for the Arts when that lease expired last year. The city then put out bids for a new lessor, but either didn’t get any, or didn’t like the ones it received. Occasional events still occur here, but the programming falls far short of the venue’s potential.
The state plans to upgrade and expand service on the Fairmount commuter rail line, which stops in Uphams Corner. That could help the Strand, but the theatre is several blocks away from the railroad stop, and not visible from there.
Based on everyone’s comments, I sent in a Correction with the new summary that you see above. I hope everyone likes it. If not, feel free to send in another correction.
If we were starting over, I’d create two separate entries, but this at least clarifies the history.
I talked to a construction worker this morning. He said that demolition will continue for at least another month. It’s a slow process because they need to protect adjoining buildings from damage. The Washington Street front will likely be the last wall to go.
He also said that they were making some effort to save the plaster faces, but that they were seriously deteriorated. They made “rubber casts” of the faces and are storing them in a warehouse. It sounds like the developer wants to use either the originals or reproductions as part of the decor in the new residential tower.
Across the street, workers are fixing up 20-22 La Grange Street, next to Centerfolds. Presumably they are preparing it to become the new site of the Glass Slipper, so that the current Glass Slipper building at 15 La Grange can also be demolished.
The address of the second Beacon Hill (and later of the Copy Cop that replaced it) was One Beacon Street, but the entrance was on Tremont Street, just north of Beacon. The two streets meet at right angles.
The sequence of events was:
– Beacon Theatre opened in 1913
– Beacon Theatre was renamed to Beacon Hill Theatre in the 1950s (maybe by Ben Sack?)
– First Beacon Hill Theatre was torn down in 1969. (You could consider it the very last of the Scollay Square theatres to be demolished.)
– Second Beacon Hill Theatre opened in 1971. It was a single screen, underground, in approximately the same location as the first theatre.
– Second Beacon Hill Theatre was triplexed some time in the early 1980s
– Second Beacon Hill Theatre closed in 1992
It’s hard to separate this into two different entries because the first theatre was renamed part way through, then the second theatre was given the same name as the first.
OK then my next question is, are you sure the theatre was ever called Olympia? I’ve found various references to a Puritan theatre in this neighborhood, but none (other than this page) to an Olympia theatre.
Robert Redford had planned to build a Sundance Cinema on Lansdowne Street across from Fenway Park, on the site of a parking garage. That plan died in 1999 or 2000 along with the entire Sundance Cinema scheme, a victim of General Cinema’s bankruptcy.
Olympia Flower Store was for many years at 1747 Washington Street, but when I just called them, they told me they have moved next door to 1745 Washington. Here’s an old photo of their store. Was the theatre in the building to its right, with the signs that say ‘DENTIST’ ?
The next time you’re here, can you take a look at Minot Hall and tell us if it was the location of this theatre? If it wasn’t, then the address given here is wrong. I’m still wondering whether this listing and the one for Puritan Theatre are actually referring to the same theatre.
1723 Washington Street is the address of Minot Hall, whose history is described here. It has been converted to condominiums. The history page very briefly mentions its use as a theatre, but gives no details. It also says that 1899 photos show it as the Hotel Olympia.
If this was really the location of a movie theatre, then the status should not be “Closed/Demolished”. The building is still standing and has been reused. Also, it’s at the corner of Washington and Springfield Streets, not Washington St. and Mass. Av.
Gerald or anyone else, can you shed some more light on this?
Death of a Theatre. I don’t know who this person is, but he managed to get inside the Gaiety in February, just before demolition, and take these great photos.
(By the way, I found this via Technorati, which searches only blogs and therefore finds a lot of stuff that Google misses.)
I can try to find a Spanish-language newspaper from the 1970s at the Boston Public Library, and see if it had an advertisement for this theatre. I don’t know anyone at Villa Victoria or the South End Historical Society, but people there might know as well.
The street address 1741 Washington no longer exists; the numbers now jump from 1723 (a newly-built extension to the Smith Block, where the theatre used to be) directly to 1745 (Olympia Flower Store).
A parade down Tremont Street, somewhere between 1939 and 1941. You can see the Tremont Theatre’s vertical sign. The photo is described here.
A second photo of the same parade, described here.
Given the Hall’s history, I’m surprised they didn’t start with an RKO film festival. That would still be a good idea to try in the future.
All Salem has today is the Museum Place triplex, one of those multiplex shoeboxes. It was built by Sack in 1982, later became independent, and is now run by Patriot Cinemas. It doesn’t have an entry here at CinemaTreasures. I posted a 1982 Boston Globe article about its opening here.
At least there are still movies in downtown Salem. So many other town centers no longer have theatres of any kind.
I encourage you to submit new entries for all of the Salem theatres you remember.
Two stereograph photos of the organ in the former Music Hall, some time before 1884:
photo #1 (description)
photo #2 (description)
A timeline of Strand Theatre history.
The Strand seems to be in a state of limbo. The city did not renew the 25-year lease of the McCormack Center for the Arts when that lease expired last year. The city then put out bids for a new lessor, but either didn’t get any, or didn’t like the ones it received. Occasional events still occur here, but the programming falls far short of the venue’s potential.
Here’s a report of a city task force on the Strand, issued last July.
The state plans to upgrade and expand service on the Fairmount commuter rail line, which stops in Uphams Corner. That could help the Strand, but the theatre is several blocks away from the railroad stop, and not visible from there.
Based on everyone’s comments, I sent in a Correction with the new summary that you see above. I hope everyone likes it. If not, feel free to send in another correction.
If we were starting over, I’d create two separate entries, but this at least clarifies the history.
AMC claims they built the first twin? That’s funny. How about this one?
I talked to a construction worker this morning. He said that demolition will continue for at least another month. It’s a slow process because they need to protect adjoining buildings from damage. The Washington Street front will likely be the last wall to go.
He also said that they were making some effort to save the plaster faces, but that they were seriously deteriorated. They made “rubber casts” of the faces and are storing them in a warehouse. It sounds like the developer wants to use either the originals or reproductions as part of the decor in the new residential tower.
Across the street, workers are fixing up 20-22 La Grange Street, next to Centerfolds. Presumably they are preparing it to become the new site of the Glass Slipper, so that the current Glass Slipper building at 15 La Grange can also be demolished.
Why are bar-coded tickets “stupid” ?
The address of the second Beacon Hill (and later of the Copy Cop that replaced it) was One Beacon Street, but the entrance was on Tremont Street, just north of Beacon. The two streets meet at right angles.
The sequence of events was:
– Beacon Theatre opened in 1913
– Beacon Theatre was renamed to Beacon Hill Theatre in the 1950s (maybe by Ben Sack?)
– First Beacon Hill Theatre was torn down in 1969. (You could consider it the very last of the Scollay Square theatres to be demolished.)
– Second Beacon Hill Theatre opened in 1971. It was a single screen, underground, in approximately the same location as the first theatre.
– Second Beacon Hill Theatre was triplexed some time in the early 1980s
– Second Beacon Hill Theatre closed in 1992
It’s hard to separate this into two different entries because the first theatre was renamed part way through, then the second theatre was given the same name as the first.
Actually, the subterranean cinema was built as a single screen, then much later subdivided into three.
Copy Cop has closed at this location. The former theatre entrance now has “Retail Space For Lease” signs in the windows.
Wasn’t this a Laemmle theatre in the 1980s?
According to a Boston Globe article published on March 5, 2000, this theatre spent its last years as a Spanish-language cinema, then burned in 1977.
Does anyone know what name it had when it showed Spanish films?
OK then my next question is, are you sure the theatre was ever called Olympia? I’ve found various references to a Puritan theatre in this neighborhood, but none (other than this page) to an Olympia theatre.
Robert Redford had planned to build a Sundance Cinema on Lansdowne Street across from Fenway Park, on the site of a parking garage. That plan died in 1999 or 2000 along with the entire Sundance Cinema scheme, a victim of General Cinema’s bankruptcy.
Olympia Flower Store was for many years at 1747 Washington Street, but when I just called them, they told me they have moved next door to 1745 Washington. Here’s an old photo of their store. Was the theatre in the building to its right, with the signs that say ‘DENTIST’ ?
The next time you’re here, can you take a look at Minot Hall and tell us if it was the location of this theatre? If it wasn’t, then the address given here is wrong. I’m still wondering whether this listing and the one for Puritan Theatre are actually referring to the same theatre.
1723 Washington Street is the address of Minot Hall, whose history is described here. It has been converted to condominiums. The history page very briefly mentions its use as a theatre, but gives no details. It also says that 1899 photos show it as the Hotel Olympia.
If this was really the location of a movie theatre, then the status should not be “Closed/Demolished”. The building is still standing and has been reused. Also, it’s at the corner of Washington and Springfield Streets, not Washington St. and Mass. Av.
Gerald or anyone else, can you shed some more light on this?
Sorry, I really don’t know anything about this.
Death of a Theatre. I don’t know who this person is, but he managed to get inside the Gaiety in February, just before demolition, and take these great photos.
(By the way, I found this via Technorati, which searches only blogs and therefore finds a lot of stuff that Google misses.)
This says that he became head of digital cinema at Kodak in 2003.