Gaiety Theatre Friends
For Immediate Release March 28, 2005
The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) will hold a hearing on appeals challenging the issuance of a demolition permit for Bostonâ€\s historic Gaiety Theatre.
Two Boston City Councilors, Felix Arroyo and Chuck Turner, and the Asian American Resource Workshop are the appellants.
The hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 29, at noon, in Boston City Hall Room 801.
The public and press are invited to witness and/or participate in this hearing. Â Please plan to come and demonstrate your support. While spoken testimony will be limited, everyone who attends will learn about the issues and receive photos of the theatre. Â All interested parties should submit written comments to the ZBA, at the hearing or in advance by fax 617-635-2918.
Possible outcomes include reversing the demolition permit, or mandating a replacement or substantial renovation to another existing theatre.
Members of the Appellants Groups will meet with the Press after the hearing.
Contacts:
Lee Eiseman, 617-241-7848 or Shirley Kressel, 617-421-0835
SUMMARY OF LEGAL ISSSUES
Boston Zoning Board of Appeal regarding appeals to reverse the Inspectional Services Department demolition permit # 1965 issued for the Gaiety Theatre, 659-665 Washington Street, Ward 3, BZC # 25978 & 25989 (3/29/05).
ISD should not have issued the demolition permit because the Zoning Board of Appeal has not made the findings required in Boston Zoning Code Article 38-21.2.  Article 38-21.2 prohibits Change of Use or Occupancy of any theatre in the Midtown Cultural District without specific ZBA findings that the change will not ³unduly diminish the historic character of the Midtown Cultural District as a cultural, entertainment, and theatrical showcase.² The ZBA has not yet reviewed this issue nor made these findings. Nor has any court ruled on any of the issues here presented, although Massachusetts Land Court ruled that certain appellants lacked standing to sue in that venue to prevent demolition.
The developer acknowledges that the project is subject to Article 38-21.2 but seeks to avoid the Article¹s theatre protection provisions by asserting that the Gaiety is not legally a theatre.  However, this is refuted by ISD¹s own records, including the demolition permit itself, which classify the Gaiety as a theatre.  History and common sense also contradict this claim. Â
When ISD issued the demolition permit, it reportedly assumed that the project¹s designation as a Planned Development Area overrides all zoning, including Article 38-21.2.  However, Article 80C-9 of the Zoning Code, which allows the creation of PDAs, states: ³Nothing in this Article shall be construed to limit the power of the Board of Appeal to grant Zoning Relief for Proposed Projects in Planned Development Areas…² Â
If ISD issued the demolition permit in violation of the Boston Zoning Code, the ZBA must reverse it. Â If the ZBA subsequently decides to grant a Change of Use or Occupancy after considering evidence regarding the criteria set forth in Article 38-21.2, the code requires that the developer build a replacement theater or rehabilitate an existing theater.
An alternative development proposal preserving the Theatre would provide more construction jobs, more permanent jobs, and more economic development (related businesses, jobs and customers) than the current proposal, and would bring residents and tourists to the area to make a vibrant 24-hour neighborhood.  The revitalized Gaiety Theatre could become an economic engine that is part of the city¹s ³creative economy.²
And here’s a wonderful 1944 photo of this theatre, then apparently called “RKO Keith-Boston”. (Scroll down to the second photo.) A live radio show, “Blind Date” with Arlene Francis, is being broadcast from the theatre. Also featured are Bob Chester and His Orchestra, and the movie Seven Days Ashore with Wally Brown.
The Washington-Essex building still stands, but the scene is otherwise nearly unrecognizable today. All of the chain stores shown in the photo — Bond Clothes, Thom McAn, Kay Jewelers — are long gone from this block. The grand marquee and the theatre entrance itself have also vanished, replaced by an entrance to the Chinatown Orange Line subway station. Which is most unfortunate, because as a result, people have forgotten that this theatre even exists anymore.
I should clarify my earlier comment, to say that this is one of the very few Sack Theatres still operating as a cinema. Four of their former downtown Boston theatres have been converted (or re-converted) to live stages.
This is one of the very few former Sack Theatres still operating. The others:
Assembly Square Cinemas, Somerville (still run by Loews today)
Museum Place Cinemas, Salem (now run by Patriot Cinemas)
Lexington Flick, Lexington (now independent)
The current owners initially reopened this as a low-priced second-run house, with the name ‘Hollywood Hits Discount Theatre’. As time went on they gradually shifted towards full-priced first runs, and changed ‘Discount’ to ‘Premiere’ in their name.
At the time they opened, they declared their intent to create an entire chain of theatres to be called ‘Hollywood Hits’, but so far they have yet to open any others.
Digital? Yes, they are currently showing Robots in digital projection, according to an ad in last Sunday’s Boston Globe.
Indie films? Not really. Loews Boston Common is the epitome of mainstream Hollywood film programming, as is its competitor, AMC Fenway 13. For anything of specialized or limited interest, you usually need to go either to the Museum of Fine Arts or else out of the city, to the Brattle, Harvard Film Archive, Kendall Square, Coolidge, or West Newton.
However, the Boston Film Festival, which used to take place at the late unlamented Loews Copley Place, will probably move to the Boston Common this fall.
There’s really nothing left of the blue laws. The last restriction was that liquor stores could not be open on Sunday, and that was repealed a few years ago.
We’ve got a listing for the Fine Arts. Check it out.
At various times, I think the Paris, Kenmore Square, and Park Square were also part of the Esquire ‘chain’. What’s now the Boston University (Huntington) Theatre was also called the Esquire when it was a movie theatre, so I wonder if it too was affiliated.
When I walked by the Gayety this afternoon, I saw no signs of any demolition activity. The exterior of the building appears untouched, though it is very obviously being prepared for demolition.
However, I talked to the operator of the parking lot on Lagrange Street, and he told me that the street had been blocked off yesterday by the demolition contractors. He expects them to return tomorrow and close the street again. Two buildings are to be demolished — the Gaiety Theater, and another structure on Lagrange that has signs reading “Club New Orleans” and “Good Times”.
This I don’t know. I remember that he opposed demolishing the Pilgrim Theatre ten years ago — mainly because the owner at the time had no development plan at the time and was going to put in a parking lot.
Emerson College’s new Tufte Performance Production Center appears to occupy at least a small amount of the space where the Gary (Plymouth) Theatre once stood.
The Tufte Center includes two small stage theatres, the Semel and the Greene.
I don’t see anything in today’s paper, but I’ll keep looking. When I walked by the building yesterday afternoon, it was not yet obvious to me that demolition had begun.
Some of the expanded stagehouse and loading docks for the Opera House appear to occupy part of the space where two earlier theatres once stood: the Bijou (later briefly called the Intown) and the first BF Keith’s Theatre (later called Lyric, Normandie and Laffmovie among other names.).
The Bijou closed in the 1940s as a result of stricter fire laws enacted after the Cocoanut Grove nightclub disaster; its fire exits had led to the two adjoining theatres rather than to the outdoors.
The first BF Keith Theatre, by then called the Laffmovie, was demolished in the early 1950s by the neighboring Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper, which wanted to expand its operations.
[information compiled from several sources in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library, including Douglas Shand-Tucci’s unpublished 1968 draft manuscript The Puritan Muse and Donald C. King’s Historical Survey of the Theatres of Boston, published in the Third Quarter 1974 issue of the Theatre Historical Society’s magazine Marquee.]
Although General Cinema had its headquarters in neighboring Newton, this was the chain’s first foray into Boston city limits since closing or selling the Paramount in the early 1970s.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this. I’ll try to talk to Lee later today or tomorrow if he doesn’t send me an e-mail update.
A couple of festivals coming up at the Somerville next month:
Boston Underground Film Festival, April 6-10. I assume this is in the main theatre, but the site doesn’t say.
Independent Film Festival of Boston, April 21-24. In theatres 2 through 5 of the Somerville, as well as at the Brattle, the Coolidge, and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Gaiety Theatre Friends
For Immediate Release March 28, 2005
The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) will hold a hearing on appeals challenging the issuance of a demolition permit for Bostonâ€\s historic Gaiety Theatre.
Two Boston City Councilors, Felix Arroyo and Chuck Turner, and the Asian American Resource Workshop are the appellants.
The hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 29, at noon, in Boston City Hall Room 801.
The public and press are invited to witness and/or participate in this hearing. Â Please plan to come and demonstrate your support. While spoken testimony will be limited, everyone who attends will learn about the issues and receive photos of the theatre. Â All interested parties should submit written comments to the ZBA, at the hearing or in advance by fax 617-635-2918.
Possible outcomes include reversing the demolition permit, or mandating a replacement or substantial renovation to another existing theatre.
Members of the Appellants Groups will meet with the Press after the hearing.
More information about The Gaiety:
http://gaietyboston.com
Contacts:
Lee Eiseman, 617-241-7848 or Shirley Kressel, 617-421-0835
SUMMARY OF LEGAL ISSSUES
Boston Zoning Board of Appeal regarding appeals to reverse the Inspectional Services Department demolition permit # 1965 issued for the Gaiety Theatre, 659-665 Washington Street, Ward 3, BZC # 25978 & 25989 (3/29/05).
ISD should not have issued the demolition permit because the Zoning Board of Appeal has not made the findings required in Boston Zoning Code Article 38-21.2.  Article 38-21.2 prohibits Change of Use or Occupancy of any theatre in the Midtown Cultural District without specific ZBA findings that the change will not ³unduly diminish the historic character of the Midtown Cultural District as a cultural, entertainment, and theatrical showcase.² The ZBA has not yet reviewed this issue nor made these findings. Nor has any court ruled on any of the issues here presented, although Massachusetts Land Court ruled that certain appellants lacked standing to sue in that venue to prevent demolition.
The developer acknowledges that the project is subject to Article 38-21.2 but seeks to avoid the Article¹s theatre protection provisions by asserting that the Gaiety is not legally a theatre.  However, this is refuted by ISD¹s own records, including the demolition permit itself, which classify the Gaiety as a theatre.  History and common sense also contradict this claim. Â
When ISD issued the demolition permit, it reportedly assumed that the project¹s designation as a Planned Development Area overrides all zoning, including Article 38-21.2.  However, Article 80C-9 of the Zoning Code, which allows the creation of PDAs, states: ³Nothing in this Article shall be construed to limit the power of the Board of Appeal to grant Zoning Relief for Proposed Projects in Planned Development Areas…² Â
If ISD issued the demolition permit in violation of the Boston Zoning Code, the ZBA must reverse it. Â If the ZBA subsequently decides to grant a Change of Use or Occupancy after considering evidence regarding the criteria set forth in Article 38-21.2, the code requires that the developer build a replacement theater or rehabilitate an existing theater.
An alternative development proposal preserving the Theatre would provide more construction jobs, more permanent jobs, and more economic development (related businesses, jobs and customers) than the current proposal, and would bring residents and tourists to the area to make a vibrant 24-hour neighborhood.  The revitalized Gaiety Theatre could become an economic engine that is part of the city¹s ³creative economy.²
And here’s a wonderful 1944 photo of this theatre, then apparently called “RKO Keith-Boston”. (Scroll down to the second photo.) A live radio show, “Blind Date” with Arlene Francis, is being broadcast from the theatre. Also featured are Bob Chester and His Orchestra, and the movie Seven Days Ashore with Wally Brown.
The Washington-Essex building still stands, but the scene is otherwise nearly unrecognizable today. All of the chain stores shown in the photo — Bond Clothes, Thom McAn, Kay Jewelers — are long gone from this block. The grand marquee and the theatre entrance itself have also vanished, replaced by an entrance to the Chinatown Orange Line subway station. Which is most unfortunate, because as a result, people have forgotten that this theatre even exists anymore.
“Calendar house” means a theatre that pubilshes and distributes a day-by-day calendar of movies and showtimes, one or more months in advance.
The Nuart is a calendar house, but most other Landmark theatres are not.
This isn’t the only calendar house left in LA, at least not anymore. You’ve also got the Aero and the Egyptian.
In a 1998 Boston Globe that I happen to have kept, the two Loews Danvers theatres are listed as:
DANVERS LTM, Liberty Tree Mall (the twin)
DANVERS, Rte. 128 Exit 24 (the six-plex)
At some point, either Sack or Loews dropped the “Cinema City” name.
The former 500 Boylston Street building was demolished in the late 1980s and replaced by a new development with the same street address.
I should clarify my earlier comment, to say that this is one of the very few Sack Theatres still operating as a cinema. Four of their former downtown Boston theatres have been converted (or re-converted) to live stages.
Sack did not believe in imaginative or evocative names for its suburban theatres. One was just ‘Danvers’ and the other was ‘Danvers Cinema City’.
This is one of the very few former Sack Theatres still operating. The others:
Assembly Square Cinemas, Somerville (still run by Loews today)
Museum Place Cinemas, Salem (now run by Patriot Cinemas)
Lexington Flick, Lexington (now independent)
The current owners initially reopened this as a low-priced second-run house, with the name ‘Hollywood Hits Discount Theatre’. As time went on they gradually shifted towards full-priced first runs, and changed ‘Discount’ to ‘Premiere’ in their name.
At the time they opened, they declared their intent to create an entire chain of theatres to be called ‘Hollywood Hits’, but so far they have yet to open any others.
The official web site is http://www.hhdt.com/
Did the New Daisy also show movies? If so, you should add it to CinemaTreasures as well.
During the time that both have been open, have they always officially used the names ‘Old Daisy’ and ‘New Daisy’?
Digital? Yes, they are currently showing Robots in digital projection, according to an ad in last Sunday’s Boston Globe.
Indie films? Not really. Loews Boston Common is the epitome of mainstream Hollywood film programming, as is its competitor, AMC Fenway 13. For anything of specialized or limited interest, you usually need to go either to the Museum of Fine Arts or else out of the city, to the Brattle, Harvard Film Archive, Kendall Square, Coolidge, or West Newton.
However, the Boston Film Festival, which used to take place at the late unlamented Loews Copley Place, will probably move to the Boston Common this fall.
There’s really nothing left of the blue laws. The last restriction was that liquor stores could not be open on Sunday, and that was repealed a few years ago.
I’ve seen several old photos of Washignton Street from the 1940s or earlier, showing a vertical sign attached to this theatre reading “KEITH ALBEE”.
We’ve got a listing for the Fine Arts. Check it out.
At various times, I think the Paris, Kenmore Square, and Park Square were also part of the Esquire ‘chain’. What’s now the Boston University (Huntington) Theatre was also called the Esquire when it was a movie theatre, so I wonder if it too was affiliated.
When I walked by the Gayety this afternoon, I saw no signs of any demolition activity. The exterior of the building appears untouched, though it is very obviously being prepared for demolition.
However, I talked to the operator of the parking lot on Lagrange Street, and he told me that the street had been blocked off yesterday by the demolition contractors. He expects them to return tomorrow and close the street again. Two buildings are to be demolished — the Gaiety Theater, and another structure on Lagrange that has signs reading “Club New Orleans” and “Good Times”.
This I don’t know. I remember that he opposed demolishing the Pilgrim Theatre ten years ago — mainly because the owner at the time had no development plan at the time and was going to put in a parking lot.
Emerson College’s new Tufte Performance Production Center appears to occupy at least a small amount of the space where the Gary (Plymouth) Theatre once stood.
The Tufte Center includes two small stage theatres, the Semel and the Greene.
I don’t see anything in today’s paper, but I’ll keep looking. When I walked by the building yesterday afternoon, it was not yet obvious to me that demolition had begun.
Here’s a larger 1916 photo of the Scollay Square Olympia, and the photo’s accompanying description.
Another photo (described here) shows the Olympia and the Star Theatre side-by-side.
Here’s a photo of the Orpheum Theatre entrance on Hamilton Place, from 1926, along with an accompanying description of the photo.
Some of the expanded stagehouse and loading docks for the Opera House appear to occupy part of the space where two earlier theatres once stood: the Bijou (later briefly called the Intown) and the first BF Keith’s Theatre (later called Lyric, Normandie and Laffmovie among other names.).
The Bijou closed in the 1940s as a result of stricter fire laws enacted after the Cocoanut Grove nightclub disaster; its fire exits had led to the two adjoining theatres rather than to the outdoors.
The first BF Keith Theatre, by then called the Laffmovie, was demolished in the early 1950s by the neighboring Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper, which wanted to expand its operations.
[information compiled from several sources in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library, including Douglas Shand-Tucci’s unpublished 1968 draft manuscript The Puritan Muse and Donald C. King’s Historical Survey of the Theatres of Boston, published in the Third Quarter 1974 issue of the Theatre Historical Society’s magazine Marquee.]
Although General Cinema had its headquarters in neighboring Newton, this was the chain’s first foray into Boston city limits since closing or selling the Paramount in the early 1970s.