No idea why it closed. I was away at college and came back and it was no longer in existence. My hunch is that the lease became too expensive? I will add a posting for the Paramount soon.
The current space is occupied by Pier One Imports. Kaplan Test Prep is (and was always)in the Basement and is reached from an entrance on the side of the buidling, although they share the same street address. The building was probably just gutted for the retail space — it seems about the same on the outside and Pier one uses the same entrance, but the interior is nothing as it was when it was a cinema. Now that I recall, the Academy had a spacious lobby for such a small venue. It was long and narrow, but always packed with locals on a weekend night. I remember a red, white and purple, very early-70’s, mod color scheme.
Hi Ron, I submitted a listing for the Academy Cinemas, Newton Center, MA, last night, but its not showing up. Is there lag time? If not, I’ll try again soon.
Thanks Ron! I worked at the Academy in Newton as a teenager. Great space and a good selection of movies that were more art-house than mainstream, for the most part. Anyone have any more info on Cate Enterprises, esp. current whereabouts?
The 57 had at least a couple of screens from the beginning, but I seem to recall that at some point they might have gone from 2 to 3, or 3 to 4 or something like that, after it had been operating for a few years.
Hi Ron,
I do in fact have a partial list of his cinemas, but from the 1980’s. It is several pages long, so perhaps I could send it to you directly. I could do a little research into the Pi Alley, but I think that was built at some point in the early seventies, and I’m almost certain that his records from that time period are long gone. I recall he had done alot of work for Ben Sack, E.M. Loew, Sonny and Eddy (they ran a bunch of theaters in the Western suburbs of Boston). He also did work for Cate Enterprises — I believe in Newton, MA, Meriden, Ct, Stratford, CT, and Newburgh, NY. Do you have any info on this company? I think they were based out of Newton. Mr. Federman, by the 80’s, had been designing many theaters for Showcase/National Amusements. His buildings were mainly, at that time, those white rectangular box-shaped multiplexes near highways with hourglass lighting on the exterior walls. I recall he did the one in Danvers (now a Hollywood Express or something like that?), which was known for its very large and colorful graphic mural that occupied the length of the entire interior wall (the graphic was designed by his wife, actually). He also renovated the old Paramount theater in Newton corner, in the early 80’s, although I am unsure of the owner. An office building and Pizzeria Uno now occupy that space. That was a great theater!!
Hi Tom,
The soundproofing was actually created inadvertently. From what I recall, the thater (a multiplex) was located in particularly rough part of the Bronx. It might have been in the Showcase Theater chain, although I am not certain. The owners had requested alot of bulletproof materials to be used, i.e. the windows, ticket booth, etc. I believe the architect just tried out an old idea of his in that theater and it worked well. He never patented it (unfortunately). There was an article about the theater which discussed the soundproofing and bulletproof materials in the NY Times in 1986 (+–), a few months before the architect passed away in 1987. He was very pleased because they referred to him as “the 40-ish” architect when he was actually “55-ish."
I am unsure whether he designed the 57 – it might have been one of the few Sack Cinemas with which he was not involved, although I have a vague recollection that he might have been involved with dividing it into smaller auditoriums once it had been around a few years.
The architect for this theater, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square (Boston) and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for this theater, as well as Boston’s Pi Alley, and almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for the Pi Alley, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for the Pi Alley, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for the Pi Alley, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
No idea why it closed. I was away at college and came back and it was no longer in existence. My hunch is that the lease became too expensive? I will add a posting for the Paramount soon.
The current space is occupied by Pier One Imports. Kaplan Test Prep is (and was always)in the Basement and is reached from an entrance on the side of the buidling, although they share the same street address. The building was probably just gutted for the retail space — it seems about the same on the outside and Pier one uses the same entrance, but the interior is nothing as it was when it was a cinema. Now that I recall, the Academy had a spacious lobby for such a small venue. It was long and narrow, but always packed with locals on a weekend night. I remember a red, white and purple, very early-70’s, mod color scheme.
Hi Ron, I submitted a listing for the Academy Cinemas, Newton Center, MA, last night, but its not showing up. Is there lag time? If not, I’ll try again soon.
Thanks Ron! I worked at the Academy in Newton as a teenager. Great space and a good selection of movies that were more art-house than mainstream, for the most part. Anyone have any more info on Cate Enterprises, esp. current whereabouts?
The 57 had at least a couple of screens from the beginning, but I seem to recall that at some point they might have gone from 2 to 3, or 3 to 4 or something like that, after it had been operating for a few years.
Hi Ron,
I do in fact have a partial list of his cinemas, but from the 1980’s. It is several pages long, so perhaps I could send it to you directly. I could do a little research into the Pi Alley, but I think that was built at some point in the early seventies, and I’m almost certain that his records from that time period are long gone. I recall he had done alot of work for Ben Sack, E.M. Loew, Sonny and Eddy (they ran a bunch of theaters in the Western suburbs of Boston). He also did work for Cate Enterprises — I believe in Newton, MA, Meriden, Ct, Stratford, CT, and Newburgh, NY. Do you have any info on this company? I think they were based out of Newton. Mr. Federman, by the 80’s, had been designing many theaters for Showcase/National Amusements. His buildings were mainly, at that time, those white rectangular box-shaped multiplexes near highways with hourglass lighting on the exterior walls. I recall he did the one in Danvers (now a Hollywood Express or something like that?), which was known for its very large and colorful graphic mural that occupied the length of the entire interior wall (the graphic was designed by his wife, actually). He also renovated the old Paramount theater in Newton corner, in the early 80’s, although I am unsure of the owner. An office building and Pizzeria Uno now occupy that space. That was a great theater!!
Hi Tom,
The soundproofing was actually created inadvertently. From what I recall, the thater (a multiplex) was located in particularly rough part of the Bronx. It might have been in the Showcase Theater chain, although I am not certain. The owners had requested alot of bulletproof materials to be used, i.e. the windows, ticket booth, etc. I believe the architect just tried out an old idea of his in that theater and it worked well. He never patented it (unfortunately). There was an article about the theater which discussed the soundproofing and bulletproof materials in the NY Times in 1986 (+–), a few months before the architect passed away in 1987. He was very pleased because they referred to him as “the 40-ish” architect when he was actually “55-ish."
I am unsure whether he designed the 57 – it might have been one of the few Sack Cinemas with which he was not involved, although I have a vague recollection that he might have been involved with dividing it into smaller auditoriums once it had been around a few years.
The architect for this theater, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square (Boston) and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for this theater, as well as Boston’s Pi Alley, and almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for the Pi Alley, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for the Pi Alley, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.
The architect for the Pi Alley, as well as almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy’s Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or “twinned” literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980’s, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.