The Strand opened again briefly after Covid, but unfortunately by that time apparently a lot of folks got used to streaming services and never returned. Such a shame! This place is a key focal point for a town of about 13,000 people. Kudos to Bill and Rob for breathing another decade into this magnificent building. They did a great job and I know that I am only one of many who really miss this old place.
One of the last movies I saw there was one of Clint Eastwood most recent, either Cry Macho or The Mule. I’m not certain which one. It was a great place to have a nice meal, a cold beer or glass of wine and watch a great movie.
One of my favorite things about the Strand was that each year at Christmas time, the boys would run a Christmas-themed movie (usually “It’s a Wonderful Life”) and admission was free. All you paid for was your food. Each year my wife and I not only went, but we tried to take folks with us who maybe hadn’t seen the movie on the big screen in a “real” theater. Always an enjoyable experience.
Currently, there is a for lease sign up on the markee. So sad driving by and seeing that. If I understand correctly, there are some sort of funds available (some sort of grant perhaps) to someone who wants to renovate and reopen. The catch is, whoever takes over is required to invest an equal amount out of pocket in order to qualify.
I can only hope that the right person comes along and makes the investment in this beautiful landmark before it’s too late. It would be a shame to see this gem of a venue go the way of many others. I would think it could be used for a number of different purposes such as movies, concerts, comedy acts, etc., all at the same time.
This town at one time had three movie houses and a drive-in theater as well. The Strand is all that remains. The balcony section could be re-opened and upgraded to increase seating capacity if desired. I’m sure that there is a lot of permits and other red tape that will need to be dealt with, but someone with the right vision and a few connections could bring this place back to life. Considering the age of the building, it’s really in quite good shape. The community at large would be both grateful and delighted.
I was there! Great concert and a great place to see it. Johnny came out, played about 3 notes and everyone was on their feet. He did the most smokin’ version of Bony Maroney you’ve ever heard! What a great memory. Not sure but I believe that a band called Berlin Airlift opened up for him. Lots of these old movie houses are the perfect type of venue for a smaller concert. The acoustics by design were amazing.
I grew up in Fitchburg in the 50’s and 60’s and graduated from Fitchburg High School in the 1970’s. I remember being a kid, maybe about 14 years old, and walking down Day Street past the old Shea’s Theater which had become The Gem at some point and had closed several years earlier.
In my minds eye, I can still see the old v-shaped markee sign out front with it’s changeable letter board and big stainless steel and neon letters at the top on each side which read GEM.
If my memory serves me correctly, the building was torn down about the time that the new I-C Credit Union building was built at the corner of Main and Day Streets. I believe the credit union was built approximately where the Bon-Ton Restaurant and Murphy’s Drug store once stood. The area where the theater sat became part of the rear parking lot for the credit union.
If you walked past the theater and continued down Day Street, you would walk past a small shop called Delucci the Tailor. I remember being fitted for a tux for a wedding there. Shortly after the tailor shop was The Hotel Raymond, which is still there, but was converted into apartments many years ago.
Directly across from the theater on the corner of Main and Day was Christian’s Luncheonette. Continuing down Day Street next to the restaurant was the Ideal Barber Shop and Keosha Bros. Shoe Repair. Next to that was a parking lot that I believe was for the Hotel Raymond directly across the street.
At that point in time the old Universal Theater still existed just down the street on Main Street, although it hadn’t been used as a theater in several years. I’ve uploaded a nice example of a poster from the Gem from 1931 when it was still called Shea’s Theater. Oddly enough, I found this poster in an antique shop in York Maine many years ago.
The Fitchburg, The Saxon (originally the Lyric), both on upper Main Street, and the Strand in the Cleghorn section of town were still operating at that time. The Strand was later converted into a bowling alley.
My father was an usher at the Universal before WWII. I remember him telling me how he would jog or run to work each evening up Summer Street to lower Main Street all the way from South Fitchburg.
In the mid to late 1960’s, I distinctly remember that there were two businesses operating in the front of the building. There was a coffee shop type restaurant that served breakfast and lunch to the right hand side of the main entrance. You could see the lunch counter through a large window on that side of the entryway. You went in the main doors in the center of the entryway and turned right through another door into the restaurant.
On the left hand side, there was a second hand store that sold all kinds of stuff. Again, you entered through the main doors and entered the store through a secondary door on the left. The interior doors that led from that area into the theater itself were either locked or boarded up at that point so you could not access the auditorium.
In 1970 when the the theater was being demolished, my grandfather who heated his home with a huge wood and coal furnace apparently talked to the contractor who was doing the demo work, and made arrangements to remove some remnants of lumber for burning in the furnace.
I lived right down the street from my grandparents, so I spent a lot of time with them as I was growing up. I just happened to be at their house the day he was going downtown to load the trunk of his car with lumber from the theater.
The thing that I’ll never forget is loading the trunk of his 1955 Plymouth with what turned out to be square wooden organ pipes that I believe were made of mahogany. We then spent the afternoon outside the bulkhead door of his basement sawing these pipes into bite sized pieces and tossing them down the stairs to be stored and eventually burned in the furnace. Imagine that! It seemed sad even back then.
I seem to remember reading on the menu of Monty’s restaurant in downtown Leominster, that it’s founder, Emanuel Montega, or “Monty” brought the first talking picture show to town. This was The Rialto Theater. I don’t remember ever being in the building when it was still a theater. I do however remember it being the YMCA for many years, and I remember entering the building, and while waiting to speak to someone at the front desk, looking around and realizing that I was in the lobby of a former movie theater. I went down a long hallway which led out of the lobby area to where an olympic sized indoor pool was. My next recollection of this building was in the late 80’s, when the building was put up for sale, and could have been purchased for $125,000. I do have vague memories of seeing a movie at the Metropolitan around the corner, and also being in the Plymouth Theater, actually performing on stage when I was quite young.
I grew up in Fitchburg and in the Fitchburg Theater. The Fitchburg was a gleaming example of an “Art Deco” style movie house, built in 1927, with a seating capacity of 1700. As a child growing up in the late fifties and early sixties, I witnessed this beautiful old movie house filled to capacity many times. I can still picture the giant chandeliers which graced the ceiling that seemed to be a hundred feet tall, the wall sconces that lit the outer aisles, and the signature neon clock near the emergency exit. I remember also, seeing a double feature, plus cartoons, shorts, and the occasional newsreel, all for about 50 cents! Right next door was the Saxon, (originally the Lyric). Though much smaller, (probably about 800 seats or so) it was no less grand, with a beautiful white ballastered balcony. Among the last things I saw at the Saxon were Johnny Winter, live in concert, and The Beatles Yellow Submarine movie. That was about 1968, afterwhich the theater closed, and fell into a state of disrepair. The roof collapsed and the building was razed. The Fitchburg however survived awhile longer as an operating entity. I made a trip out west in October of 1984. While in Phoenix Arizona, I happened to eat at a trendy restaurant which was decorated with all sorts of antiques. What fascinated me the most, was a glass case on one wall, filled with old theater posters, including some from The Fitchburg, and also Shea’s Theater in Fitchburg. Immagine my surprise to see this, 3000 miles from home! I was amazed to see names like Eddie Cantor and Rudy Valee on the stage at the Fitchburg, illustrating the theater’s Vaudville past. I returned from my trip to read in the paper that someone new had taken over the Fitchburg Theater, and renovated it into three smaller auditoriums. The balcony area was split into two theaters, and the downstairs was left intact as one, including the enormous screen, which I read someplace was 62 feet long, and rumored to be the largest indoor movie screen in New England. Although I never substantiated that as fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it were true. The new operator also installed a new Dolby sound system throughout. To the best of my recollection, he ran it for two or three years, finally closing the doors for good. A couple years later, the ticket booth was vandalized, and was eventually removed from the front of the building. The Gourgeous neon script lettering sign on the overhang, had also been removed, prior to the last operator taking over, and it was replaced with simple flat panel signs with changeable letters. I feel sad everytime I pass through town and see it boarded up, and more than once I’ve thought how wonderful it would be if someone would restore this treasure before it meets the same fate as it’s sister next door did. I suppose It’s lucky just to have it standing at this point. My thought was that perhaps with the help of the the historical society and other such groups, The Fitchburg could be brought back to life, and used to show current as well as classic movies, plus used for stage productions, plays, dance recitals, and even rented out as a function hall for various corporate events, seminars and as a small concert venue. The Fitchburg was among the largest and most opulent of all the theaters in the area. There were six or seven in Fitchburg alone at one time, including the Saxon/Lyric, Shay’s theater on Day Street, (which had become the Gem, and was closed by the early sixties), The Universal Theater, on lower Main Street, (where Dunkin Donuts now stands)My dad was an usher at the Universal when he was a teenager. There was also the Cummings theater on Blossom Street, (in the area of the parking lot behind the former Roger’s in the Square store), and the Strand on Daniels Street in the Cleghorn section of town. This building also still exists. Last I looked, it housed the Palace Lanes Bowling Alley, a gym, a bar, and several apartments. If you enter the square in Cleghorn, the building had a mural painted on the wall that I believe was the outside of the wall the screen was on. Anyway, with regard to the Fitchburg, one has only to go down the road to Clinton Massachusetts and view the Strand Theater, (completely restored and successfully operated), or travel in the opposite direction to Keene New Hampshire and see the wonderfully restored and successfully operated Colonial Theater to realize that the same thing could be done in Fitchburg. Better still…rent the Jim Carrey movie “The Majestic” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
The Strand opened again briefly after Covid, but unfortunately by that time apparently a lot of folks got used to streaming services and never returned. Such a shame! This place is a key focal point for a town of about 13,000 people. Kudos to Bill and Rob for breathing another decade into this magnificent building. They did a great job and I know that I am only one of many who really miss this old place.
One of the last movies I saw there was one of Clint Eastwood most recent, either Cry Macho or The Mule. I’m not certain which one. It was a great place to have a nice meal, a cold beer or glass of wine and watch a great movie.
One of my favorite things about the Strand was that each year at Christmas time, the boys would run a Christmas-themed movie (usually “It’s a Wonderful Life”) and admission was free. All you paid for was your food. Each year my wife and I not only went, but we tried to take folks with us who maybe hadn’t seen the movie on the big screen in a “real” theater. Always an enjoyable experience.
Currently, there is a for lease sign up on the markee. So sad driving by and seeing that. If I understand correctly, there are some sort of funds available (some sort of grant perhaps) to someone who wants to renovate and reopen. The catch is, whoever takes over is required to invest an equal amount out of pocket in order to qualify.
I can only hope that the right person comes along and makes the investment in this beautiful landmark before it’s too late. It would be a shame to see this gem of a venue go the way of many others. I would think it could be used for a number of different purposes such as movies, concerts, comedy acts, etc., all at the same time.
This town at one time had three movie houses and a drive-in theater as well. The Strand is all that remains. The balcony section could be re-opened and upgraded to increase seating capacity if desired. I’m sure that there is a lot of permits and other red tape that will need to be dealt with, but someone with the right vision and a few connections could bring this place back to life. Considering the age of the building, it’s really in quite good shape. The community at large would be both grateful and delighted.
I was there! Great concert and a great place to see it. Johnny came out, played about 3 notes and everyone was on their feet. He did the most smokin’ version of Bony Maroney you’ve ever heard! What a great memory. Not sure but I believe that a band called Berlin Airlift opened up for him. Lots of these old movie houses are the perfect type of venue for a smaller concert. The acoustics by design were amazing.
I grew up in Fitchburg in the 50’s and 60’s and graduated from Fitchburg High School in the 1970’s. I remember being a kid, maybe about 14 years old, and walking down Day Street past the old Shea’s Theater which had become The Gem at some point and had closed several years earlier.
In my minds eye, I can still see the old v-shaped markee sign out front with it’s changeable letter board and big stainless steel and neon letters at the top on each side which read GEM.
If my memory serves me correctly, the building was torn down about the time that the new I-C Credit Union building was built at the corner of Main and Day Streets. I believe the credit union was built approximately where the Bon-Ton Restaurant and Murphy’s Drug store once stood. The area where the theater sat became part of the rear parking lot for the credit union.
If you walked past the theater and continued down Day Street, you would walk past a small shop called Delucci the Tailor. I remember being fitted for a tux for a wedding there. Shortly after the tailor shop was The Hotel Raymond, which is still there, but was converted into apartments many years ago.
Directly across from the theater on the corner of Main and Day was Christian’s Luncheonette. Continuing down Day Street next to the restaurant was the Ideal Barber Shop and Keosha Bros. Shoe Repair. Next to that was a parking lot that I believe was for the Hotel Raymond directly across the street.
At that point in time the old Universal Theater still existed just down the street on Main Street, although it hadn’t been used as a theater in several years. I’ve uploaded a nice example of a poster from the Gem from 1931 when it was still called Shea’s Theater. Oddly enough, I found this poster in an antique shop in York Maine many years ago.
The Fitchburg, The Saxon (originally the Lyric), both on upper Main Street, and the Strand in the Cleghorn section of town were still operating at that time. The Strand was later converted into a bowling alley.
My father was an usher at the Universal before WWII. I remember him telling me how he would jog or run to work each evening up Summer Street to lower Main Street all the way from South Fitchburg.
In the mid to late 1960’s, I distinctly remember that there were two businesses operating in the front of the building. There was a coffee shop type restaurant that served breakfast and lunch to the right hand side of the main entrance. You could see the lunch counter through a large window on that side of the entryway. You went in the main doors in the center of the entryway and turned right through another door into the restaurant.
On the left hand side, there was a second hand store that sold all kinds of stuff. Again, you entered through the main doors and entered the store through a secondary door on the left. The interior doors that led from that area into the theater itself were either locked or boarded up at that point so you could not access the auditorium.
In 1970 when the the theater was being demolished, my grandfather who heated his home with a huge wood and coal furnace apparently talked to the contractor who was doing the demo work, and made arrangements to remove some remnants of lumber for burning in the furnace.
I lived right down the street from my grandparents, so I spent a lot of time with them as I was growing up. I just happened to be at their house the day he was going downtown to load the trunk of his car with lumber from the theater.
The thing that I’ll never forget is loading the trunk of his 1955 Plymouth with what turned out to be square wooden organ pipes that I believe were made of mahogany. We then spent the afternoon outside the bulkhead door of his basement sawing these pipes into bite sized pieces and tossing them down the stairs to be stored and eventually burned in the furnace. Imagine that! It seemed sad even back then.
I seem to remember reading on the menu of Monty’s restaurant in downtown Leominster, that it’s founder, Emanuel Montega, or “Monty” brought the first talking picture show to town. This was The Rialto Theater. I don’t remember ever being in the building when it was still a theater. I do however remember it being the YMCA for many years, and I remember entering the building, and while waiting to speak to someone at the front desk, looking around and realizing that I was in the lobby of a former movie theater. I went down a long hallway which led out of the lobby area to where an olympic sized indoor pool was. My next recollection of this building was in the late 80’s, when the building was put up for sale, and could have been purchased for $125,000. I do have vague memories of seeing a movie at the Metropolitan around the corner, and also being in the Plymouth Theater, actually performing on stage when I was quite young.
I grew up in Fitchburg and in the Fitchburg Theater. The Fitchburg was a gleaming example of an “Art Deco” style movie house, built in 1927, with a seating capacity of 1700. As a child growing up in the late fifties and early sixties, I witnessed this beautiful old movie house filled to capacity many times. I can still picture the giant chandeliers which graced the ceiling that seemed to be a hundred feet tall, the wall sconces that lit the outer aisles, and the signature neon clock near the emergency exit. I remember also, seeing a double feature, plus cartoons, shorts, and the occasional newsreel, all for about 50 cents! Right next door was the Saxon, (originally the Lyric). Though much smaller, (probably about 800 seats or so) it was no less grand, with a beautiful white ballastered balcony. Among the last things I saw at the Saxon were Johnny Winter, live in concert, and The Beatles Yellow Submarine movie. That was about 1968, afterwhich the theater closed, and fell into a state of disrepair. The roof collapsed and the building was razed. The Fitchburg however survived awhile longer as an operating entity. I made a trip out west in October of 1984. While in Phoenix Arizona, I happened to eat at a trendy restaurant which was decorated with all sorts of antiques. What fascinated me the most, was a glass case on one wall, filled with old theater posters, including some from The Fitchburg, and also Shea’s Theater in Fitchburg. Immagine my surprise to see this, 3000 miles from home! I was amazed to see names like Eddie Cantor and Rudy Valee on the stage at the Fitchburg, illustrating the theater’s Vaudville past. I returned from my trip to read in the paper that someone new had taken over the Fitchburg Theater, and renovated it into three smaller auditoriums. The balcony area was split into two theaters, and the downstairs was left intact as one, including the enormous screen, which I read someplace was 62 feet long, and rumored to be the largest indoor movie screen in New England. Although I never substantiated that as fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it were true. The new operator also installed a new Dolby sound system throughout. To the best of my recollection, he ran it for two or three years, finally closing the doors for good. A couple years later, the ticket booth was vandalized, and was eventually removed from the front of the building. The Gourgeous neon script lettering sign on the overhang, had also been removed, prior to the last operator taking over, and it was replaced with simple flat panel signs with changeable letters. I feel sad everytime I pass through town and see it boarded up, and more than once I’ve thought how wonderful it would be if someone would restore this treasure before it meets the same fate as it’s sister next door did. I suppose It’s lucky just to have it standing at this point. My thought was that perhaps with the help of the the historical society and other such groups, The Fitchburg could be brought back to life, and used to show current as well as classic movies, plus used for stage productions, plays, dance recitals, and even rented out as a function hall for various corporate events, seminars and as a small concert venue. The Fitchburg was among the largest and most opulent of all the theaters in the area. There were six or seven in Fitchburg alone at one time, including the Saxon/Lyric, Shay’s theater on Day Street, (which had become the Gem, and was closed by the early sixties), The Universal Theater, on lower Main Street, (where Dunkin Donuts now stands)My dad was an usher at the Universal when he was a teenager. There was also the Cummings theater on Blossom Street, (in the area of the parking lot behind the former Roger’s in the Square store), and the Strand on Daniels Street in the Cleghorn section of town. This building also still exists. Last I looked, it housed the Palace Lanes Bowling Alley, a gym, a bar, and several apartments. If you enter the square in Cleghorn, the building had a mural painted on the wall that I believe was the outside of the wall the screen was on. Anyway, with regard to the Fitchburg, one has only to go down the road to Clinton Massachusetts and view the Strand Theater, (completely restored and successfully operated), or travel in the opposite direction to Keene New Hampshire and see the wonderfully restored and successfully operated Colonial Theater to realize that the same thing could be done in Fitchburg. Better still…rent the Jim Carrey movie “The Majestic” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.