Warner Theatre
1 Lawrence Street,
Lawrence,
MA
01840
1 Lawrence Street,
Lawrence,
MA
01840
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I added an entry for the Nickel theater which was the theater on the site prior to the Empire/Warner. see CinemaTreasures.org ID: 32127
It was actually demolished to make way for a parking lot for the bank located next to it.
Essex Savings then Sovereign today
I added another photo today, check that link above again
Here are a couple of photos and some of the site today. I hope to find and post better ones at some later time
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/warner
I wanted to also add that according to “The Life of Thelma Todd”, “she was named Miss Massachusetts 1925 at the Empire Theater. A talent scout from Paramount and Famous Players-Lasky Studio was asked by Napoleon Demara, manager of the Empire Theater, to take a look at Thelma. He liked what he saw and offered her a screen test in Boston. She was very photogenic and was offered a chance to go to Paramount and Famous Players-Lasky’s acting school. The Paramount and Famous Players-Lasky Studio was the last of the studios to leave New York and move to Hollywood.”
I believe though that Napoleon DeMara may have actually been the owner of the theater and not the manager. He was the uncle of Fred Demara, the great imposter and was a Lawrence businessman. He, along with three other partners, built and opened the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in the ‘20s at Hampton Beach, NH
I remember the Warner theater in Lawrence well into the ‘70s. My friend Frank Jones was one of the last projectionists there. I only remember going there a few times though. In 1974 I worked at the Arlington Trust Co. that was diagonally up the street from it on the corner of Lawrence and Essex St. That summer there were a lot of people picketing and protesting the place because they were showing x-rated movies, “The Devil In Miss Jones” and “Deep Throat”. It was the first time in years though they had to open the balcony to accomodate the crowd. It closed not long after that though. Even with sub run movies and bargain nights at $1.00 they couldn’t compete with the likes of Sumner Redstone and the multiplexes. There was just no filling the large houses and even at half the capacities, the mutiplexes had to get smaller later to survive.
I remember going to The Warner in the early to mid 1970’s. This place was great it showed all the Disney movies of the era as well as having double features. The screen had beautiful red velvet curtains and when the theatre was full they would open up the balcony. In order to purchase tickets you had to wait outside and if the movie playing was popular you waited quite a while. However once the Showcase Cinema opened a few miles away with 4 screens at that time The Warner soon closed. I no longer live in that area but I’m told the downtown district is going through a revitilization wouldn’t it be cool if someone opened a nostolgic single screen theatre in this area. Lawrence was very well known in the 1950’s and 60’s for all the theatres in the city all which have long closed
The Empire (Warner) opened on March 30, 1915.
The Empire (Warner) is listed in the 1928 Film Daily Year Book as being operated by Toomey & DeMara who also operated the Colonial, Empire, Palace and Premier in Lawrence.
Barry Goodkin
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Warner Theatre on Lawrence St. has a facade photo taken in May 1941. The theatre had a long distinctive marquee with a vertical sign at the left corner. It had a beautiful classical facade. The Report states that the theatre had been playing MGM films for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Fair condition; and that it had 1132 seats on the orchestra floor and 895 in the balcony, total: 2027 seats.
Article taken from the Warner Theatre/Torrington CT Cinema Treasures link. I just wanted those who have posted or will post on this link to read what can be done to save and restore a hometown theatre named WARNER.
Warner gets $1M
CHARLES W. KIM, Register Citizen Staff
11/23/2005
TORRINGTON – The Warner Theatre now has a million reasons to be thankful.
Former city residents Ray and Carole Neag have given the capital fund-raising campaign $1 million toward completing phase II of the building project.
“It is the largest single donation to the Warner,” Board of Directors President Muff Maskovsky said.
The donation was announced at the historic Main Street theater Tuesday night with several dignitaries on hand, including Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
“It is a great day for the arts in Connecticut,” Rell said. “At the Warner, itâ€\s all about the people.”
The theater was built in 1931 as a Warner Brothers movie house and sold in the 1950s as part of a federally mandated divestment, according to the theater.
The building fell into disrepair in the 1960â€\s and 1970â€\s and faced foreclosure in 1981.
It was placed on the market for $275,000 and was certain to be demolished by 1982, according to the theater.
A grassroots organization called the Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts formed to raise the money needed to save and restore the facility.
The capital campaign seeks to raise a total of $15.85 million to renovate and expand the theater, and the group is now only $1 million away from that goal, President James Patrick said.
Phase I renovated and updated the main theater, and the end of the Phase II building campaign will build a 200-seat Nancy Marine Studio Theatre and the Ray and Carole Neag Center for the Performing arts, a state-of-the-art education center, according to the theater.
The Neags both graduated from Torrington High School and eventually moved to a suburb of Reading, Pa.
“It is always coming home to us,” Carole Neag said. “Through it all the Warner Theatre has always been here.”
Ray compared the revitalization of Reading with what may happen in Torrington.
“Donâ€\t give up the boat,” Ray Neag said. “There is a parallel story taking place here.”
Rell said the theater will help grow the downtown of the city as more and more programs and educational opportunities are added.
“You have done it the right way,” Rell said. “It will be a growth factor for the region as well as the 80,000 patrons.”
Maskovsky issued a challenge to the about 100 people attending the presentation Tuesday to raise the last million for the project.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-5, said the project works because the people are excited about having the arts in the community.
“Remember to give, give, give, and to come, come, come,” Johnson said.
Charles W. Kim can be reached by e-mail at
Jack May: Does your source have any interior photos? I’d love to see one, but after viewing the exterior I know I’d be even more upset if I saw them knowing that the theatre is GONE!
Thanks so very much for this url link as the theatre was just as I thought it would be….beautiful with its marquee that was truly…Warner! Lawrence MA truly lost a theatre gem when they demolished this one for future generations!
You can see a picture of this theatre by copying and pasting this url-
www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/mysth102.jpg
Jack May: Thanks for the background information on Lawrence and their regard for old theatres back then. Perhaps if the Warner could have somehow held on it might have been restored in today’s world with the presence of many preservationist’s voices and efforts.
One of the reasons that the Warner was demolished, I believe is that in the mid 70’s the trend was to go to the more modern “Showcase Cinema” type theatres and this theatre was owned by a small chain that did not have the money or the pull to get 1st run films anymore.
Downtown Lawrence was going through depressing times. Once a vital shopping district it was abandoned by shoppers who went to the malls. Instead of paying upkeep on the property the owners chose to make a quick buck by selling it off. In the 70’s in that part of the world there was less interest in preserving the old than there might be now.
Would love to see a photo(s) of this former WARNER.
I watch Court TV from time to time or when a BIG case is being broadcast and yesterday the case was from Lawrence MA. I see that the Warner in that community was demolished to make way for a bank. It seems that many theatres come down to make way for banks or parking lots! Can anyone give more detail as to why this single screen WARNER theatre with over 2,000 seats was demolished?
I have a little bit of a history with the Warner Theatre in Lawrence MA. When I was a child it was one of the 2 theatres in that area before they opened the Showcase Cinemas. I saw all the Disney films there and I also remember a horrible Santa Claus movie that my dad took us to get out of the house the weekend that John Kennedy was killed.
When I was 16 I got my first job as a ticket taker there. Some of the movies that I remember are “Lady Sings the Blues”, “Across 110th Street”, “Cabaret”, “Deliverance” and “Diamonds Are Forever”.
As I remember it the place was in pretty good shape in those days. I have memories of lugging the cans of film, which seemed to weigh more than I did up to the projection booth.
old theater lover: “Even then I was in awe of the historic look, the orchestra pit, stage, large red curtains, lights on the wall, everything.” It’s a shame that this Warner is gone though your Warner interior memories remain. Good luck with your research/book as your community should have these theatres written about in a book for future generations. I’m sure you know about Images of America who has done at least one book about theatres of San Francisco so you might contact them to help you with a book. Their website is www.arcadiapublishing.com
old theatre lover: I know a man in Erie PA who was in the theatre/drive-in movie business. He HAD many old theatre posters and now they are, as you say….“worth a fortune”. This man has several theatre albums that cover the history of theatres over the many years in Erie PA. Fortunately, Erie still has their beautiful Warner Theatre on State Street (listed on CT), but there was a Shea’s Theatre nearby that is now the Avalon Hotel. Many of the former theatres in Erie are listed on CT.
“It was demolished in 1976 to make way for a bank building.” It had the WARNER name on it…such a shame to lose that theatre name for a bank, but at least the site isn’t another unused parking lot!
You can get photographs if you call the Lawrence Eagle Tribune and ask how to research their archives. I myself grew up in Lawrence and remember many a weekend spent at the Warner and seeing a horror double feature for .75. Even then I was in awe of the historic look, the orchestra pit, stage, large red curtains, lights on the wall, everything. I am researching for a book on these theaters, but information besides the info on this site is extremely hard to come by. I also am looking for former owners, and managers who may still be living that can supply me with some historic stories and/or pictures or original posters from the era. Back then, they threw them away, now they are worth a fortune. Some old theater managers I met had some that they kept. I am always on the look out for original or archival ad mattes from the newspapers. If you wish to contact me on the Warner, Central Cinema, Merrimack Park Drive-in, or the Riverview Drive-in in Haverhill, my e-mail is
I would like to know if anyone can tell me where to find ictures of the Warner Theater in Lawrence Ma. I have many fond Memories of going to the movies there. The last movie I saw there was Jaws. I am also interested in old pic of the other theaters in Lawrence on Broadway,My dad use to take to the palace I believe it was to see boxing matches when I was 3,I don’t remember to much about that but I do remember walking broadway daily before they tore the theaters down,an wishing they would rehab them and all the other old building in Lawrence mass which gave the city it’s character boy do I miss that old city of lawrence to bad it will never be the same.