Penobscot Theatre
131 Main Street,
Bangor,
ME
04401
131 Main Street,
Bangor,
ME
04401
2 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Penobscot Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: M & P Theaters, Paramount Pictures Inc.
Architects: Edward J. Bolen
Functions: Live Performances, Movies (Classic), Opera House
Previous Names: Opera House, New Opera House, Bangor Cinema
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
207.942.3333
Manager:
207.947.6618
Nearby Theaters
The Bangor Opera House, opened on April 11, 1882. A new Opera House was built, which opened on May 31, 1920 with Nazimova in “The Brat” & Harold Lloyd in “The Eastern Westerner” and vaudeville on the stage. There is not too much known exactly about it being cinema but that it had balcony, a single screen because looking back at old movie showtimes it only had one movie listed and mostly played Disney like/family films.
I don’t know the exact years of operation as a cinema but it was operating as the Opera House as a movie theatre from at least 1941. On January 28, 1966 it was renamed Bangor Cinema. It was closed on July 18, 1985 with Powers Boothe in “The Emerald Forest”.
It reopened as a live theatre named Penobscot Theatre.
Contributed by
Kirk
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
This article from a Bangor newspaper says that the Opera House was designed by architect Edward J. Bolen.
I don’t know if the opera house it replaced, which burned down in 1914, ever ran movies, but it had been built in 1881 and had been designed by architect Arthur H. Vinal.
The original Bangor Opera House, which Joe Vogel mentions above, was listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The seating was 1,100; the theater was on the ground floor (there are no street addresses in this Guide, unfortunately),Frank and David Owen ran it. The proscenium opening was 31 feet square, and the stage was 38 feet deep. The theater had gas illumination, and 5 musicians in the house orchestra. The 1897 population of Bangor was 25,000.
Webpage mentions that restoration is underway; theatre is remaining open during restoration.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre report for this theater when it was the Opera House; it’s Card # 335. Address is 127 Main St. There is an exterior photo taken April 1941. Condition is Good. The report says it was over 15 years old and was showing MGM films. There were 758 orchestra seats and 630 balcony, total 1,388.
Circa 1960 photo as the Bangor Opera House added, courtesy of the AmeriCar The Beautiful Facebook page.
Opened on April 11th, 1882
Bangor Opera House Sat, Apr 1, 1882 – Page 2 · Bangor Daily Whig and Courier (Bangor, Maine) · Newspapers.com
This opened on May 31st, 1920. The grand opening ad posted. Ad above was for the old Opera House.
This became the Bangor cinema on January 28th, 1966. Another ad posted.
I found an old post card view of Main Street that looks like it was from the twenties. The Bangor Opera House is shown in the foreground. E-6824 is the card number. It appears that a blade sign for the Star is two buildings away. Perhaps the Adams-Pickering Block or the building closer to the opera house. Was there in July. It may be where Sleeper’s once was located.
Closed as Bangor Cinema on July 18, 1985 with “The Emerald Forest”. The movie later moved to the University Cinema that also closed three days later. This was in connection of the Cinema Centers Corporation’s launch of the Bangor Mall Cinema.