Garden Theater Block

Last updated

Garden Theater Block
GreenfieldMA GardenTheater.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location353-367 Main St., Greenfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°35′15″N72°36′1″W / 42.58750°N 72.60028°W / 42.58750; -72.60028
Arealess than one acre
Built1928 (1928)
Built byGeorge H. Reed
Architect Mowll & Rand
Architectural styleColonial Revival
Part of Main Street Historic District (ID88001908)
NRHP reference No. 83000591 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 1, 1983
Designated CPOctober 13, 1988

The Garden Theater Block is a historic commercial block and theater at 353-367 Main Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The Colonial Revival block was completed in 1929, and is home to the city's largest theatrical performance venue. The theater is a unique example of an "atmospheric" garden theater, with artwork and mechanical systems designed to give its interior an outside appearance. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, [1] and included in the Main Street Historic District in 1988. [2] The theater is now known as the Greenfield Garden Cinemas.

Contents

Description and history

The Garden Theater Block is located on the south side of Main Street in downtown Greenfield, just east of Bank Row. It is a steel-framed structure, with a two-story front section finished in brick and stone with Colonial Revival styling. The facade is divided into seven sections, articulated by stone pilasters. The outer sections are all commercial storefronts, with recessed entrances flanked by display windows on the ground floor, and two sash windows on the upper level. The central bay houses the theater entrance, which is deeply recessed and sheltered by a large marquee. The windows above the marquee are topped by rounded blinds, and the bay is capped by a gable. The interior of the theater is richly decorated with garden-themed carpeting and murals of New England scenes by noted theater muralist Frederick Marshall. The ceiling includes lighting panels designed to simulate stars, some of which twinkle, and there is machinery for simulating the movement of clouds across the ceiling. [2]

The theater was built in 1928-29 to a design by Mowll & Rand of Boston for the Goldman family who owned a theater chain across western Massachusetts. It was at the time the third theater in Greenfield, and its largest. Although it was designed for both film and live performance, it only sporadically showed vaudeville productions before being dedicated entirely to films. [2] The theater was operated by the Goldman family for 70 years, closing in 1999. The city thereafter took the property in a tax proceeding, but the Goldmans were able to recover it through further legal action. The theater was then divided into seven smaller theaters, and its murals were covered over. The Goldmans leased the theater operation out, and the lessees acquired the property in 2008, with further plans for rehabilitation. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Wadsworth Russell House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Samuel Russell House is a neoclassical house at 350 High Street in Middletown, Connecticut, built in 1828 to a design by architect Ithiel Town. Many architectural historians consider it to be one of the finest Greek Revival mansions in the northeastern United States. Town's client was Samuel Russell (1789-1862), the founder of Russell & Company, the largest and most important American firm to do business in the China trade in the 19th century, and whose fortunes were primarily based on smuggling illegal and addictive opium into China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanier Mansion</span> Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Lanier Mansion is a historic house located at 601 West First Street in the Madison Historic District of Madison, Indiana. Built by wealthy banker James F. D. Lanier in 1844, the house was declared a State Memorial in 1926, and remains an important landmark in Madison to the present day. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994 as one of the nation's finest examples of Greek Revival architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Charles Borromeo Church (Waltham, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The St. Charles Borromeo Church is a historic Catholic church building in Waltham, Massachusetts. Built in 1922, it is a high quality example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture, and is emblematic of the shift on Waltham's south side from a predominantly Protestant population to one of greater diversity. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Border Theater</span> United States historic place

The Border Theater is a historic movie theater in Mission, Texas. Located at 905 North Conway Boulevard it is in the city's central business district. Built in 1942 it continues to operate as an entertainment venue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 28 August 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office–Greenfield Main</span> United States historic place

The US Post Office-Greenfield Main is a historic post office at 442 Main Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1915 and enlarged in 1939, it is a good example of a post office with Beaux Arts and Classical Revival features. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and included in the Main Street Historic District in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson School (North Adams, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Johnson School is a historic former school building on School Street in North Adams, Massachusetts. Built about 1898, this Romanesque Revival school is a significant work of the prominent local architect Edwin Thayer Barlow. It was the last of the city's neighborhood schools to be closed. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is now used for Head Start and other social programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Arlington, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The United States Post Office—Arlington Main is a historic post office in Arlington, Massachusetts. Built in 1936, this Colonial Revival brick structure is most notable for the mural in its lobby, which was painted in 1938 by William C. Palmer, with funding from the Federal Art Project. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986; it had previously been included in the Arlington Center Historic District in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rialto Theater (Tacoma, Washington)</span> United States historic place

The Rialto Theatre in Tacoma, Washington was built in 1918 to showcase movies. Its design reflects the affluence following World War I. It reflects the character of a palace and is the result of efforts by entrepreneur Henry T. Moore and Tacoma architect Roland E. Borhek. Designed to hold 1500 patrons and retail space. The two-and-a-half-story structure is in the historic downtown of Tacoma. The area has long been associated with theaters and entertainment. The theater is freestanding, with a dramatic view on an incline with a classical façade sheathed of glazed white terra cotta. Both the interior and exterior retain most of the original design of Roland E. Borhek. The theater has an auditorium, proscenium with stage, a relocated projection booth, balcony, lobby, and commercial space. It has been altered with the removal of the storefronts and marquee. On the inside, the lobby's decorative ceiling has been hidden and the concession areas expanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Troy, New York)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Troy, New York, United States, is located at 400 Broadway, on the corners of Fourth and William Streets, the tenth location it has occupied in the city's history. It serves the ZIP Codes 12179 through 12182, which cover different sections of the city. In 1989 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it is also a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District, which covers much of the city's downtown commercial area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Medina, New York)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Medina, New York, is located at West Avenue and West Center Street. It is a brick building erected in the early 1930s, serving the ZIP Code 14103, covering the village of Medina and neighboring portions of the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Congregational Church</span> Historic church in New Hampshire, United States

Chester Congregational Church is a historic church at 4 Chester Street in Chester, New Hampshire. This wood-frame building was originally built as a traditional New England colonial meeting house in 1773, and underwent significant alteration in 1840, giving it its present Greek Revival appearance. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parsonage</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parsonage is a historic church complex at 8 Prospect Street in Caribou, Maine. The Gothic Revival wood-frame church, built in 1912-14 for a Methodist congregation founded in 1860, is the most architecturally sophisticated church in Caribou. It was built on the lot of the Colonial Revival parsonage house, which was moved to make way for the church. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The current pastor is Rev. Timothy Wilcox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elm Street Congregational Church and Parish House</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Elm Street Congregational Church and Parish House is a historic church complex at Elm and Franklin Streets in Bucksport, Maine. It includes a Greek Revival church building, built in 1838 to a design by Benjamin S. Deane, and an 1867 Second Empire parish house. The church congregation was founded in 1803; its present pastor is the Rev. Stephen York. The church and parish house were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Spring Valley, New York)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Spring Valley, New York, is located on North Madison Street. It is a brick building from the mid-1930s that serves the ZIP Code 10977, covering the village of Spring Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Merchant House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Walter Merchant House, on Washington Avenue in Albany, New York, United States, is a brick-and-stone townhouse in the Italianate architectural style, with some Renaissance Revival elements. Built in the mid-19th century, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boscawen Public Library</span> United States historic place

The Boscawen Public Library is the public library of Boscawen, New Hampshire, United States. It is located at 116 North Main Street. The library's first building, built in 1913 to a Colonial Revival design by Guy Lowell, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and is slowly undergoing rehabilitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colony's Block</span> United States historic place

Colony's Block is a historic commercial building at 4-7 Central Square in the heart of Keene, New Hampshire. The five-story brick building was built in 1870 to a design by Worcester, Massachusetts, architects E. Boyden & Son, and is the city's most prominent example of Second Empire architecture. In addition to being a long-standing commercial center, the building housed the city library from 1870 to 1877. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adams Memorial Building</span> United States historic place

The Adams Memorial Building, now also known as the Derry Opera House, is a historic municipal building at 29 West Broadway near the center of Derry, New Hampshire. Built in 1904, it is a remarkably sophisticated Colonial Revival structure for what was at the time a small community. The building originally housed a variety of municipal offices and the local library. Local events are occasionally held in the theater of the building, located on the upper level. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The theater is now operated by a local nonprofit arts organization, the Greater Derry Arts Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strand Theatre (Rockland, Maine)</span> United States historic place

The Strand Theatre is a historic performing arts venue at 345 Main Street in downtown Rockland, Maine. Built in 1923 in the wake of a fire that destroyed part of the downtown, it is a rare example of Egyptian Revival architecture, and the only one of three theaters built in Rockland in that period to survive. Now owned by a non-profit, it continues to present films as well as musical and theatrical productions. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigglesworth Building (Springfield, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Wigglesworth Building is a historic apartment house at 77 Lillian Street and 23 Oak Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1917, it is a good local example of Colonial Revival architecture, typifying the city's multiunit construction after the introduction of new building codes. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Garden Theater Block". National Archive. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  3. "New owners of Greenfield Garden Cinemas plan to invest $250,000 into renovations". The Republic. October 23, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2013.