List of former theatres in Boston

Last updated

The following is a partial list of former theatres in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It includes multi-purpose public spaces that functioned at least in part as venues for theatrical performances, including vaudeville. Most venues also served at one time or another as concert halls, lecture halls, meeting spaces, etc. Some operated as dime museums, and some as motion picture houses. Some of the buildings that formerly housed theatres have survived to the present day. However, most of the buildings no longer exist.

Contents

Former theatres in Boston

Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

NameYear establishedYear closedLocationNotesImage
Adelphi Theatre19th century Washington Street
Alhambra1878 [1] [2]
Allston Hall19th century Tremont Street
Allston Theatre20th centuryBrighton Avenue [3]
Apollo Theatre20th century Washington Street [3] 1920 Arlington theatre TremontSt BostonGlobe August30.png
The Arena19th centuryChandler Street
Arlington Theatre20th century Tremont Street
Austin and Stone's Dime Museum 1883Tremont Row [4] Austin and Stone Boston USA ca1900.png
Austin's Nickelodeon18881891 circa Court Street [4]
Barnum's Aquarial Gardens 18621863Washington Street
Beach Street Theatre19th century
Beacon Theatre 20th century Tremont Street [3]
Beethoven Hall 18741878 Washington Street
Bijou 18821943 Washington Street BijouTheatre Boston.jpg
Board Alley Theatre 17921793 Hawley Street
Boston Aquarial and Zoological Gardens 18601862Central Court
Boston Arena20th centuryStreet Botolph Street [3]
Boston Hippodrome20th century Tremont Street [3]
Boston Museum 18411903 Tremont Street Boston Museum 1851.png
Boston Olympic Theatre1845 Court Street
Boston Opera House 1909 Huntington Avenue
Boston Theatre 18541925 Washington Street BostonTheatre BalPict.JPG
Bowdoin Square Theatre 19th centuryBowdoin Square
Bowdoin Theatre1858 circa [1]
Boylston Hall 18101887Boylston and Washington Streets
Boylston Museum 18751885667 Washington St at the corner of Boylston and Washington streets.Founded by George E. Lothrop in 1875. [5] Opened May 1875 as the Boyston Museum, both a variety theatre and dime museum. [6] Later known as the Star Novelty Theatre at the New Boylston Museum. [7] Lothrop acquired the 661, 663, and 665 Washington St properties, and the theatre and museum were substantially expanded into the new World's Museum (1885-1892); [8] also a theatre and dime museum. [9] Boylston Museum.png
Buckley's Minstrel Hall1863 [1] Corner of Summer and Chauncey StreetsAKA Buckley's New Minstrel Hall and Aquarial Gardens. AKA Buckley's Serenaders [10]
Casino Theatre19th century Hanover Street [11]
Casino Theatre1909 [11]
Castle Square Theatre 18941932 Tremont Street CastleSquare Theatre Boston Massachusetts postcard.png
Chickering Hall 18831890sTremont Street
Chickering Hall 19011912Huntington Avenue ChickeringHall ca1900s Boston MA postcard.png
Cobb Theatre20th century Washington Street [3]
Columbia Theatre 18911957 circa Washington Street ColumbiaTheatre Boston Bacon1892.png
Columbian Museum 17951825 Tremont Street
Concert Hall 17521869 Hanover Street
42°21′37″N71°03′37″W / 42.360414°N 71.060342°W / 42.360414; -71.060342 (Concert Hall) 		1869 Concert Hall Boston.jpg
Continental Theatre1860s Washington Street [12]
Copley Theater [11] 20th centuryDartmouth Street [3]
Cort Theatre19141915 Park Square
Donnelly TheatreMarch 12, 19221968205 Mass. Ave. formerly Back Bay Theatre, Jimi Hendrix may have played here with Little Richard's band
Dudley Street Opera House19th centuryDudley Street [4]
Dudley Theatre20th century Washington Street [3]
Eagle Theatre1840sHaverhill and Traverse Streets [12]
Eagle Theatre20th century Washington Street [3]
Egleston Theatre20th century Washington Street [3]
Everett Square Theatre20th centuryFairmount Avenue [3]
Exeter Street Theatre 19141984Exeter Street
Faneuil Hall 18th century
Federal Street Theatre 17941852 Federal Street
42°21′20″N71°03′23″W / 42.355547°N 71.056522°W / 42.355547; -71.056522 (Federal Street Theatre)
Fenway Theatre 20th century Massachusetts Avenue [3]
Forest Garden1879 circa Roxbury
Franklin Park Theatre20th centuryBlue Hill Avenue [3]
Gaiety Theatre 18781882Washington StreetBecame the Bijou Theatre
Gaiety Theatre 19081949Washington Street 1920 GayetyTheatre ad ThisWeek in Boston Sept5.png
Gem Theatre20th centuryMeridian Street [3]
Germania Theatre1876 [1]
Globe Theatre 18711894 Washington Street
Globe Theatre 1903 Washington Street
Gordon's Old South20th century Washington Street, near Milk Street 1920 Gordons OldSouthTheatre BostonGlobe August30.png
Gordon's Olympia Theatre 20th century Washington Street [3]
Grand Dime Museum19th centuryDover Street
Grand Museum19th centuryDover Street and Washington Street [13]
Grand Opera House 18881930sWashington Street 1896 GrandOperaHouse Bostonian v2 no6.png
Grand Theatre1896
Gray's Opera House1878 [1]
Halleck's Alhambra1880 [1] City Point [14]
Harmony Hall19th century724 Washington Street [15]
Harrington's Museum18401842 Court Street
Haymarket Theatre 17961803 Tremont Street
Hollis Street Theatre 18851935Hollis Street
Horticultural Hall 18451860 School Street
Howard Athenaeum 18451953Howard Street
42°21′33″N71°03′37″W / 42.359167°N 71.060278°W / 42.359167; -71.060278 (Howard Athenaeum) 		1852 HowardAtheneum Boston McIntyre map detail.png
Huntington Avenue Theatre [3] 20th century Huntington Avenue
Ideal Theatre20th centuryDudley Street [3]
Jane English's New Tremont Theatre19th century Tremont Street
Keith and Bacheller's New York Dime Museum1883
Keith's Theatre 1894 Washington Street
Keith-Albee Boston Theatre 1920s Washington Street
Lancaster Theatre20th centuryLancaster Street [3]
Lion Theatre18361839 Washington Street [12] Became the Melodeon
Lothrop's Grand Museum19th centuryDover Street
Lyceum Theatre1892 Washington Street [13]
Magnet Theatre20th century Washington Street [3]
Melodeon 18391878 Washington Street Became the Gaiety Theatre
Metropolitan Theatre 1925 Tremont Street See Wang Theatre [16]
National Theatre 18361863Portland Street, West End
National Theatre 19111978 Tremont Street, South End
New Dime Museum1882
New England Museum 18181840 circa Court Street
Nickelodeon20th century Hanover Street [3]
Nickelodeon Musee and Parlor Theatre1894 Hanover Street
Novelty Theatre19th centuryDover Street
Oakland Garden1879 circa Roxbury [17]
Ocean Garden1880 [1]
Olympic Saloon1841 [1]
Ordway Hall 1852 Washington Street
P. T. Barnum's Museum and Aquarial Gardens19th century Washington Street
Palace Theatre 19th century Court Street
Palais Royal1878 [1]
Park Garden1879 [1]
Park Square Theatre 19151921 Park Square
Park Theatre 1879 Washington Street
Plymouth Theatre 19111957Stuart Street
Pompeiian Amphitheater19th century Huntington Avenue
Puritan Theatre1905 circa1960s Washington Street [3]
RKO-Boston 1930s1950s Washington Street, corner Essex Street
Scenic Temple20th centuryBerkeley Street and Warren Avenue [3]
School-Street Opera House [1] 19th century School Street
Scollay Square Olympia Theatre20th century
Scollay Theatre19131962 Tremont Row
Seville Theatre1930 circa1970 circa East Boston
Siege of Paris Opera House1879 [1]
Selwyn's Theatre 18671870 Washington Street
Selwyn Theatre1921 Park Square
Shawmut Theatre20th centuryBlue Hill Avenue [3]
St. James 20th century Huntington Avenue [3]
Star Theatre20th century Tremont Row [3]
St. James Theatre19th century Washington Street StJamesTheatre Boston 19thc.jpg
Suffolk Drive-In1955 circa1970 circa East Boston
Superb Theatre20th century Columbus Avenue [3]
Theatre Comique 1860s Washington Street
Theatre Comique1906 Tremont Row
Toy Theatre1914Dartmouth Street
Tremont Theatre 1827 Tremont Street
Tremont Theatre, Studio Building 1860s [12] Tremont Street
Tremont Theatre 1889 Tremont Street
Union's Opera House1879 [1]
Unique Theatre20th century Washington Street [3]
Vaudeville Saloon1840 [1]
Waldron's Casino20th century Hanover Street [3]
Washington Gardens 19th century Common Street
Washington Hall1833 Washington Street
Washington Theatre20th century Washington Street [3]
Washingtonian Hall1842 Court Street
Williams Hall1855 circa Washington Street
Windsor Theatre1881 circaDover Street [17]
World's Museum 18851892661-667 Washington Street The successor to the theatre and dime museum Boylston Museum which existed at 667 Washington St. The adjacent properties were purchased by the Boylston Museum's owner, George E. Lothrop, for the purposes of expanding both the theatre and museum. The newly expanded enterprise opened as the World's Museum on November 9, 1885. It is also known as the World's Theatre. It was sold and became the Lyceum Theatre in 1892. [8]
The Zoo1896 Boylston Street

Related Research Articles

<i>Boston Almanac</i>

The Boston Almanac was an almanac and business directory in 19th century Boston, Massachusetts published by Samuel N. Dickinson. Its offices were destroyed in the Great Boston Fire of 1872. The first almanac was published in 1836, and continued annually until at least 1894. Just about all editions contained a chronology of major events in Boston for the previous year or two years. Each almanac contained business listings, advertisements, and often city and/or state department information. Railroad, omnibus, and horse car companies were usually listed in a separate section. Some volumes highlighted famous buildings or places.

The Boston Theatre was a theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. It was first built in 1854 and operated as a theatre until 1925. Productions included performances by Thurlow Bergen, Charles A. Bigelow, Edwin Booth, Anna Held, James O'Neill Jennie Kimball, and others.

The Boston Directory of Boston, Massachusetts, was first published in 1789. It contained "a list of the merchants, mechanics, traders, and others, of the town of Boston; in order to enable strangers to find the residence of any person." Also included were listings for public officials, doctors, bank directors, and firemen. The directory was issued annually after 1825; previously it had appeared irregularly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Square Theatre</span> Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, US

The Castle Square Theatre (1894–1932) in Boston, Massachusetts, was located on Tremont Street in the South End. The building existed until its demolition in 1933. The theatre was the Boston home of Henry W. Savage's Castle Square Opera Company, a touring opera company which had theaters in other cities like Chicago and New York City, but took its name from the Boston theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tremont Row</span>

Tremont Row (1830s-1920s) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a short street that flourished in the 19th and early-20th centuries. It was located near the intersection of Court, Tremont, and Cambridge streets, in today's Government Center area. It existed until the 1920s, when it became known as Scollay Square. In 1859 the Barre Gazette newspaper described Tremont Row as "the great Dry Goods Street of Boston."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American House (Boston)</span> Hotel in Massachusetts, United States

The American House was a hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, located on Hanover Street. Abraham W. Brigham, Lewis Rice (1837–1874), Henry B. Rice (1868–1888), and Allen E. Jones served as proprietors. In 1851 the building was expanded, to a design by Charles A. Alexander. In 1868 it had "the first hotel passenger elevator in Boston." By the 1860s it also had "billiard halls, telegraph office, and cafe." In the late 19th century it was described as "the headquarters of the shoe-and-leather trade" in the city. Guests of the hotel and restaurant included John Brown, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Whitwell Greenough, Charles Savage Homer, Zadoc Long, and George Presbury Rowell. Many groups held meetings there, among them: Granite Cutters' International Association of America, Letter Carriers' Association, National Electric Light Association, and New England Shorthand Reporters' Association. The hotel closed in 1916, and re-opened under new management in 1918. It permanently closed on August 8, 1935, and the building was shortly afterwards demolished to make room for a parking lot. The John F. Kennedy Federal Building now occupies the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Theatre (Boston)</span>

The Park Theatre (est.1879) was a playhouse in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It later became the State cinema. Located on Washington Street, near Boylston Street, the building existed until 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globe Theatre (Boston, 1871)</span>

The Globe Theatre (est.1871) was a playhouse in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. It was located at 598 Washington Street, near the corner of Essex Street. Arthur Cheney oversaw the Globe until 1876. From 1871 to 1873 it occupied the former theatre of John H. Selwyn. After a fire in May 1873, the Globe re-opened on the same site in December 1874. Architect Benjamin F. Dwight designed the new building. From 1877 to 1893 John Stetson served as proprietor; some regarded him as "a theatrical producer with a reputation for illiteracy in his day such as Samuel Goldwyn has achieved" in the 1960s. The theatre burned down in January 1894.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Theatre (Boston)</span> Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, US

The Columbia Theatre or Loew's New Columbia Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, was a playhouse and cinema located in the South End at No. 978 Washington Street. Charles Frohman, Isaac Baker Rich and William Harris oversaw the theatre until 1895. Owners included J.J. Grace of New York and Loews. Staff included Harry Farren, Saul Hamilburg and Philip Shea. The Columbia existed until its demolition in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tremont Theatre, Boston (1889)</span>

The Tremont Theatre was a playhouse in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry E. Abbey and John B. Schoeffel established the enterprise and oversaw construction of its building at no.176 Tremont Street in the Boston Theater District area. Managers included Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau, Klaw & Erlanger, Thos. B. Lothan and Albert M. Sheehan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selwyn's Theatre</span>

Selwyn's Theatre (1867–1870) of Boston, Massachusetts, was established by British-born actor John H. Selwyn. Architect Benjamin F. Dwight designed the building. Personnel included Dexter H. Follet, Arthur Cheney, H.A. M'Glenen, Charles R. Thorne Jr., and Charles Koppitz. In 1871 Selwyn's was renamed the "Globe Theatre."

The St. James Theatre (1912–1929) of Boston, Massachusetts, was a playhouse and cinema in the Back Bay in the 1910s and 1920s. It occupied the former Chickering Hall on Huntington Avenue near Massachusetts Avenue, adjacent to Horticultural Hall. For some years Loew's theatre chain oversaw the St. James. In 1929 the theatre "became part of the Publix (Paramount) chain, and was renamed the Uptown."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beacon Theatre (Boston)</span>

The Beacon Theatre was a cinema on Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts built in 1910 and closed in 1948. Jacob Lourie established it. Architect Clarence Blackall designed the building, with its 500-seat auditorium which a contemporary critic described as "showy." It had a staff of 26 in 1910. In 1948 the "refurbished" building became the Beacon Hill Theater. The building existed until 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bijou Theatre (Boston)</span>

The Bijou Theatre (1882–1943) in Boston, Massachusetts, occupied the second floor of 545 Washington Street near today's Theatre District. Architect George Wetherell designed the space, described by a contemporary reviewer as "dainty." Proprietors included Edward Hastings, George Tyler, and B.F. Keith. Around the 1900s, it featured a "staircase of heavy glass under which flowed an illuminated waterfall." The Bijou "closed 31 December 1943 and was razed in 1951." The building's facade still exists. It is currently a pending Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission.

The Gaiety Theatre (1878-1882) of Boston, Massachusetts, was located on Washington Street on the block between West and Avery Streets. J. Wentworth oversaw its operations. It occupied the former Melodeon. The Gaiety's 800-seat auditorium featured "walls and ceiling ... panelled in pink, with buff, gold and purple borders; the balcony fronts ... bronze, gray, and pink." In 1882 it became the Bijou Theatre.

<i>Boston Weekly Messenger</i>

The Boston Weekly Messenger (1811–1861) was a newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. Publishers/editors included James Cutler and Nathan Hale. It began as "a political journal, established in 1811 by a company of young federalists, chief among whom was John Lowell." It consisted "largely of current news taken from the Boston Daily Advertiser;" the two papers shared an office at no.6 Congress Street.

<i>Salem Observer</i>

The Salem Observer (1823-1919) was a weekly newspaper published in Salem, Massachusetts. Among the editors: J.D.H. Gauss, Benj. Lynde Oliver, Gilbert L. Streeter, Joseph Gilbert Waters. Contributors included Wilson Flagg, Stephen B. Ives Jr., Edwin Jocelyn, E.M. Stone, Solomon S. Whipple. Publishers included Francis A. Fielden, Stephen B. Ives, William Ives, George W. Pease, Horace S. Traill. In the 1880s Elmira S. Cleaveland and Hattie E. Dennis worked as compositors. Its office was located in "'Messrs P. & A. Chase's ... brick building in Washington Street'" (1826-1832) and the Stearns Building (1832-1882). "In 1882 the proprietors erected the Observer Building, of three stories, of brick, in Kinsman Place next to the City Hall." As of the 1870s, one critic noted that although "the Observer is supposed to be neutral in politics, ... it has always shown unmistakable signs of a strong republican tendency."

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States.

The following is a timeline of the history of Lowell, Massachusetts, US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyceum Theatre (Boston)</span> Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts

The Lyceum Theatre was in Boston, Massachusetts, located at 661–667 Washington Street, at the corner with Boylston Street. It opened as the Boylston Museum in 1875 at 667 Washington Street. It operated as both a theatre and a dime museum. Its founder, George E. Lothrop, acquired the adjacent properties and greatly expanded the theatre. This expanded facility opened as the World's Museum in 1885. In 1892, the theatre ceased to be a dime museum and was renamed the Lyceum Theatre after undergoing significant alterations. It was demolished in June 1908. The Gaiety Theatre was built on the same site in 1908.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Richard Herndon; Edwin M. Bacon, eds. (1892), Boston of To-day, Boston: Post Publishing Company, OCLC   4430662, OL   6905766M
  2. ↑ Sketches of living celebrities. Griffith and Farran. 1882-01-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Boston Register and Business Directory. Boston: Sampson & Murdock. 1918.
  4. 1 2 3 "Theatres and Places of Amusement". Boston Almanac and Business Directory. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Murdock & Co. 1889.
  5. ↑ Clark, Eugene Francis, ed. (November 1922). "Medical School Class of 1871". The Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. XV (1): 75.
  6. ↑ "The Stage and Platform". The Boston Globe . May 14, 1875. p. 5.
  7. ↑ "New Boylston Museum". The Boston Globe . October 26, 1876. p. 5.
  8. 1 2 King, Donald C. (2005). The Theatres of Boston: A Stage and Screen History. McFarland & Company. p. 87.
  9. ↑ Bacon, George Edward Ellis, Edwin Monroe (1886). "Dime Museums". Bacon's Dictionary of Boston. Houghton Mifflin.
  10. ↑ "Playbills and programs from Boston theaters, 1775-1988: Guide". oasis.lib.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  11. 1 2 3 "Theater History". Boston Athenaeum . Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 4 William W. Clapp (1881), "The Drama in Boston", in Justin Winsor (ed.), The Memorial History of Boston, vol. 4, Boston: Ticknor and Company, OCLC   1838124
  13. 1 2 Boston Almanac and Business Directory. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Murdock & Co. 1894.
  14. ↑ Musical Courier. Blumenberg & Floersheim. 1881-01-01.
  15. ↑ The Lyceum Banner. 1867-01-01.
  16. ↑ "Met Center gets a $4m Gift from the Wang Family", Boston Globe, June 3, 1983
  17. 1 2 "Theatres and Places of Amusement". Boston Almanac and Business Directory. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Murdock & Co. 1888.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.