Coolidge Corner Theatre

Last updated
Coolidge Corner Theatre
Coolidge Corner Theater Marquee 2023 01.jpg
Coolidge Corner Theatre marquee in 2023
Coolidge Corner Theatre
Address290 Harvard Street
Brookline, Massachusetts
United States
Coordinates 42°20′33″N71°07′21″W / 42.34250°N 71.12250°W / 42.34250; -71.12250
OperatorCoolidge Corner Theatre Foundation
Type Non-profit
Current useIn Operation
Opened30 December 1933 (1933-12-30)
Website
www.coolidge.org

Coolidge Corner Theatre is a nonprofit, independent cinema and community cultural center in the Coolidge Corner section of Brookline, Massachusetts, specializing in international, documentary, animated, and independent film selections, series, classes, and seminars. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Coolidge Corner Theatre was built as a Universalist church in 1906 and was redesigned as an Art Deco movie palace in 1933 as the community's first movie theater. [1] [3] [4] The theater opened on December 30, 1933 with its first film being a Disney short film. [4] Originally the theater only had one screen but was later divided into two and then four. [5]

By 1988, the theatre faced increased competition due to VCR sales and shifts in entertainment consumption. [6] When developer Jonathan Davis expressed interest in demolishing the theatre and repurposing the property as commercial space, a group from the Brookline community started a grassroots campaign to save the theatre. [7]

David Kleiler, a film professor at Babson College, led the movement, called "Friends of the Coolidge," which later transformed into the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the theatre's preservation. [8] This foundation played a role in securing the theater's recognition as a historic site, temporarily preventing potential redevelopment. [8]

In 1989, the foundation attempted to raise the necessary $2.6 million to purchase the theatre, but faced fundraising shortfalls. [8] In response, four hundred local residents gathered in a peaceful demonstration, locking arms and forming a human chain around the theatre. [8] Harold Brown, a realtor and Brookline resident who had loved the Coolidge in his youth, and his Hamilton Charitable Foundation emerged, proposed the purchase of the theatre and a 99-year lease to the Coolidge Foundation. [8] On November 8, 1989, Kleiler cut a celluloid ribbon and the theatre reopened its doors with the marquee reading, "WE DID IT - ON WITH THE SHOW." [8] Kleiler remained the theatre's programming director until 1993. [8]

Comedian and Brookline, Massachusetts native John Hodgman worked at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in his youth. [9]

Academy Award-winning actor Julianne Moore saw Eraserhead at the Coolidge Corner Theatre and credits the experience as one of her key inspirations to pursue acting. [10]

In November 2021, the Coolidge Foundation broke ground on an expansion of the theatre, which added 14,000 square feet to its existing structure. [11] The $12.5 million expansion, "The Campaign for the Coolidge," designed by Höweler + Yoon, features two state-of-the-art theaters, a 60-seat Community Education and Engagement Center, a media library for films and Coolidge merchandise, and enhanced accessibility features. [11] Donors included a $1 million donation from The Trust Family Foundation. [12] The expansion opened on March 27, 2024. [13]

Coolidge Award

The Coolidge Award annually recognizes a film artist who “advances the spirit of original and challenging cinema.’’ [14] Recipients of this venue's annual Coolidge Award include: [15]

Coolidge Breakthrough Artist Award

Created in 2023, the Coolidge Breakthrough Artist Award [16] recognizes emerging voices in film and spotlights the next generation of young film artists. Recipients include:

Images

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Demme</span> American filmmaker (1944–2017)

Robert Jonathan Demme was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an Academy Award and a Directors Guild of America Award winner, and received nominations for a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three Independent Spirit Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookline, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and West Roxbury. The city of Newton lies to the west of Brookline. Brookline was first settled in 1638 as a hamlet in Boston, known as Muddy River; it was incorporated as a separate town in 1705.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viggo Mortensen</span> American actor (born 1958)

Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr.R is an American actor, artist, musician and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for three Academy Awards for Best Actor, three BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Harris</span> American actor and director (born 1950)

Edward Allen Harris is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in Apollo 13 (1995), The Truman Show (1998), Pollock (2000), and The Hours (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julianne Moore</span> American actress (born 1960)

Julie Anne Smith, known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, as well as for her roles in blockbusters. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annette Bening</span> American actress (born 1958)

Annette Carol Bening is an American actress. In a career spanning more than four decades, she has received many accolades, including a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globes as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, and five Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna's Taqueria</span>

Anna's Taqueria is a chain of fast-service Mexican-fusion restaurants in the Boston area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line C branch</span> Light rail line in Massachusetts, US

The C branch, also called the Beacon Street Line or Cleveland Circle Line, is one of four branches of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line light rail system in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. The line begins at Cleveland Circle in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston and runs on the surface through Brookline along the median of Beacon Street. Reentering Boston, the line goes underground through the St. Mary's Street incline and joins the B and D branches at Kenmore. Trains run through the Boylston Street subway to Copley where the E branch joins, then continue through the Tremont Street subway to downtown Boston. The C branch has terminated at Government Center station since October 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coolidge Corner</span> Neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, US

Coolidge Corner is a neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, centered on the intersection of Beacon Street and Harvard Street. The neighborhood takes its name from the Coolidge & Brother general store that opened in 1857 at that intersection at the site of today's S.S. Pierce building, which was for many years the only commercial business in north Brookline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Panida Theater</span>

The PanidaTheater is a small community theater in Sandpoint, Northern Idaho in the United States of America. The theater was built as a vaudeville and movie house by F.C. Weskil in 1927. Deriving its name from "the PANhandle of IDAho", The Panida opened as a vaudeville and movie house in 1927, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Past performers have included Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie, Wynton Marsalis, and Mitch Miller. Actor Viggo Mortensen began his acting career at The Panida. They play host to art house films, current movies and past classics. They host concerts, business workshops, dance performances, comedy, live theatre and much more. They have an active film club and feature many film festivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hodgman</span> American author, actor, and humorist

John Kellogg Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All, he is known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long's personification of a Mac in Apple's "Get a Mac" advertising campaign, and for his work as a contributor on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookline High School</span> Public high school in Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts. It is a part of Public Schools of Brookline.

Sleep No More is an immersive theatre production created by British theatre company Punchdrunk. Based on Punchdrunk's original 2003 London production, the company reinvented Sleep No More in a co-production with the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), which opened at the Old Lincoln School in Brookline, Massachusetts on October 8, 2009. It won Punchdrunk the Elliot Norton Award for Best Theatrical Experience 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Jewish Film Festival</span>

The Boston Jewish Film Festival (BJFF) is an annual film festival that screens the best contemporary films on Jewish themes from around the world. The festival presents features, shorts, documentaries, and conversations with visiting artists in order to explore the Jewish identity, the current Jewish experience and the richness of Jewish culture in relation to a diverse modern world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppet Showplace</span> Puppet theater in Massachusetts

Puppet Showplace Theater is a nonprofit puppet theater in Brookline, Massachusetts. The organization was founded in June 1974 by Mary Churchill. Since 1981, it has been located at 32 Station Street. The theater presents performances by local and traveling professional puppet companies.

J.P. Licks is an ice cream store chain with 17 locations around Massachusetts. J.P. Licks also offers croissants, muffins, cookies, cupcakes, scones, and bagels. J.P. Licks pays homage to its hometown and location, Jamaica Plain, a Boston neighborhood colloquially referred to as "J.P.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas McCarthy (director)</span>

Nicolas McCarthy is an American film director and writer based in Los Angeles. A lifelong lover of film, McCarthy struggled for the first decades of his career, receiving his first break into the motion picture industry at the age of 40 with the release of his 2012 feature film The Pact. In 2014 he released At the Devil's Door, establishing himself primarily as a maker of horror film.

The Balagan Film Series, also known as Video Balagan is a nonprofit organization has that organized screenings of underground and experimental films in Boston, Massachusetts since 2000. Screenings usually take place at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts. They are one of the longest running microcinemas dedicated to experimental, niche programming in the New England, North Eastern US region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Ruffin Ridley</span> African-American journalist and activist (1861-1943)

Florida Ruffin Ridley was an African-American civil rights activist, suffragist, teacher, writer, and editor from Boston, Massachusetts. She was one of the first black public schoolteachers in Boston, and edited The Woman's Era, the country's first newspaper published by and for African-American women.

<i>Green Book</i> (film) 2018 film by Peter Farrelly

Green Book is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, the film is inspired by the true story of a 1962 tour of the Deep South by African American pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer and later actor Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, who served as Shirley's driver and bodyguard. Written by Farrelly alongside Lip's son Nick Vallelonga and Brian Hayes Currie, the film is based on interviews with Lip and Shirley, as well as letters Lip wrote to his wife. It is named after The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide book for African American travelers founded by Victor Hugo Green in 1936 and published until 1966.

References

  1. 1 2 "Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation History & Mission". November 8, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Education Classes & Seminars". Coolidge Corner Theater. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  3. ↑ Harmon, Lawrence (November 8, 2014). "Brookline movie house required skillful rescue". The Boston Globe . Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Harris, Patricia; David Lyon (2004). Boston: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot Press. p. 117. ISBN   978-0-06-054017-3.
  5. ↑ Zhao, Weiwen (November 20, 2014). "Coolidge Corner Theatre celebrates 25 years since being saved from the wrecking ball". Wickedlocal.com. Community Newspaper Company . Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ Loria, Daniel (August 2015). "THE COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE". Boxoffice. 151 (8): 26–27. ProQuest   1731552009.
  7. ↑ Rothchild, Sylvia (5 October 1989). "Many Jews In Struggle To Preserve Coolidge Theatre". Jewish Advocate. p. 4. ProQuest   888778852.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "History & Mission". Coolidge Corner Theater. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  9. ↑ "John Hodgman on Grey Gardens".
  10. ↑ Globe, The Boston. "At Coolidge award event, Oscar-winner Julianne Moore reflects on roles and her years in Boston". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  11. 1 2 "A vision for our future". Campaign for the Coolidge. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  12. ↑ "The Coolidge Announces Expansion Project". Coolidge Corner Theater. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  13. ↑ Andrea Shea (March 20, 2024). "Coolidge Corner Theatre's new expansion is ready for its close up". WBUR.
  14. ↑ Gilsdorf, Ethan (March 2, 2012). "Viggo Mortensen sees through the eyes of an outsider". The Boston Globe . Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Coolidge Award" . Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Announcing the first ever Coolidge Breakthrough Artist Award". Coolidge Corner Theater. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
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.