Paramount Theatre (Boston) facts for kids
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The Paramount Theatre in 2019
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| Former names | Paramount Theatre |
|---|---|
| Address | 559 Washington Street |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Public transit | Boylston, Chinatown, Park Street |
| Owner | Emerson College |
| Operator | Emerson College |
| Type | Theatre |
| Capacity | Robert J. Orchard Stage: 596 Jackie Liebergott Black Box: 150 Bright Family Screening Room: 170 |
| Construction | |
| Architect | Arthur Bowditch |
The Paramount Theatre is a famous theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts. You can find it on Washington Street, between Avery and West Streets. Today, it is known as the Paramount Center at Emerson College.
Contents
A Look Back: The Paramount's Early Days
The Paramount Theatre first opened its doors in 1932. It was a large movie theatre with 1,700 seats. This theatre was one of the first places in Boston to show "talking motion pictures," which were movies with sound!
The theatre got its name from its original owner, a big movie company called Paramount Pictures. It was a popular spot for watching films for many years.
Changes Over Time: From Movies to Renovation
The Paramount Theatre closed in 1976. In the 1980s, much of its beautiful Art Deco style inside was removed. This happened during a project to take out asbestos, a material that was once used in buildings.
In 1984, the building was given a special title. The Boston Landmarks Commission named it a Boston Landmark. This means it's an important building that should be protected.
In 2002, a company called Millennium Partners agreed to help. They promised to fix up the Paramount's outside, including its famous sign. This was part of a deal to get approval for their nearby Ritz-Carlton Towers project. The city would sometimes light up the sign at night.
Emerson College's Big Project
In April 2005, Emerson College announced exciting plans. They wanted to renovate the Paramount Theatre. Their goal was to turn it into a modern performing arts center.
This big project cost about $77 million. It involved fixing up the old building and adding new parts around it. The new complex would include:
- A main theatre with 550 seats.
- A Performance Development Center.
- A student residence hall, where students could live.
- A smaller "black box" theatre with 125 seats.
- A film screening room with 170 seats.
- Eight rehearsal studios for practicing performances.
- Six practice rooms for individuals or small groups.
- A sound stage for film production classes.
- A scene shop for building sets.
- Several classrooms.
- A restaurant.
- Offices for teachers and staff.
The design for this amazing transformation was done by Elkus Manfredi Architects, a company from Boston. Experts from Acentech Incorporated also helped. They made sure the sound in the building would be perfect. This included making sure sounds didn't travel between rooms and controlling noise from the building's systems.
Grand Re-Opening
The renovation project was finished in early 2010. On March 18, 2010, Emerson College celebrated the grand re-opening of the Paramount Theater. Boston's Mayor, Thomas Menino, was there to celebrate this special day.
