Park Theatre (Boston) facts for kids

Image of the Park Theatre (Boston)

The Park Theatre was a famous playhouse, or theater, in Boston, Massachusetts. It opened in 1879 and was a popular spot for plays in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Later, it changed and became the State movie theater. The building was on Washington Street, close to Boylston Street, and it stood there until 1990.

The Park Theatre's Story

In 1879, a theater owner named Henry E. Abbey opened the Park Theatre in Boston. He already owned a theater with the same name in New York. Henry Abbey worked with his business partner, John B. Schoeffel, who helped manage the theater.

The Park Theatre was built in a spot where an older building, Beethoven Hall, used to be. The old building was completely changed and rebuilt for the new theater. The main room where people watched plays was very big. It was about 60 feet wide, 63 feet from the stage to the back doors, and 50 feet high! The person who designed the new theater was an architect named Abel C. Martin. The theater was located right in the heart of what is now Boston's Chinatown and Theatre District.

In the 1890s, the Park Theatre was known for showing funny plays called "farcical comedies." Many different people managed and owned the theater over the years. These included Henry E. Abbey, Jack A. Crabtree, Lotta Crabtree, and Charles Frohman. A group of managers called Rich & Harris also ran it.

A talented musician named Louis Baer led the theater's 11-person orchestra in the 1890s. They played music for the shows.

In the 1900s, the building changed its name and purpose several times. It became "Minsky's Park Burlesque," then the "Hub," "Trans-Lux," and finally "The State" cinema, which was a movie theater. The building stayed standing until it was torn down in 1990.

What Plays and Movies Were Shown?

More Images

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  Theatre manager Henry E. Abbey in the 1800s

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  An advertisement for the Park Theatre from 1883

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  What the inside of the theater looked like in 1883

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  A small part of a Boston map from 1886, showing the Park Theatre

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  Another advertisement for the theater, from 1908

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  An advertisement for the movie Robin Hood playing at the Park Theatre in 1922