Paramount Theatre (Boston)

Historic theater in Boston, Massachusetts

Paramount Center at Emerson College

The Paramount Theatre in 2019

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[1]
Website
emersontheatres.org/Online/default.asp

Paramount Theatre is a theatre in Boston on Washington Street, between Avery and West Streets.

## History

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The Paramount opened in 1932 as a 1,700-seat, single-screen movie theatre. It was one of the first movie houses in Boston to play talking motion pictures. The theatre was named after its original owner, Paramount Pictures. It closed in 1976 and most of the Art Deco interior decoration was destroyed in the 1980s during the removal of asbestos.[2] In 1984, the building was designated a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission.

In 2002, Millennium Partners agreed to restore the Paramount's facade, marquee, and vertical sign in exchange for city approval of their adjacent Ritz-Carlton Towers project. The city occasionally lighted the sign at night. The city's hopes that the site would be developed by the Cambridge-based American Repertory Theater were not fulfilled.

In April 2005, Emerson College announced plans to renovate the Paramount Theatre and build a performing arts facility in and around the original building. The $77 million project involved the renovation of the building and adjacent parcels of land into a complex containing a 550-seat theater, a Performance Development Center, a student residence hall, a 125-seat black box theater, a 170-seat film screening room, eight rehearsal studios ranging from 700 square feet (65 m2) to 1,900 square feet (180 m2), six practice rooms for individuals and small groups, a sound stage for film production classes, a scene shop, several classrooms, a restaurant, and up to a dozen offices for faculty and staff. Design was by Elkus Manfredi Architects, Boston.[3] Acentech Incorporated consulted on the acoustical design of the facility, providing guidance on room acoustics, sound isolation between the stacked spaces on the tight urban site, and mechanical system noise control in the historic building.

The project was completed in early 2010. On March 18, 2010, Emerson College celebrated the grand re-opening of the Paramount Theater with Mayor Thomas Menino.

The Theatre at night in 2025

## References

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1. ^ "Paramount Theater". Retrieved January 28, 2018.
2. ^ Cinema Treasures: Paramount Theater, accessed March 4, 2010
3. ^ Boston Globe: "Emerson to take on Paramount Theater project," April 13, 2005, accessed March 4, 2010

* Boston Globe: "Paramount Regains its Grandeur," March 3, 2010, accessed March 4, 2010
* Emerson College Today: David Rosen, "Preservation, landmarks expert reviews Paramount Theatre art replicas," October 2008[permanent dead link], accessed March 4, 2010
* Emerson College Today: "Paramount Theatre awarded major grant," October 2007[permanent dead link], accessed March 4, 2010
* Emerson College Today: "Planning proceeds for College’s Paramount Center development on Washington Street," December 2005, accessed March 4, 2010
* Boston Redevelopment Authority: Press Releases: "Mayor Menino, Emerson Take Center Stage in Paramount Theatre Revitalization Plan," April 13, 2005, accessed March 4, 2010

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paramount Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts).

* Paramount Theatre
* City of Boston, Paramount Theatre Paramount Theatre Study Report

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Theatres in Boston

Active

| Boston Theater District|

* Charles Playhouse
* Colonial
* Cutler Majestic
* Modern
* Opera House
* Orpheum
* Paramount
* Shubert
* Wang
* Wilbur

|

Rest of Boston|

* Berklee Performance Center
* Boston Center for the Arts
* Boston Playwrights' Theatre
* Huntington Avenue Theatre
* Improv Asylum
* Strand

Cambridge|

* American Repertory Theater

Defunct and/or demolished

* Austin and Stone's Dime Museum
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* Gaiety (1908)
* Globe (1871)
* Globe (1903)
* Gordon's Olympia
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* Horticultural Hall
* Howard Athenaeum
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* Metropolitan
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* National (1911)
* New England Museum
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* Ordway Hall
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* Plymouth
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* Tremont Temple
* Tremont
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42°21′13″N 71°03′46″W﻿ / ﻿42.353705°N 71.062764°W﻿ / 42.353705; -71.062764
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