The Colonial Theatre in

Bethlehem, New Hampshire Bethlehem is a hillside town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,484 at the 2020 census. It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within the White Mountain National ...

, is a historic movie theater built in 1915 and one of the oldest continuously operating movie theaters in the United States. When the Colonial opened its doors, the era of the grand hotels was in full swing and Bethlehem was a premier destination resort town. Because of its sophisticated clientele the Colonial quickly became a venue for movie studios to test market their films. It was designed in the

Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...

style by Francis J. Kennard of

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. The property was listed on the

New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places The New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places (NHSRHP) is a register of historic places administered by the state of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Buildings, districts, sites, landscapes (such as cem ...

in 2002.

History and description

The Colonial Theatre is located at 2050 Main Street and was built by Karl Abbott, scion of Bethlehem hotelier Frank Abbott. In the summer of 1914, as documented in K. Abbott's 1950 memoir ''Open for the Season'', Abbott, with his then-partner "Doc" Clark, converted the family stables to a garage for automobiles, then looked further: "The vacant lot across the street at which I happened to be looking suddenly took on a vision — before my eyes rose a modern movie house with electrically lighted marquee." By spring of the following year construction was complete and the Colonial Theatre opened for business on July 1, 1915, with a showing of

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

's '' The Girl of the Golden West''. The theatre included an electrically-lighted marquee. Building on his father's purchase of the Uplands Hotel in Bethlehem in 1886, Frank H. Abbott and Son became one of the pre-eminent owners and operators of grand hotels in the White Mountains, with holdings in Florida, North Carolina, New York state, and Boston as well. Locally, in addition to the Uplands, they owned the Forest Hills in

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...

, and one of the most successful resorts of its era, the Profile House in

Franconia Notch Franconia Notch (elev. ) is a major mountain pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Dominated by Cannon Mountain to the west and Mount Lafayette to the east, it lies principally within Franconia Notch State Park and is traversed by ...

. In 1922, overwhelmed with the operation of the Profile House, Karl sold the Colonial, still legally owned by Abbott and Clark, to Jack Eames, a local resident who was president of the Interstate Amusement Company. The transaction was negotiated on an impulse when they happened to meet on the night train to Boston. The theater remained with the Eames until it was purchased by the nonprofit The Friends of the Colonial in 2001. The Colonial now presents national touring artists, independent and world cinema, children's events, and community events annually from May 1 through October 30.

References

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External links

Colonial Theatre website
Buildings and structures in Grafton County, New Hampshire Theatres in New Hampshire New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places Bethlehem, New Hampshire