Strand Theatre is a restored vaudeville house located in Uphams Corner in

Dorchester, Boston Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...

, Massachusetts. It is owned by the City of Boston and managed by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture.

History

The Strand was built in 1918 as a movie and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

house. It opened on the evening of

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between th ...

(November 11, 1918), billed as Dorchester's million-dollar movie palace, with a double feature: '' Queen of the Sea'', starring Annette Kellermann, and '' Out of a Clear Sky'', starring

Marguerite Clark Helen Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 – September 25, 1940) was an American theatre, stage and silent film actress. As a movie actress, at one time Clark was second only to Mary Pickford in popularity. With a few Snow White (1916 film) ...

, with extra added attraction Miss Emilie Earle, the songstress. The theater was designed by Funk and Wilcox in Boston and built by McGahey and O'Connor. It boasted the first theater organ in New England, which reportedly cost $75,000. It closed in 1974 due to disrepair, only to be reopened again in 1979 after the city of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

made extensive renovations. The Strand was re-christened the M. Harriet McCormack Center for the Arts, named after the wife of Massachusetts Senator John W. McCormack. Both McCormack and his wife were ardent supporters of the arts. The McCormack Center opened with a series of jazz concerts, including the

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

Orchestra,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

and His Orchestra, and Dizzie Gillespie. In the early 1980s, it featured a series of dance concerts, including regular performances by North Atlantic Ballet. It hosted Chaminade Opera Group in 1990 under the direction of Florence Louise Pettitt. In 2005, the Strand closed for six months for repairs, including upgrading the electrical switch gear, replacing 300 seats in the orchestra section, and cleaning and repairing the remaining 1,100 seats. These repairs were made in part by a $6 million, four-year capital investment from the city of

. In March 2006, the Strand closed its doors again for more improvements, including upgrading the safety and fire systems and renovating the box office and dressing rooms. In July 2008, the Strand's stage floor and orchestra pit were replaced and repairs were made to the facade and marquee. On January 9, 2007, Mayor

Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three mont ...

gave his State of the City Address from the stage of the Strand Theatre to help bring attention to restoration efforts and help revive the Strand's prominence in the city of Boston. In August 2014, "a newly renovated visual arts gallery" opened with an exhibit honoring black veterans."Strand Theatre’s gallery highlights black veterans"
''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', August 7, 2014.

References

External links

* * http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-8247983.html {{coord, 42, 18, 57.5, N, 71, 3, 57.7, W, region:US, display=title Vaudeville theaters Cinemas and movie theaters in Massachusetts Former cinemas in the United States Theatres in Boston Buildings and structures in Boston Theatres completed in 1918 Dorchester, Boston 1918 establishments in Massachusetts