Strand Theatre is a restored vaudeville house located in

Uphams Corner Uphams Corner, or Upham's Corner, is a commercial center in Dorchester, the largest neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The intersection of Dudley Street/Stoughton Street and Columbia Road is the heart of Uphams Corner, and one of Dorches ...

Dorchester, Boston Dorchester (colloquially referred to as Dot) is a 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, ...

, Massachusetts. It is owned by the

City of Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

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 born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

house. It opened on the evening of

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the 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 the Allies of World War I a ...

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

Annette Kellermann Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (6 July 1887 – 6 November 1975) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress, and writer. Kellermann was one of the first women to wear a one-piece bathing costume, instead of the then ...

, and

Out of a Clear Sky ''Out of a Clear Sky'' is a lost 1918 American silent romantic drama film starring Marguerite Clark and directed by Marshall Neilan. Based upon a novel by Maria Thompson Daviess, Famous Players-Lasky produced the film and Paramount Pictures distri ...

, starring

Marguerite Clark Helen Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 – September 25, 1940) was an American stage and silent film actress. As a movie actress, at one time, Clark was second only to Mary Pickford in popularity. All but five of her films are considered ...

, with extra added attraction Miss Emilie Earle, the songstress de luxe. The theater was designed by Funk and Wilcox in Boston and built by McGahey and O'Connor. The theater 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 (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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 John William McCormack (December 21, 1891 – November 22, 1980) was an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. An attorney and a Democrat, McCormack served in the United States Army during World War I, and afterwards won terms in both th ...

. 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 pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

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 John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

. 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 53rd 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 ...

gave his

State of the City Address The State of the City Address - or State of the City Speech - is a speech customarily given once each year by the mayors or city managers of many cities in the United States and Canada, and commonly called as State of the City Address (SOCA) or St ...

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'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', 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 Theatres in Boston Buildings and structures in Boston Theatres completed in 1918 Dorchester, Boston