The Charles Theatre, often referred to as simply The Charles, is the oldest movie theatre in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

. The theatre is a Beaux-Arts building designed as a streetcar barn in 1892 by

Jackson C. Gott Jackson C. Gott (1829–1909) was an American architect. Gott was born in Baltimore County, practiced in and around Baltimore all his life, and was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1889. Work Buildings designed b ...

, located in what is now the

Station North The Station North Arts and Entertainment District (often referred to as just Station North) is an area and official arts and entertainment district in the U.S. city of Baltimore, Maryland. The neighborhood is marked by a combination of artistica ...

arts and entertainment district. The theater was renamed the Charles (for its location on Charles Street) circa 1959 and became a calendar revival house in 1979. Many of John Waters's early films premiered at this theatre; this honor has since shifted to the

Senator Theatre The Senator Theatre is a historic Art Deco movie theater on York Road in the Govans section of Baltimore, Maryland. It is the oldest operating movie theater in central Maryland and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a d ...

. In 1999, it underwent a major expansion and is now a five-screen theater, though the original main theater has been left largely intact and is still the largest theater in the complex. The Charles now serves as an arthouse multiplex, showing a variety of independent films along with some major studio prestige pictures. The main theatre hosts revival series and special screenings several times a week, as well as the occasional live concert performance. The entire theater complex served as the host of the annual Maryland Film Festival from 1999 until 2013. The Charles sits just across the tracks of the

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...

from Penn Station, putting the theater within easy walking distance of Amtrak,

MARC Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

, and Light Rail service. Another Light Rail stop, University of Baltimore/Mt. Royal, is also close by. The original structure, known as the

Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn, also known as the Charles Theatre, is a historic street railway building located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a two-story brick Romanesque Revival style building, constru ...

, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Trivia

The pre-expansion Charles of the '70s was featured in the John Waters film ''

Polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

'' as the X-rated theater run by Elmer Fishpaw, the husband of Divine's character, Francine Fishpaw. The first public screenings of the expanded 5-screen Charles took place within the inaugural year of Maryland Film Festival in April, 1999. The expanded Charles includes the former location of the Famous Ballroom, where the

Left Bank Jazz Society The Left Bank Jazz Society was a Baltimore, Maryland-based organization that promoted jazz in Baltimore. It formed in 1964, hosting a series of concerts featuring nationally acclaimed performers like John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. Recordings of ...

held events in the 1960s and 1970s. That incarnation of the space can be seen in portions of the documentary '' Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise''.

References

External links

Official site
Buildings and structures in Baltimore Beaux-Arts architecture in Maryland Central Baltimore Cinemas and movie theaters in Maryland Baltimore City Landmarks {{US-theat-struct-stub