100 years of movie theater history in Maynard, MA. For a few years, 1949-1952, there were three theaters in Maynard: Colonial, Peoples and Fine Arts. Colonial had lowest ticket price. Peoples was largest, and only one with a balcony. Fine Arts had only one screen until 1969.
First showing of a motion picture in Maynard was at the Riverside CO-OP (now site of Knights of Columbus building) in 1902. There is also mention of a 1909 exhibition ofSherman 's
moving pictures at same place. Newspapers of that era mentioned S.E. Sherman as
a have-projector-will-travel impresario. By 1914 there were occasional showing
of features, shorts and newsreels at Colonial Hall. These were silent films in
black and white, oft accompanied by live music, typically a solo pianist.
Intermissions featured performances by local singers.
First showing of a motion picture in Maynard was at the Riverside CO-OP (now site of Knights of Columbus building) in 1902. There is also mention of a 1909 exhibition of
Back then, showing
movies was a dangerous business. Until around 1950 all film was made of
cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable substance with a chemical composition
akin to gunpowder. Film exposed to fire or a spark could burst into intense
flames, releasing copious, toxic fumes in the process. Once ignited it could
not be easily extinguished. There are fire safety movies showing cellulose
nitrate film burning underwater! Luckily, Maynard never suffered a theater fire
when an audience was present.
During the first half of the 20th century local
businesses often sponsored sports teams for publicity purposes. At Peoples Theatre, Burton Coughlan (in suit) managed the team. He was 34 at the time. |
The first building
specifically designed to serve as a motion picture palace was Peoples Theatre.
The building still stands at 14
Nason Street , converted to office space. Initially
two groups of local businessmen were scrambling for downtown locations and
funding. James A. Coughlan, Hector Hobers and James J. Ledgart organized the
Peoples Theatre Company and sold shares for $25. The co-operative movement was
very strong in Maynard at the time, so the idea of local people being able to
buy into ownership and share the profits was well received. In fact, the
decision to go for crowd-sourced funding was instrumental to choosing the
theater's name.
The second group (BJ
Coughlin, the Naylor brothers, others) had land at the corner of Nason &
Main, but not quite enough money. The two groups merged. Peoples Theatre opened
on May 6, 1921 with seating for 700 people (250 in the balcony). A huge
chandelier graced the lobby. Tickets were 25 cents. Circa 1951 the price of a
ticket was up to 44 cents for adults, 16 cents for children. The theater closed
its doors around 1959.
Although the
Coughlans, father James and son Burton , were
both involved with Peoples, Burton
decided to build his own theater on the family property at 17 and 19 Summer
Street. James had started there with a horse stable in 1897, later adding an
auto repair shop. Burton ’s
vision, the luxuriously appointed Fine Arts Theatre, with 400 seats, no
balcony, opened on June 29, 1949 with a showing of The Red Shoes. An adjoining second theater, 300 seats, with its own
ticket window, was added in 1969. One employee reminisced: "...the
projectionist had to scamper across the roof to get to the [projection] booth
for the smaller of the theaters." That theater was divided into two parts
in 1989.
Fine Arts Theatre, Maynard MA, February 2012 |
Over decades, Fine
Arts lost it lustre (and much of its heat, air conditioning, sound-system and
waterproofiness), until by the beginnings of this century it was a threadbare
carpets, duct-taped seats and sad bathrooms mess. The Shea family, operating as
Deco Entertainment Services, leased the property in late 2002 and started a
lengthy rehab process on the interior. Then, in 2013, Burton Coughlan's
daughter sold the theater plus the building at 17 Summer Street (originally
part of the stables, later Burton 's
art gallery) to the partnership of Steven Trumble and Melanie Perry.
Opening night ticket, signed by Steve Trumble |
As of March 2015 two theaters are operative, albeit with film rather than digital projectors, and plans to complete renovation of the third room are on hold.
Fifty of David Mark’s 2012-2014 columns were published in book "Hidden History of Maynard" available at The Paper Store, on-line, and as an e-book.
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