Boyd Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Boyd Theatre is a 1920s era movie palace
in Center City, Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It operated as a movie theater for 74 years, operating under the name Sameric as part of the United Artists
theater chain, before closing in 2002. The theater is the last of its kind in downtown Philadelphia, a remnant of an era of theaters and movie palaces that stretched along Market
and Chestnut
Streets. The theater was recently purchased by Live Nation
and plans have been announced to restore the theater to its former glory and to develop adjacent parcels into retail and hotel offerings.
Day 1928. Boasting an opulent Art Deco
lobby, extravagant marquee and ticket booth and a 2,450 seat auditorium that featured a screen advertised as 'the largest in Philadelphia', the theater became well known among several others along Chestnut Street. It was home to several notable first run films such as The Wizard of Oz
in 1939 and Gone with the Wind
in 1940. Grace Kelly
was present for the premiere of High Noon
in 1952, in which she appeared. The theater is located at 1908 Chestnut Street.
The theater, which had been owned by Warner Bros. since shortly after its opening, was sold to The SamEric Corporation in 1971 and renamed The Sameric. The following decade, three smaller screens were added to the theater on a parcel immediately west and was renamed Sameric 4. Shortly thereafter, in 1988, the theater was sold to the United Artists Circuit.
In 1993, the theater hosted its final gala event - the world premiere of Jonathan Demme
's Philadelphia
, which he and film co-stars Tom Hanks
and Denzel Washington
attended. Tom Hanks was reportedly amazed by the theater, exclaiming "Wow, a real movie palace!"
In the subsequent years the theater became a shadow of its former self, falling into great disrepair both inside and out. By the mid 1990s, the theater became the only first-run multiplex and last non-art house movie theater in Center City. The property was purchased from United Artists in 1998 by the Philadelphia development firm The Goldenberg Group and the theater continued showing films until its last day of operation on May 2, 2002.
The property was not demolished and was purchased by Clear Channel
in 2005 with the intention of expanding the theater for live productions and shoring up the building's deteriorating facade and period features. Although the restorative work was begun and the rights to an adjacent parking lot had been obtained, high costs had become a factor for the new owner, Live Nation
, an independent company that was spun off of Clear Channel's theater operations and work ceased in 2006. Today, the theater remains shuttered; however the addition to the building which contained the three small theaters has since been turned into retail.
In March, The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia listed The Boyd in its Annual Endangered Properties List and two months later The National Trust for Historic Preservation named The Boyd on its 2008 List of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places and in August it was listed on The Philadelphia Register of Historic Places after some contention based on the building's interior not being eligible for historic protection under the rules for the Register as the exterior is.
In September, Philadelphia development firm ARCWheeler entered into an agreement with Live Nation to purchase the theater and announced plans to restore it into a live performance venue with two restaurants and plans for a 30-story Kimpton Hotel on the adjacent parking lot.
Unfortunately, not having completed the purchase of the Boyd Theatre, in January 2010, Hal Wheeler died.
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
in Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It operated as a movie theater for 74 years, operating under the name Sameric as part of the United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
theater chain, before closing in 2002. The theater is the last of its kind in downtown Philadelphia, a remnant of an era of theaters and movie palaces that stretched along Market
Market Street (Philadelphia)
Market Street, originally known as High Street, is a major east–west street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the majority of its length, it serves as Pennsylvania Route 3....
and Chestnut
Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)
Chestnut Street is a major historic street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally named Wynne Street because Thomas Wynne's home was there. William Penn renamed it Chestnut Street in 1684. It runs east–west from the Delaware River waterfront in downtown Philadelphia through Center City and West...
Streets. The theater was recently purchased by Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
and plans have been announced to restore the theater to its former glory and to develop adjacent parcels into retail and hotel offerings.
History
The Boyd was designed by Philadelphia architecture firm Hoffman-Henon and built for Alexander R. Boyd. It opened on ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Day 1928. Boasting an opulent Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
lobby, extravagant marquee and ticket booth and a 2,450 seat auditorium that featured a screen advertised as 'the largest in Philadelphia', the theater became well known among several others along Chestnut Street. It was home to several notable first run films such as The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
in 1939 and Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
in 1940. Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
was present for the premiere of High Noon
High Noon
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The film tells in real time the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by himself...
in 1952, in which she appeared. The theater is located at 1908 Chestnut Street.
The theater, which had been owned by Warner Bros. since shortly after its opening, was sold to The SamEric Corporation in 1971 and renamed The Sameric. The following decade, three smaller screens were added to the theater on a parcel immediately west and was renamed Sameric 4. Shortly thereafter, in 1988, the theater was sold to the United Artists Circuit.
In 1993, the theater hosted its final gala event - the world premiere of Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
's Philadelphia
Philadelphia (film)
Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film that was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington...
, which he and film co-stars Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
and Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
attended. Tom Hanks was reportedly amazed by the theater, exclaiming "Wow, a real movie palace!"
In the subsequent years the theater became a shadow of its former self, falling into great disrepair both inside and out. By the mid 1990s, the theater became the only first-run multiplex and last non-art house movie theater in Center City. The property was purchased from United Artists in 1998 by the Philadelphia development firm The Goldenberg Group and the theater continued showing films until its last day of operation on May 2, 2002.
The Clear Channel period
The fate of The Boyd remained uncertain for the years following its closing. Its owners, The Goldenberg Group, obtained a permit to demolish it shortly after its final show. In June 2002, a group of local preservationists and private citizens organized The Committee to Save the Sameric in order to persuade the owner not to demolish the structure and local government to intercede to preserve Philadelphia's sole surviving movie palace. Their cause was bolstered the following month when Preservation Pennsylvania, a statewide preservationist group, declared The Boyd as one of Pennsylvania's ten most endangered historic properties. Later in September 2002, The Committee to Save the Sameric incorporated as a non-profit organization, Friends of The Boyd.The property was not demolished and was purchased by Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
in 2005 with the intention of expanding the theater for live productions and shoring up the building's deteriorating facade and period features. Although the restorative work was begun and the rights to an adjacent parking lot had been obtained, high costs had become a factor for the new owner, Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
, an independent company that was spun off of Clear Channel's theater operations and work ceased in 2006. Today, the theater remains shuttered; however the addition to the building which contained the three small theaters has since been turned into retail.
2008 & Beyond
The cause for restoring and renovating the theater was bolstered by three announcements in 2008.In March, The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia listed The Boyd in its Annual Endangered Properties List and two months later The National Trust for Historic Preservation named The Boyd on its 2008 List of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places and in August it was listed on The Philadelphia Register of Historic Places after some contention based on the building's interior not being eligible for historic protection under the rules for the Register as the exterior is.
In September, Philadelphia development firm ARCWheeler entered into an agreement with Live Nation to purchase the theater and announced plans to restore it into a live performance venue with two restaurants and plans for a 30-story Kimpton Hotel on the adjacent parking lot.
Unfortunately, not having completed the purchase of the Boyd Theatre, in January 2010, Hal Wheeler died.