Parkway Theatre (Baltimore)

Parkway Theatre
SNF Parkway Film Center
Address Charles Street & North Avenue
5 West North Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
United States
Owner Johns Hopkins University
Maryland Institute College of Art
Operator Maryland Film Festival
Type Cinema / Film
Capacity 1,100
Construction
Opened 1915 (1915)
Closed 1978
Reopened 2017 (2017) (Expected)
Rebuilt 2016
Years active 1915-1978
Architect Oliver Birkhead Wight
Website
www.parkwaycampaign.org#the-snf-parkway-film-center

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Film Center, or simply the Parkway Theatre is a former movie theater located at 5 West North Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. The SNF Parkway Film Center is currently under renovation and expansion to be the official film center for the Maryland Film Festival, and film students from Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).[1]

According to Jed Dietz director of The Maryland Film Festival, it was one of the original movie palaces on the east coast and from the day it opened on October 23rd of 1915 till the day it closed in 1978 it served the community beautifully. It was built in 1915 and was originally intended for vaudeville, and has also been used for a live radio broadcast named "Nocturne" with Roland Nuttrell playing the Wurlitzer Organ and Charles Purcell reading poetry from 1937-1957. It closed in 1978 but is to be renovated as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Film Center, scheduled to open in 2017.

The theater is located in the North Central Historic District of Baltimore, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in December 2002, as well as the Station North Arts and Entertainment District.[2] In August 2012, the Parkway was considered for city landmark status.[3]

History

1915–1970s

The Parkway Theatre was designed by Oliver Birkhead Wight, a native of Baltimore County who designed other theaters in the city, including The New Theater, The McHenry Theater, and the Howard Theater.[4] Its design was "closely modeled on London's West End Theater, later known as the Rialto, with shared features like the interior's rich ornamental plaster work in a Louis XIV style."[4][5] The Parkway contains Italian Renaissance and Beaux-Arts architectural elements.[6] The exterior is terra cotta and beige brick;[7] the auditorium was originally oval or egg shaped, as in the London model, with "royal boxes" and additional loges on either side, and had a marble lobby, a tea-room decorated in grey with old rose hangings, and chandeliers modeled on those at Versailles and Fontainebleau.[5]

The theater cost about $120,000 to build,[3] and was "originally envisioned by owner Henry Webb's Northern Amusement Company as a 1100-seat vaudeville house."[4] Opening night on October 23rd, 1915, featured a screening of Zaza starring Pauline Frederick.[4]

In 1926, the Parkway was purchased by Loew's Theaters Incorporated, who had it remodeled by local architect John Eberson who also designed the Valencia Theatre above the century theatre on 18 West Lexington Street in 1926[6] and replaced the 1915 Moller organ with a 2 manual 8 rank Wurlitzer opus #1421 style F, and had both "Royal Boxes" removed (even though the cupolas underneath both remained), seating capacity was reduced.[4] In addition to films and vaudeville, the theater was used for live radio;[8] in the late 1940s and early 1950s at 12:00am Roland Nuttrell and Charles Purcell produced a nightly live WCAO radio program at the Parkway entitled Nocturne, featuring poetry readings in a deep baritone voice by Charles Purcell, interspersed with melodic lullaby selections on the 2/8 Wurlitzer organ by Roland Nuttrell that were far more effective at putting a person to sleep than taking sleeping pills. John Kilduff of Baltimore was a talented artist and saxophonist of The Red Devils (a Baltimore Jazz Band), he sketched and designed mostly all of the advertisements and coming attraction displays for the parkway and other Loew's Theatres such as The Century/Valencia Theatres, and Keith's Garden Theatre (Where he worked for years). [4]

Local theater operator Morris Mechanic purchased the Parkway and closed the doors in 1952 and suggested that it be turned into offices. However, under a succession of later owners, it was briefly used for live theater (Hilltop Theatre Parkway) and then under the new name of Five West Art Theatre in 1956 for classic and foreign films and performances until it closed in 1978. After that, the lobby and foyer space became a Korean grocery store in the 1980’s, and the owner simply walled off the screen and theater seating, so much of that is still intact.[4][9]

Neglect (1970s–2012)

The theater closed its doors for good in 1978, due to poor attendance and urban decline.[10] It changed hands several times and there were attempts to find a new use for the building. At one point it was the headquarters of an association of Korean business owners.[6] It has been vacant since 1998.[4][10] In 2004 it was opened for one evening as part of an event called "Gotta Have Art" and the Baltimore Sun's Jacques Kelly described it as "a jewel-box design" and judged the plaster work only "about 10 percent damaged by neglect".[11] The City of Baltimore included it in the Charles North Vision Plan and in 2009 contracted with developer Samuel Polakoff to convert it into a performance space at a cost of $12 million, but withdrew the rights in 2011.[9] A local engineer and piano player mechanism repairman, John R. Grant, sought to restore it to an approximation of its pre-1926 appearance and bought an antique Wurlitzer Organ Opus #1419 that was salvaged from the Apollo Theatre in New York, coincidentally only the last 2 numbers are 2 numbers less than the original one Opus #1421 installed in 1926 in the parkway, but he was unable to find backers for the project. Sadly he can no longer afford the cost to keep the organ in storage and if he's unable to find anyone who would be interested in buying it at a handsome profit he would have to end up getting rid of it. His original plan was to install #1419 into the parkway once it finished completion of restoration as a tribute to the original organ that was once there when it was removed from the theatre in the 1960s..[12]

Restoration and re-opening (2016)

On October 20, 2014, Johns Hopkins University announced that the theater would be reopening in mid-2017.[10] This announcement was prompted by a five million dollar donation from the international philanthropic organization, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.[10][13] Renovations on the Parkway Theatre began in early 2012, but this recent donation has greatly assisted the process.[10] The theater will be renamed the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Film Centre and will contain three screens, six hundred twenty seats, and a live performance area, the main auditorium will have a seating capacity of 420 seats and the new building next door will contain two smaller 100 seat theatres bringing the total number of seats to 620.[10][13] The center will not only be dedicated to exhibiting films; it will also be a space for education. It will aid both (JHU) Johns Hopkins University and the MICA’s film programs by allowing them to study the production of filmmaking and documentation .[7][10] It is also envisioned as a site of the Maryland Film Festival.[7] Updates to the center will include new projection, sound, and movie viewing technology also including heating and air conditioning ventilation systems. Although there will be modern additions to the center, the goal of the renovation is to maintain the theater’s historical integrity, as Jed Dietz puts it "we're not exactly Restoring it, It's more about Rescuing it". [10] Current construction updates are as follows: The old flooring of the lobby, orchestra and stage areas have been removed and new flooring has been laid, the old deteriorated stage curtain has been removed and will be replaced with a brand new one after construction is completed, all the old seats on the balcony level have been removed and will be replaced with new wider comfortable seats that will have cup holders to accommodate patrons, the platforms on the balcony level has been deepened to create more legroom and better walking space between rows, the tea room on the second floor has been expanded twice its regular size to include a bar and lounge area, the building at 1 West North Avenue which formerly housed a pharmacy store and restaurant will be demolished and replaced by a new building which will house two smaller sized 100 seat theatres and a small lounge in the foyer area which will be connected with the SNF Parkway.. The design phase of the project was completed in January 2015. The Parkway celebrated its 100th birthday on October 23rd 2015 marking the 100th anniversary of its grand opening on October 23rd 1915 with the showing of Pauline Frederick in Zaza. The Parkway is expected to have its Grand reopening in mid-2017, Station North is aiming to attract as many patrons for its Inaugural Grand Reopening. The estimated total cost of the renovation is $18.2 million.[13]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.parkwaycampaign.org/#the-snf-parkway-film-center
  2. ↑ "Historical & Architectural Preservation / Historic Districts / Maps of Historic Districts / North Central", City of Baltimore, accessed December 13, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Edward Gunts, "Parkway Theatre considered for landmark designation", Baltimore Sun, August 13, 2012, accessed December 13, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Elise Hoffman, "Parkway Theatre", Explore Baltimore Heritage, accessed December 13th, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Business Plus Beauty: Aesthetic Performances Make Baltimore's Parkway Success", Motography, October 7th, 1916, pp. 803–04.
  6. 1 2 3 Thomas, "Parkway Theatre", Cinema Treasures, accessed December 14th, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Brennen Jensen, "Bringing back the Parkway Theatre", Johns Hopkins University Gazette, February 2013, accessed December 20, 2014.
  8. ↑ Elise Hoffman & Eli Pousson, "Parkway Theatre", Baltimore Heritage, accessed December 13, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Mark Reutter, "Deteriorating 'jewel' of Station North Arts District to be rebid", Baltimore Brew, December 2, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lydia Woolever, "The Parkway Theatre to Reopen in 2016", Baltimore Magazine, October 20, 2014, accessed December 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ Jacques Kelly, "Keeping fingers crossed that Parkway will rebound", The Baltimore Sun, February 21, 2004.
  12. ↑ Brandon Weigel, "John Grant's dream of a renovated Parkway Theatre is coming true—so why is he so unhappy about it?", City Paper, July 3, 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 Mary Carole McCauley, "Stavros Niarchos Foundation donates $5 million to transform Parkway Theater", Baltimore Sun, October 20, 2014.

Coordinates: 39°18′38″N 76°37′01″W / 39.31056°N 76.61694°W / 39.31056; -76.61694

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