A Peek Behind the Curtain of Boston's Vaudeville History

From Dave Brigham:

Like the vaudeville magicians who once entertained the masses in theaters along Tremont and Washington streets, this little building across from the Boston Common almost pulled off a coy illusion. But after a few peeks behind the curtain, I figured out the truth about its history.

I think.

Nearly inconspicuous, squeezed between two apartment towers, this odd sliver of Boston likely escapes most peoples' notice. As I walked along the Tremont Street side of the Boston Common, I stopped in my tracks when I saw this place. Why, I wondered, is this Lilliputian edifice wedged between two Goliath residence towers (sorry for the mixed literary references)? Tremont On the Common, located to the left of this little building, is a 26-story apartment and condo building finished in 1969. Studios here start at $420,000, and the prices go up to $650,000+ for two-bedroom condos. Grandview Boston, on the right, dates to 2004, and features one-bedroom units starting at $565,000 going up to three-bedroom condos starting at $1.7 million in its 18 floors of living.

My first thought was that this cute, white-washed building -- trying so hard to bolster itself against being crushed by its bigger and uglier siblings -- was a remnant of the times when Boston's Theater District was much bigger, brighter and bolder. Time was, the district was home to around 50 theaters, with tens of thousands of seats filled for musicals, dramas, comedy shows, movies and concerts. "Was this little place once part of a larger building?" I wondered.

I walked up to the building's clouded-glass doors, which were locked. There aren't any signs on the doors or the building, so I walked away determined to unlock this mystery.

On a subsequent visit to the area, I walked to the back of the building, on Mason Street. Again, no signs and no way in to this locked box.

Now I was really curious.

So first I dug into the history of Boston's Theater District, a search that led me to the city's ties to the vaudeville circuit of the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century.

The district once had three main thoroughfares: Tremont, Washington and Boylston streets. Boston's first theater opened in 1793, per Wikipedia. In 1900, the Boston Theater District had 31 theaters, with 50,000 seats. These days there are 10 theaters in this area, as well as others along Huntington Avenue.

Along Washington Street you'll see the Paramount Theatre, the Modern Theatre and the Boston Opera House, which opened in 1928 as a movie house, was rededicated in 1980 for an opera company, and was totally renovated in 2004 for ballet and touring Broadway shows.

(The Boston Opera House on Washington Street. There are similarities between this facade and the one along Tremont Street. There are reasons; they are explained below.)

Upon its opening in 1928, the Opera House was known as the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, according to this excellent history of the building from the theater's web site. It was built on the site of the demolished B.F. Keith's Boston Theatre.

"Designed in a combination of French and Italian styles by Thomas White Lamb, one of the foremost theatre architects of his day, it was erected under the close personal supervision of Edward Franklin Albee to memorialize his late partner, Benjamin Franklin Keith," per the web site. "Because it was constructed as a memorial and tribute to vaudeville’s greatest impresario, it was built with a degree of luxury in its appointments that is almost unrivaled."

I've been to this theater a few times in recent years and I can attest to the grandeur of the place.

Benjamin Franklin "B.F." Keith is considered a father of vaudeville, a type of theater popular from the 1880's to the 1930's featuring comedians, dancers, acrobats, magicians, puppeteers and other performers. From 1894-1925, B.F. Keith's Boston Theatre ran vaudeville shows primarily, alongside other theaters that Keith owned with his business partner, E.F. Albee. Keith died in 1914.

Still with me? Good, because here comes the relevant part.

Where was B.F. Keith's Theatre located? Between Tremont and Washington streets, with entrances on each street. And -- you guessed it -- the little building in the top photo is located approximately where the Tremont Street entryway was located. "....Keith and Albee built an entrance-building annex at 163 Tremont Street so that B. F. Keith's New Theatre could be advertised on, and approached directly from, Boston Common," per this Historic Structures blog post. "The new, narrow annex penetrated the block between Tremont and Mason streets and led by a tunnel beneath Mason Street into the B. F. Keith's New Theatre auditorium behind the boxes at the north side (stage left) of the proscenium."

Here's a picture of the Tremont Street entrance from 1906.

"Aha!" I thought. This "little building that could" might be all that's left of the entrance annex of the old B.F. Keith's Theatre.

Turns out, however, that entrance was torn down, I believe when the above-mentioned Tremont On the Common apartment building went up in the 1960's. I haven't found official confirmation that the developer was forced into recreating the former B.F. Keith entrance, but I did find mention of it on a web site called Jerry's Brokendown Palaces (a Grateful Dead reference). "[T]he Tremont Street lobby building had been recreated on the original site. Although not fancy like the 1895 original, it has a theatrical look. It is possible that the developers for that site were required to recreate the entrance, even though the Opera House no longer has access for audience members from Mason St." Read more and see old pictures at this link.

I have no idea what purpose this little reproduction gem serves now. I hope there are historic photos in there.

In 1965, long after vaudeville died out, the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre was acquired by Sack Theatres, according to the Opera House web site. After a restoration effort, the building was renamed the Savoy Theatre. From 1973-1978 the theater was divided into two screening rooms and was known as the Savoy 1 & 2. In 1978 the Opera Company of Boston bought the theater and ran shows until hitting tough times and by 1991 the theater was closed yet again, per the Opera House web site.

"With the assistance of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Clear Channel obtained the necessary building permits in late 2002 and commenced work to completely renovate and restore the Citizen Bank Opera House on a very tight 18-month schedule," per the theater's web site. In June 2004 the grand palace opened yet again; in 2009 local businessmen David Mugar and Don Law acquired the theater, and it has remained a vibrant part of Boston's theater scene ever since.

For another story about an old theater district site, see May 25, 2018, "Backside of the Globe."