Boyd Theatre

The Boyd Theatre is a 1920's era movie palace in Center City Philadelphia,PA.

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.

History

The Boyd was designed by Philadelphia architecture firm Hoffman-Henon and built for Alexander R. Boyd. It opened on Christmas 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 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 of 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 sole suriving 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 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 completed 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.

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.

ee Also

* [http://friendsoftheboyd.org/ Friends of The Boyd]
* [http://www.boydtheatre.org/history.html The Boyd Theatre]