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Restoring old Hyde Park theater could cost $10.2 million
By adamg on Thu, 05/18/2017 - 9:48am
What's left of the theater. Photo by Mike Ball.
The Bulletin reports a team of Boston College students studying the long shuttered Everett Square Theatre on Fairmount Avenue estimate restoring its faded glory would cost $10.2 million - but that the place could be eligible for $4 million in tax credits if its owner can obtain historic designation.
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Comments
I would love to take on that
I would love to take on that project if I had endless money and wouldn't need to worry about it becoming profitable.
river st?
fairmount ave
Yes, of course
One of these days, I will finally get the hang of the local roads that take arbitrary 90-degree turns for no good reason (well, for no good reason that makes sense in the 21st century) and then I will be dangerous (like don't get me started on Centre Street/Spring Street in West Roxbury). In any case, street name fixed.
Fairmount
Ave
In other words, time to tear
In other words, time to tear it down and return the space to productive use. There's nothing 'historic' about it - it's a facility whose time has passed. And it's not like Lincoln was shot there.
OK, so what would you do with that space?
And remember, we're talking about Fairmount Avenue in Hyde Park, which is not exactly a bustling part of the city.
Hair and Nail
I call the Logan Square area Keratin Quarter, for the extreme density of nail salons and barber shops (dozens head to toe). Instead, I'd love to see some more ahts here.
We moved from JP to Fairmount Hill almost 8 years ago. I thought there was no history or politics. Honk. Wrong. The immediate area was a huge center of abolition and suffrage (think Theodore Weld, the Grimke sisters, the first women's voting in the U.S., the first published woman poet/first published lesbian author), the first cycling club, much theater, and the singular place in Boston to buy men's haberdashery for many decades.
En-knee-weigh, two great and a number of lesser restaurants are there now, along with a so-so theater (Riverside). That theater has a barely big enough hall to stage clichéd works that appeal to suburbanites. We could use something with wit and guts, like Central Square does. The old Everett could do that and offset the other Boston yawner, the Footlight in JP.
Short of that,. the extreme South of Boston could use a movie palace. There's considerable pent-up demand for that.
Tommy never cared!
Meninos legacy to his hometown.
Nail salons,Dollar stores,cheap
Clothing stores,Chinese food.
Pretty narrow definition of Hyde Park
Guess you've never been to the new wing of the BPL branch.
Neither has any one else!
What was needed was better stores,
cleaned up buildings affordable places
to eat.The library only fanned his
huge ego.
Biz aid
Plus, Menino was a relentless advocate for his old Council district. He engineered disproportionate loans and grants for neighborhood businesses. He also showed and shilled for all the transient events...as well as never leaving his Chesterfield digs and having his annual thank-you-Boston party in front of this house...greeting all comers for many hours. He remained a Hyde Park, Reedville edition,, guy.
He also underhandedly killed
He also underhandedly killed Hyde Park's local family owned 50+ year old pet supply, gun, and toy stores out of personal spite. If Tommy didn't like you or your business he'd find a way to screw you out of it.
Was the gun shop where Talk
Was the gun shop where Talk and Walk cafe is now? I have a faint memory driving past it as a kid. What is the story on it?
There were two actually:
There were two actually:
The first one (some Scots/Irish name) which closed in the 90s was an old school lever, shotgun and revolver place which had been around forever, did engraving, and I guess took over the legacy of the famous shop which was in JP until the 1950s.
The last in the early 2000s (B&D or B&Ms?) was forced to move because Menino played games with their license renewal and they relocated to New Hampshire. The shop was servicing several BPD officers and had a contract to supply the police range on Moon Island which caused a bit of an issue ("buy local" was no longer "buy local") when they were forced to relocate.
There's only one commercial FFL left in Boston which only does transfers and not sales.
A movie palace?
Keep on going up River Streets. Just over the town line, after a few rights and lefts, you'll find an amazing place to see movies. They'll even serve you a meal at your seat (if you pay enough.)
That said, Hyde Park is great and I hope this theatre is fixed up.
Dead Ham
You needn't go to Legacy Place, rather Dedham Center for the beer and flick palace. Yet, that too is not in Boston, much less Hyde Park. Thousands of us could walk to Logan Square, were the offering there.
This looks like a beautiful theatre that could use renovation.
Renovating it as a movie palace would be a fantastic idea. Moreover, it should be a movie palace that plays independent, foreign, classic, and other special films, rather than the schlock that's all too frequently played in the multiplex cinemas that dot the highways and byways of Massachusetts, and the United States, generally.
Yeah, if the building can get a historic designation, and if
the grants and loans come through and if you can get enough patrons that would pay the "1 million...generated by patrons" and if they could get enough live performances to hit the 120 mark including 30 music/dance performances.
Good luck!
But this pretty much should be a warning to anyone who wishes to invest in this money pit:
"However, nothing has happened at the theatre since 2012 when the sign and entranceway were renovated with a $30,000 grant from the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund. "Two prior attempts have been made to launch a full-scale renovation of the theatre, first in 1986 and later in 2008. However, neither project ever got off the ground."
So basically ya got $30K down to the tubes and two failed attempts and now it is let us try again? Note to owners: Sell if you can.
I lived in JP and Roslindale when ...
I lived in JP (1980s) and Roslindale (1990s) when those neighborhoods were still pretty depressed, struggling, and naysayers said they had no potential (like many of the comments here). I've now lived in Hyde Park for a number of years and I intend to stay for the Renaissance. Hyde Park is wonderful now and it's going to get better. I love its diversity, great access to two commuter rails, and I love my neighbors -- families on my street from the DR, Jamaica, many who've been in the neighborhood for decades, and relative new comers like me. Have some faith in urban resiliency, folks. There is beautiful housing stock in Hyde Park and access to incredible green space like Fowl Meadow, the Blue Hills, and Stony Brook. So much to like. And the renovation of the theater lobby was not a waste of money -- it improved the street and provides some beauty and inspiration. Many thanks to the BC students who took on this project.
My optomitrist
(responsible for helping me find my famous yellow frames) has predicted the ascension of Logan and Cleary Squares for a couple of decades. He and his wife moved to close-in Canton but always figured those parts of Hyde Park were ready to blossom again.
On my Fairmount Hill, we too are diverse with African Americans (including Caribbeans), Latinos of various heritages, and white folk getting along well mixed and just fine. (I admit Asians, Native Americans and some other groups are not obvious)
Back to the Keratin Quarter. Hair and nail salons saturate those two squares. If you want a haircut or finger/toe treatment this is where to go. Just stop it already. More restaurants, more live music, and more theater if you please.
I think my eyeglasses guy is prophetic. I'm just impatient.
"I intend to stay for the Renaissance"
I've heard it's an okay school. I love the campus, though, but only because of the reuse of the factory.
agreed!
Totally agree with you. I lived in jp when it was a bit scary and roslindale when it wasn't all that. I love HP to bits. Yes, we need some different businesses in the mix, but the buildings are all there. I love all of our old trees, our diverse community, and the cool houses (even if some of them could use repair). I'm staying put!
I like some of the details in the photograph.
Maybe it has Good Bones? Not like I am Ms. Moneybags or anything, but, the $10MM doesn't sound *that* bad for a good renovation.
Haven't read the linked article; am only just thinking that this'd be a *great* multidisciplinary MBA project. (BC's not shabby in terms of Business, General / Local History, or Art History.)
Wishing them all the best.
ADA Costs?
Is it this building or the Riverside Theatre building that had major ADA accessibility issues that needed to be overcome as part of the reno? Not hearing any mention of the dreaded T or P words that are first things out of people's mouths when it comes to even putting a stick in the ground anywhere in this town.
Maybe they could renovate it
Maybe they could renovate it and rename it "Strand Theater Annex".
Wow, never knew that that
Wow, never knew that that theater was so big inside. I have my doubts that the neighborhood could and would support a theater.
As to a renaissance in Hyde Park? I doubt it is happening anytime soon, if ever. Too limited access to downtown Boston, Milton is easier. HP prices are not exactly cheap these days either.
If the Fairmount line is
If the Fairmount line is converted to rapid transit then yes. If not, then you are correct.
Renaissance in Hyde Park ...
DPM, all I can say is what I observed above: when I lived in JP, there was no Brewer St. Tot Lot, few restaurants, lots of crime, and no one could sell their house. And people said it was way too difficult to get to downtown Boston. When I lived in Rozzy, there was no grocery store, much less trendy shops, and the Square was depressing and run down. I remember a visionary standing in a trash-strewn alley proclaiming that someday it would be a courtyard for outdoor dining. I admit I was more than skeptical -- now you can dine at Birch Street Bistro, Sophia's Grotto, or the great sushi place in that very alley. Areas do change when there is community investment.
Hyde Park is on the move!
Hyde Park is on the move! There is an active group of neighbors who support our restaurants, our shops, and are interested in bringing more to Fairmount Ave and surrounds.
Just tonight we have a reception at what will be our new Artist Co-op on Fairmount Ave!
We have the Menino Arts Center, the YMCA, the Muni, and the very impressive and talented Riverside Theatre Works.
We have the Fairmount Grille, Bacaro, Zaz and Rincon. And don't forget the original Papa Ginos!
We are a neighborhood who is now working together to make it all it can be. We are neighbors, business owners, elected officials (Councilor McCarthy, Rep. Scaccia, Register Murphy) who work as a team.
Proud to live in 02136. Stay tuned for more!