State Theatre (Portland, Maine)
Encyclopedia
The State Theatre is a historic theater located at 609 Congress Street in downtown Portland, Maine
. It features a combination of Moorish
and Art Deco
architecture. It reopened as a performing arts venue in 2010.
The State Theatre's doors opened to the public for the first time November 8, 1929 to 2200 invited patrons for Gloria Swanson
's first talkie
, The Trespasser
. The State Theatre served as a top-tier first run motion picture house for over 30 years. Tickets were ten cents to a quarter. The State only flirted briefly with silent films and vaudville before transitioning completely to Hollywood's biggest first run sound films of the day. In the mid 1930s the State Theatre began a children's matinee program, showing the most popular cartoons of the day, such as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Popeye. The weekly radio show Recess Time was also recorded Saturday mornings. Roughly fifteen kids would answer trivia questions to win a cash prize between fifty cents and a dollar.
In the late 1940s through the 1960s the State Theatre expanded its programming to include theatrical and dance productions. It also held other various events and contests, all in addition to major Hollywood films. A large part of the programming expansion was due to growing competition from television. In 1963, then manager and director Ralph Tully retired. Edith Francis, who had worked at the theater for seventeen years took his place. In the coming years the State Theatre fell on hard times, which climaxed when Francis came to a sudden and tragic death when she was hit by a car at a nearby intersection. To prevent it from being torn down, the sad fate of all too many historical Portland buildings in that era, the State Theatre was leased as an X-Rated movie venue by The American Theater Corporation. Other local theatrical venues such as the Civic, the Empire, and the Strand were torn down by the city.
The State Theatre ended its days as a porn theater in 1990. The American Theater Corporation had allowed it to fall into horrible disrepair and many of the State's original chairs, marquees, tapestries, and memorabilia was lost or stolen. The new owners, Nick and Lola Kampf hired local architect Scott Simmons to help restore The State's glory. The State reopened in 1993 to much acclaim. However it was short-lived. During a show a large chunk of ceiling plaster came crashing down, which led to a dispute about who should pay for repairs, the owners or the operators. When it happened again during a particularly raucous concert in 1996 the State Theatre once again closed its doors permanently.
In 2000 Grant Wilson, Jr., of Stone Coast Brewing took ownership control of the State Theatre building and reopened the venue with a new energy, hoping to capitalize on the strong live music industry in the Northeast. However, The State still had its problems. The wiring was absolutely ancient, and worse, fire escapes all over the building were in disrepair. Throughout the next six years the State struggled to meet code enforcement regulations and only held concerts sporadically after 2003 before disputes about who would pay for repairs finally closed its doors again in 2006.
It reopened in 2010 after The Bowery Presents from New York City
and Alex Crothers from Vermont
signed an agreement to extensively renovate the property. $1.5 million dollars were spent on repairs to bring the aging building back to code, and to outfit it as a modern performing arts venue.
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. It features a combination of Moorish
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
and 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...
architecture. It reopened as a performing arts venue in 2010.
History of the State Theatre
The State Theatre was designed by Portland architect Herbert W. Rhodes. The Congress building it is located in was designed to be a creative combination of Spanish, Italian, and Art Deco aesthetics with elaborate works of art. The theater's expensive furnishings, which included wrought iron stairs, bronze doors, tapestry rugs hung from vaulted ceilings decorated with intricate moldings and paintings, four Spanish balconies, and a Wurlitzer Organ were some of the remarkably lavish highlights of the original building. It was also technologically advanced for its time. It aimed to give audiences the richest film experiences of the era with three projectors and a magnascope, which generated an enormous and quality picture.The State Theatre's doors opened to the public for the first time November 8, 1929 to 2200 invited patrons for Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
's first talkie
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
, The Trespasser
The Trespasser
The Trespasser is an American film directed and written by Edmund Goulding, starring Gloria Swanson, Robert Ames, Purnell Pratt, Henry B...
. The State Theatre served as a top-tier first run motion picture house for over 30 years. Tickets were ten cents to a quarter. The State only flirted briefly with silent films and vaudville before transitioning completely to Hollywood's biggest first run sound films of the day. In the mid 1930s the State Theatre began a children's matinee program, showing the most popular cartoons of the day, such as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Popeye. The weekly radio show Recess Time was also recorded Saturday mornings. Roughly fifteen kids would answer trivia questions to win a cash prize between fifty cents and a dollar.
In the late 1940s through the 1960s the State Theatre expanded its programming to include theatrical and dance productions. It also held other various events and contests, all in addition to major Hollywood films. A large part of the programming expansion was due to growing competition from television. In 1963, then manager and director Ralph Tully retired. Edith Francis, who had worked at the theater for seventeen years took his place. In the coming years the State Theatre fell on hard times, which climaxed when Francis came to a sudden and tragic death when she was hit by a car at a nearby intersection. To prevent it from being torn down, the sad fate of all too many historical Portland buildings in that era, the State Theatre was leased as an X-Rated movie venue by The American Theater Corporation. Other local theatrical venues such as the Civic, the Empire, and the Strand were torn down by the city.
The State Theatre ended its days as a porn theater in 1990. The American Theater Corporation had allowed it to fall into horrible disrepair and many of the State's original chairs, marquees, tapestries, and memorabilia was lost or stolen. The new owners, Nick and Lola Kampf hired local architect Scott Simmons to help restore The State's glory. The State reopened in 1993 to much acclaim. However it was short-lived. During a show a large chunk of ceiling plaster came crashing down, which led to a dispute about who should pay for repairs, the owners or the operators. When it happened again during a particularly raucous concert in 1996 the State Theatre once again closed its doors permanently.
In 2000 Grant Wilson, Jr., of Stone Coast Brewing took ownership control of the State Theatre building and reopened the venue with a new energy, hoping to capitalize on the strong live music industry in the Northeast. However, The State still had its problems. The wiring was absolutely ancient, and worse, fire escapes all over the building were in disrepair. Throughout the next six years the State struggled to meet code enforcement regulations and only held concerts sporadically after 2003 before disputes about who would pay for repairs finally closed its doors again in 2006.
It reopened in 2010 after The Bowery Presents from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Alex Crothers from Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
signed an agreement to extensively renovate the property. $1.5 million dollars were spent on repairs to bring the aging building back to code, and to outfit it as a modern performing arts venue.