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355:. Live Nation has kept the historic theater busy and active with long runs of touring Broadway musicals and pop concerts. Though the theater was re-designed with opera in mind and Live Nation's development agreement includes a clause requiring the production of opera for fourteen days per year, the Opera House is a current-day
345:, agreed to renovate the theater. The need to enlarge the trapezoidal stage house into the street between buildings provoked a multi-year court fight with the neighboring Tremont on the Commons condominium building, whose concerns with fire safety were eventually overcome with the persuasion of Mayor Menino.
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Benjamin Sack (1911-2003) ...founded his chain, Sack
Theaters, in 1952. By sheer force of personality, he built his holding, transforming theaters such as the Metropolitan and the RKO Keith Memorial and renaming them the Music Hall and the Savoy. His holdings also included the Beacon Hill, Cheri,
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Unheated, the building fell prey to extensive water damage, severely damaging the electrical system and the decorative plaster interior of the auditorium. The company's costumes, collected for decades and stored under the damaged roof, were lost. In 1996, the former opera company relinquished
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company with the help of Boston arts patron Susan Timken. After a decade of opera productions at the house, Caldwell's company collapsed due to financial troubles in 1991. Having previously produced opera since 1958 in rented theaters, the company was not financially prepared to cope with the
294:. By 1929, the theater had converted to showing only films and remained a leading Boston movie showcase through the 1950s. It became known as RKO Keith's, and bore signage that said both "B.F. Keith's" and "RKO Keith's" (see the 1938 photo shown at right).
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In 1965 the Sack
Theaters company acquired the theater and renamed it the Savoy Theater. Sack later added a second smaller cinema in the theater's stage space, separated from the original auditorium by a masonry wall built across the proscenium.
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The Boston opera community welcomed the efforts of Mayor Menino and Clear
Channel to refurbish the Opera House and the damaged interior was restored in a $ 38 million renovation. It reopened on July 16, 2004, with the Broadway production of
254:, which performed there until the opera company closed down in 1990 due to financial problems. The theater was reopened in 2004 after a major restoration, and it currently serves as the home of the
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substantial costs of upkeep for the large theater which had previously been poorly maintained for decades. The company's failure left the theater dark and without funds to maintain it.
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The current owner of the theater is Boston Opera House
Ventures, LLC, a partnership of local Boston businessmen Don Law and
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in the Keith-Albee chain. The Keith's
Memorial was one of his most elaborate designs of the prominent theater architect
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250:. After operating for more than 50 years as a movie theater, it was rededicated in 1980 as a home for the
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when it was established just before the theater opened on
October 29, 1928, and it was also known as the
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The Boston Opera House was originally designed as the B.F. Keith
Memorial Theatre, a lavish
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In 1980, after closing as a movie house, the theater became the home of opera director
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and was renamed the Boston Opera House. The theater was acquired and renovated by the
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This article is about the building that opened in 1928. For other uses, see
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549:"Susan H. Timken, 53; was patron of literary, operatic arts in Boston"
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since 2005, the theater became the company's permanent home in 2009.
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Washington Street, Between Avery Street and West Street, RKO Keith's
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Tremont Street entrance of RKO Keith's
Memorial Theatre (1938)
337:. After a series of failed or delayed development proposals,
631:"Just right? Boston Ballet's Nutcracker at the Opera House"
286:. On October 23, 1928, just before the theater opened, the
662:
Library of
Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey.
359:, as opera has yet to take place in the renovated venue.
572:"Sarah Caldwell, impresario of Boston opera, dead at 82"
524:"Benjamin Sack, 92, scrap dealer built theater chain"
401:(1846–1914), namesake of B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre
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378:. Home to Boston Ballet's annual production of
424:Talcott, Sasha; Carol Beggy (March 19, 2005).
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673:Photo of Washington Street at night in winter
282:. It was dedicated to the vaudeville pioneer
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16:Opera house in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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258:and also hosts touring Broadway shows.
222:venue located at 539 Washington St. in
992:Boston Aquarial and Zoological Gardens
687:, ca. 1950 (RKO Keith Theater at left)
7:
1287:1928 establishments in Massachusetts
1272:1980 establishments in Massachusetts
714:Keith's RKO Theater Marquee at Night
589:Ron Depasquale. "Extreme Makeover",
1257:Esports venues in the United States
629:Gantz, Jeffrey (December 9, 2005).
44:view as a 360° interactive panorama
21:Boston Opera House (disambiguation)
341:'s live/concert division, today's
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230:. It was originally built as the
570:Dyer, Richard (March 25, 2006).
232:B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre
99:Boston Opera House Ventures, LLC
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727:Boston Opera House Study Report
605:"Past Shows at the Opera House"
546:Long, Tom (November 14, 1997).
534:Music Hall, and Saxon theaters.
426:"Bank near agreement on theate"
1262:Music venues completed in 1980
967:Austin and Stone's Dime Museum
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1277:Opera houses in Massachusetts
66:RKO Keith's Memorial Theatre
664:B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre
61:B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre
902:Boston Playwrights' Theatre
484:"Citizens Bank Opera House"
335:Boston Landmarks Commission
318:ownership of the building.
242:. The chain became part of
218:, is a performing arts and
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1282:Theatres completed in 1928
935:American Repertory Theater
897:Boston Center for the Arts
892:Berklee Performance Center
658:Boston Opera House website
366:. Its primary tenants are
325:, with the aid of Senator
133:October 29, 1928
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957:Defunct and/or demolished
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907:Huntington Avenue Theatre
814:
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697:515–539 Washington Street
691:504–558 Washington Street
679:539–555 Washington Street
521:Long, Tom (Apr 6, 2003).
394:Boston Opera House (1909)
216:Citizens Bank Opera House
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1292:Thomas W. Lamb buildings
820:Boston Theater District
685:164–164a Tremont Street
399:Benjamin Franklin Keith
368:Broadway Across America
307:Opera Company of Boston
252:Opera Company of Boston
188:Broadway Across America
156:July 16, 2004
643:on September 26, 2010.
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38:Interior view of venue
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110:(theater productions)
723:Landmarks Commission
511:". Cinema Treasures.
214:, also known as the
1237:Landmarks in Boston
751:42.3542°N 71.0627°W
747: /
710:, by G. Kepes, 1956
669:Bostonian Society:
288:Radio-Keith-Orpheum
248:RKO Keith's Theater
28:
1242:Theatres in Boston
1207:Washington Gardens
1147:Opera House (1909)
1142:New England Museum
1107:Horticultural Hall
636:The Boston Phoenix
509:Boston Opera House
488:Broadway in Boston
458:Boston Opera House
405:RKO Boston Theatre
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212:Boston Opera House
27:Boston Opera House
1232:Culture of Boston
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1092:Grand Opera House
1002:Boston Music Hall
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828:Charles Playhouse
756:42.3542; -71.0627
240:Keith-Albee chain
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82:539 Washington St
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1112:Howard Athenaeum
1087:Gordon's Olympia
1037:Columbian Museum
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639:. Archived from
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228:Massachusetts
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1167:Park Theatre
1127:Metropolitan
1082:Globe (1903)
1077:Globe (1871)
1052:Faneuil Hall
1042:Concert Hall
795:Theatres in
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641:the original
634:
624:
613:. Retrieved
609:the original
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462:the original
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236:movie palace
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125:Construction
58:Former names
1162:Park Square
1152:Ordway Hall
987:Board Alley
848:Opera House
754: /
364:David Mugar
343:Live Nation
108:Live Nation
1226:Categories
1177:RKO Boston
742:71°03′46″W
739:42°21′15″N
699:, ca. 1958
693:, ca. 1953
681:, ca. 1945
615:2010-07-26
493:August 10,
468:August 10,
435:August 10,
411:References
292:vaudeville
284:B.F. Keith
160:2004-07-16
137:1928-10-29
91:02111-1718
1187:St. James
1097:Haymarket
927:Cambridge
858:Paramount
454:"History"
190:in Boston
168:Architect
148:1990–2004
73:(1965–80)
68:(1929–65)
63:(1928–29)
1182:Selwyn's
1172:Plymouth
1122:Melodeon
1032:Columbia
882:Rest of
833:Colonial
591:Newsweek
388:See also
374:and the
357:misnomer
153:Reopened
116:Capacity
104:Operator
1202:Tremont
863:Shubert
853:Orpheum
262:History
238:in the
220:esports
195:Website
178:Tenants
158: (
135: (
79:Address
1157:Palace
1062:Fenway
972:Beacon
917:Strand
884:Boston
873:Wilbur
843:Modern
809:Active
797:Boston
729:, 1999
675:, 1934
331:Joseph
321:Mayor
224:Boston
145:Closed
130:Opened
85:Boston
982:Bijou
704:MIT:
311:opera
120:2,600
96:Owner
868:Wang
495:2020
470:2020
437:2020
234:, a
210:The
305:'s
244:RKO
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41:(
23:.
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