providence theater

Loew’s State Theatre – Providence Performing Arts Center // 1928

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The old Loew’s State Theatre, now the Providence Performing Arts Center in Downtown Providence, opened on October 6, 1928, as one of the grand movie palaces built by the Loews chain during Hollywood’s golden age. Designed by the Chicago firm Rapp & Rapp, the country’s leading theater architects at the time, the building blends Baroque and Rococo influences earning it the nickname “The Jewel of Weybosset Street.” The primary facade is a four-story, terra-cotta sheathed, steel-frame structure with with fluted pilasters, molded panels, finials at the parapet, and a large modified prismatic marquee. On the Richmond Street elevation, a one-story brick structure with terra-cotta trim and secondary entrance/exit provides additional flair to what would otherwise be a more stripped-down feature. After WWII, when theaters began to see declining revenue, the building cycled through names like the Palace Concert Theatre and Ocean State Theatre before a group of local preservationists and civic leaders saved it from possible demolition in the late 70s. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and the theater reopened as the Providence Performing Arts Center in 1982. The roughly 3,100-seat venue has since been carefully restored to its original splendor and today ranks among the largest and best-preserved movie-palace-era theaters in New England, hosting national Broadway tours, concerts, and comedy shows.

Avon Cinema // 1938

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There are fewer and fewer historic movie theaters in America, largely due to the proliferation of larger theaters at the end of the 20th century and the more recent trend of streaming. Smaller, family-owned theaters are becoming rare, so if we value the charm and character of these spaces, we have to support the arts at these spaces! The Avon Cinema is located in Providence’s East Side neighborhood and premiered on February 15, 1938 with the French film Beethoven’s Great Love (titled “The Life and Loves of Beethoven” in the U.S.) The theater was originally constructed in 1915 and operated as the Toy Theater for a few years before it closed. After decades, the building was purchased by the Dulgarian Brothers, who reopened the theater, naming it Avon. The Dulgarian family has owned and operated the theater to this day and have made a point to restore the building and maintain the historic charm.