Possible candidate for 10 most endangered
Since the demolition of Nantucket's Dreamland (Moving Pictures since 1906) The Casino in Ware Mass and possibly a theatre in West Virginia hold the title of "the Oldest Movie House in America" although the WV theatre started out as Vaudeville house and has been rebuilt. The Casino is in a race against time and the continuing damage, as in most old theatres, from a bad roof,... but is still retrievable.
The original 1909 doors are back stage as well as a 1910 electrical sign that spells out
C-A-S-I-N-O
an upright piano that played silents remains
The Casino played "Birth of a Nation" in 1915
Fred McLennan
413 536 5626
Help support the restoration by sending an email to:
Please write a note of support for the re-opening of the Casino Theatre in Ware. Fred McLennan has purchased it and wants to have it open soon. He needs your support since he needs to prove that people are interested in the restoration NOT the demolition of the theatre.
The Casino may now be the oldest movie theatre in the U.S.!!! 100 years old this year. It welcomes people to Ware on Routes 9 and 32, so restoring it would make our downtown more attactive. Patrons from Ware would appreciate not having to leave town for entertainment. Out of town patrons would visit our Ware businesses.
Let's go to the Movies!!! Best Wishes and Thank you, Fred! Casino Theater gets lead man
Sunday, June 28, 2009
WARE - A Holyoke man with a history of working in theaters has purchased the Casino Theater and hopes to restore it as quickly as possible.
Fred T. McLennan, who has run small theaters on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, as well as working for major cinema companies, purchased the theater at 121 Main St. for $1 on June 17.
In an interview, McLennan said he has already had contractors looking to fix the leaking roof by replacing it with a metal roof, and plans to replace the wooden floor with concrete with piping for radiant heat. He said it is too early to say how much the renovations will cost or when they will be completed.
The theater is a box. It's not like we're restoring a hotel. We're going to make sure the box is 2010 solid," McLennan said.
The goal is to make the theater affordable, show first-run movies, and offer the best popcorn slathered in real butter, McLennan said. He also plans to put in rocking-chair seats. The theater will have two shows a day and a children's matinee.
"We pride ourselves with having the best buttered popcorn in the business," he said.
McLennan purchased the building from Western Massachusetts Theaters Inc. and said the Casino was the last owned by the company owned by the Goldstein family. They once owned small theaters across Western Massachusetts.
The theater closed in 1997 after sold-out showings of the Titanic, said McLennan, who has spent extensive time researching the history of the theater, was built in 1909. He believe the repairs needed are not as extensive as town officials believe. The Goldsteins spent $300,000 renovating the building in 1985.
"The main problem is the roof. I think we caught it in time structurally," McLennan said.
Earlier this year, the town went to court to get the building either repaired or torn down. A large chainlink fence was placed around the building.
McLennan said he has worked for "some of the most successful companies in the business, including SACK Theaters in Boston in the 1970s, General Cinema in the 1980s and for National Amusements Showcase Cinemas for 18 years.
He said he also operated his own theaters on Martha's Vineyard and in the town of Canton, and was the last manager at the Dreamland Theatre on Nantucket.
"The Casino is a veteran in this business also. In its 100th year, it is the second oldest business on Main Street (Country Bank being the oldest). The Casino has survived the Villa building, next door, burning down three times and its neighbor, the Mansion House, completely burning down," McLennan said.
"The Casino is a 100-year-old wooden building that has had everything burn down around it, but after four generations of Ware moviegoers, child and adult alike, a Great Depression, five wars, here it is in the 21st century, a survivor," he said.
The Casino Theater - Ware, MA
By Bill Dusty · June 3rd, 2009 ·
News this past week of the possible fate of a historic theater in Ware, MA, serves as yet another example of the struggles that many cities and towns face as they weigh decisions over whether to help preserve the past or sweep it aside in favor of the future.
In Ware’s case, the historic Casino Theater has been in the rather unfortunate situation of not only being vacant for some time (it reportedly closed in 1999), but also suffers from being located directly across the street from the Ware Town Hall - in addition to being located right next to the town’s Veteran’s Memorial Park. It is also the very first building one sees on Main Street as you enter northbound on Route 32. So much for being out-of-sight, out-of-mind. A May 28, 2009,
Republican article reports that the town is seeking court action to enforce an order that the site be either repaired or demolished. The owner of the building was given notice by the Town Building Inspector to repair or demolish the building by May 20 (
see copy of that order - .pdf). The Republican article also reported the cost of demolition would be “about $100,000 to raze the theater and remove any hazardous materials, such as asbestos.” The Casino Theater is
listed at LoopNet.com as selling for $50,000. According to Ware Historical Commission official referenced in the Republican story, the theater is 100 years old, although a comment on the
Web site Cinema Treasures notes that a MGM Theater Photograph and Report form lists it as being built in 1925. * - Click on images to enlarge -
(actual image size) - - Image link: 1979 -
HERE. Image link: 1986 -
HERE.
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