Modern Theatre
A historic Boston theater first opened in 1914 as a movie house and reopened in 2010 as a Suffolk University multipurpose performance venue.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Modern Theatre is a historic theater venue on Washington Street in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Its history reflects several major phases in American urban entertainment: the conversion of an older commercial building into a purpose-built movie theater, the transition from silent films to synchronized sound, a period as an adult cinema, a short-lived revival as an independent cultural venue, and eventual redevelopment as a university-operated performance space. The building originated in 1876, when Boston architect Levi Newcomb designed a five-story High Victorian Gothic warehouse and showroom for carpet manufacturers John and James Dobson. In 1913, Boston businessman George White commissioned theater architect Clarence H. Blackall to transform the basement and first two floors into a facility for the then-new medium of motion pictures. Blackall added a distinctive neoclassical facade in white Vermont marble and planned an auditorium with a balcony, a small stage, dressing facilities, and an orchestra pit. The approximately 800-seat theater incorporated an Estey organ and acoustic work developed with Harvard physicist Wallace C. Sabine. Contemporary descriptions also emphasized its elaborate ventilation and cooling system. The venue opened on June 25, 1914, under entrepreneur Jacob Lourie. Its initial programming combined silent films with vocal performances and organ recitals, illustrating the mixed entertainment model common before motion pictures became fully self-sufficient. The Modern adopted new sound-film technology in the late 1920s: Vitaphone equipment was installed in 1927 for Don Juan, and The Jazz Singer was shown the following year. These presentations connected the venue to the industry's transition from silent cinema to talking pictures. The theater was renamed the Mayflower Theatre in 1949. By the 1970s, changing neighborhood conditions and declining fortunes among Washington Street cinemas contributed to its use as an adult-film venue. It closed in 1976 and remained vacant and deteriorating for several years. In 1977, actor and producer David L. Archer began an effort to restore the property as a community performance space. The venue resumed operation under the Modern name on December 12, 1978, with a twelve-day engagement by Sun Ra and The Arkestra. Archer's program included music, theater, mime, and experimental performance, featuring artists such as Cecil Taylor and Herbie Mann, Boston Mime Week, and David Mamet's American Buffalo. The revival presented more than 200 events before ending in May 1981. After further ownership changes and unsuccessful restoration efforts, Suffolk University acquired the property in 2007. The university sought to expand student housing while retaining the historically significant street facade. In 2009, the long-vacant original structure was demolished after the facade had been carefully removed and stored. CBT Architects designed a new building incorporating the preserved facade, a modern theater, and a ten-story residence hall. The new Modern Theatre opened on November 4, 2010, with seating for approximately 185 people and a multipurpose format suited to performances, lectures, screenings, and university programming. The historic theater is associated with Boston's Washington Street Theatre District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Boston Landmarks Commission designated the theater a Boston Landmark in 2002. The rebuilt venue received a 2011 Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its role in the Lower Washington Street Revitalization initiative. Although the original auditorium no longer survives, the Modern name, preserved facade, and continuing performance use maintain a connection between the 1914 cinema and the contemporary Suffolk University facility.
History
The Modern Theatre occupies a site with roots in nineteenth-century Boston commerce. In 1876, architect Levi Newcomb designed a five-story High Victorian Gothic warehouse and showroom for John and James Dobson, whose company operated major carpet mills. The building used Ohio sandstone and cast-iron storefronts, reflecting the commercial architecture of Boston's expanding downtown. The Dobsons moved into the building in early 1878. The property was converted for motion pictures in 1913. Boston businessman George White engaged Clarence H. Blackall, one of the city's prominent theater architects, to remodel the basement and first two floors for the emerging photo-play industry. Blackall's plan included a street vestibule, circular ticket office, compact lobby, narrow auditorium, balcony, stage, dressing room, and orchestra pit. Total capacity was approximately 800 seats. The pit contained an Estey organ with three manuals and thirty-three ranks of pipes. Harvard physicist Wallace C. Sabine, a pioneer in architectural acoustics, advised on the auditorium's sound design. Blackall also introduced a white Vermont marble neoclassical facade that gave the venue its enduring architectural identity. The theater was notable for its early environmental systems. Contemporary reporting described an artesian well nearly 600 feet deep, supplying cool water used to wash and chill air in summer. In winter, the air could be reheated and circulated through the building. These features represented an unusually ambitious effort to provide comfort for movie audiences in the early twentieth century. The Modern opened on June 25, 1914, operated by theater entrepreneur Jacob Lourie. Its entertainment model combined silent films with live vocal music and organ recitals. This mixture was typical of the period, when cinemas frequently relied on live accompaniment and stage attractions to enhance screenings. The venue later adopted synchronized sound technology. In 1927, Lourie installed Vitaphone equipment for a presentation of Don Juan. The following year, the theater showed The Jazz Singer, a landmark feature associated with the arrival of recorded dialogue and music in mainstream cinema. In 1949, the venue changed its name to the Mayflower Theatre. By the 1970s, the theater had entered a period of decline. Like several other cinemas in the Washington Street area, it was being used for adult films. The Mayflower closed in 1976 and was left vacant, beginning a period of neglect that threatened both the building and its cultural identity. A revival effort began in 1977, when 28-year-old actor and producer David L. Archer started renovating the property for use as a community performance venue. The theater reopened under its original Modern name on December 12, 1978, with a twelve-day engagement by Sun Ra and The Arkestra. Archer developed a diverse program that extended beyond conventional commercial theater. Events included appearances by jazz musicians Cecil Taylor and Herbie Mann, Boston Mime Week, and a production of David Mamet's American Buffalo. The theater hosted more than 200 events, but the operation proved difficult to sustain and closed again in May 1981. The property subsequently passed through several ownership arrangements without a completed restoration. Suffolk University purchased it in 2007, seeking to combine preservation with a larger development that would increase student housing. Because the original building was structurally and economically difficult to retain in full, the university removed and stored the historic facade before demolishing the remainder in 2009. CBT Architects designed a replacement building with a ten-story residence hall over a new multipurpose theater. The preserved facade was reattached to the new construction, maintaining the theater's Washington Street presence while replacing the auditorium and internal structure. The contemporary Modern Theatre opened on November 4, 2010. The new venue seats approximately 185 people and functions as a university and community space for performances and other cultural or educational events. The project continued the site's association with entertainment while adapting its scale and facilities to a modern institutional setting. The Modern Theatre is part of Boston's Washington Street Theatre District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Boston Landmarks Commission designated the theater a Boston Landmark in 2002. In 2011, the National Trust for Historic Preservation gave the Modern Theatre at Suffolk University a Preservation Honor Award, citing its contribution to the Lower Washington Street Revitalization initiative. The surviving facade and continued use of the Modern name provide the principal physical and symbolic links to the original 1914 movie theater.
- 2011
Preservation Honor Award received
[1]The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the project for its contribution to Lower Washington Street revitalization.
- 2010
New Modern Theatre opens
[1]Suffolk University's new approximately 185-seat multipurpose theater opened on November 4 with the preserved facade incorporated into the development.
- 2009
Original building demolished; facade preserved
[1]The original structure was demolished after the historic facade had been removed for conservation.
- 2007
Suffolk University acquires the property
[1]Suffolk University purchased the property for a redevelopment project incorporating student housing and a new theater.
- 2002
Designated a Boston Landmark
[1]The Boston Landmarks Commission designated the theater a Boston Landmark.
- 1981
Second operating period ends
[1]The community performance venture closed in May after presenting more than 200 events.
- 1978
Community-performance revival opens
[1]The venue reopened under the Modern name on December 12 with Sun Ra and The Arkestra.
- 1976
Mayflower Theatre closes
[1]After a period showing adult films, the theater closed and entered a prolonged period of neglect.
- 1949
Renamed Mayflower Theatre
[1]The venue adopted the Mayflower Theatre name.
- 1928
The Jazz Singer presented
[1]The theater showed The Jazz Singer, an early feature associated with the transition to sound cinema.
Products and positioning
A historic Boston entertainment venue whose identity combines early American cinema heritage, independent cultural programming, architectural preservation, and contemporary university-based performance use.
Movie theater · 1914
1914 Modern Theatre movie house
The original venue opened in 1914 as a dedicated motion-picture theater with an approximately 800-seat auditorium, balcony, small stage, orchestra pit, Estey organ, and live accompaniment. Its programming initially combined silent films with vocal performances and organ recitals. The building was designed by Clarence H. Blackall within a converted nineteenth-century commercial structure and was distinguished by its marble neoclassical facade.
Movie theater · 1949
Mayflower Theatre
The venue operated under the Mayflower Theatre name from 1949 until its closure in 1976. During its later years it participated in the decline of the Washington Street cinema district and showed adult films before shutting down and falling into disrepair.
Performing-arts venue · 1978
Modern Theatre community performance venue
David L. Archer's revival reopened the theater in 1978 as an independent community performance space. It presented jazz, experimental music, theater, mime, and other cultural programming, including Sun Ra and The Arkestra, Cecil Taylor, Herbie Mann, Boston Mime Week, and American Buffalo. The operation ended in 1981 after more than 200 events.
Multipurpose theater · 2010
Modern Theatre at Suffolk University
The contemporary venue opened in 2010 within a new Suffolk University development that includes a ten-story residence hall. It seats approximately 185 people and provides a setting for performances, screenings, lectures, and university or community events. The original street facade was conserved and attached to the new building.
Brand decisions
2009
Preserve the facade while replacing the buildingStrategyBackground
The long-vacant theater building required redevelopment, but its historically important Washington Street facade had preservation value.
Action taken
The facade was carefully removed and stored while the rest of the original building was demolished. CBT Architects designed a new building that reincorporated the facade.
Aftermath
The rebuilt Modern Theatre opened in 2010 as a smaller multipurpose venue within a university residence-hall development.
2007
Redevelop the property through Suffolk UniversityStrategyBackground
The property had changed hands several times without a successful restoration, while Suffolk University sought additional student housing.
Action taken
Suffolk University acquired the site and planned a development combining a residence hall with a replacement theater.
Aftermath
The original structure was removed in 2009 after facade preservation, and a new theater opened in 2010.
1977
Reposition the closed cinema as a community arts venueStrategyBackground
The former Mayflower Theatre had closed in 1976 and was deteriorating. Actor and producer David L. Archer sought to restore it for noncommercial cultural use.
Action taken
Archer renovated the property and reopened it under the Modern name, programming music, theater, mime, and experimental performance.
Aftermath
The venue hosted more than 200 events, but the revival closed in May 1981.
1927
Adopt Vitaphone sound technologyProduct launchBackground
The cinema industry was moving from silent films toward synchronized sound presentations.
Action taken
Jacob Lourie installed Vitaphone equipment and used it for a presentation of Don Juan.
Aftermath
The theater continued adapting its programming and technology during the transition to sound cinema, including a presentation of The Jazz Singer in 1928.
1913
Convert a commercial building for motion picturesStrategyBackground
Motion pictures were becoming a popular mass entertainment medium, and George White sought to create a dedicated movie venue in downtown Boston.
Action taken
Clarence H. Blackall converted the lower floors of the former Dobson commercial building into an approximately 800-seat theater with a balcony, stage, organ, orchestra pit, and specialized ventilation.
Aftermath
The Modern opened in 1914 and became an early Boston theater designed specifically for movie exhibition.
Recent events
- 2011
Modern Theatre receives National Trust preservation award[1]
Other
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the Suffolk University project with a Preservation Honor Award for its contribution to the revitalization of Lower Washington Street.
- 2010
New Modern Theatre opens at Suffolk University[1]
Product launch · Other
A new approximately 185-seat multipurpose theater opened on November 4 as part of a building designed around the preserved historic facade and a university residence hall.
- 2009
Original Modern Theatre building demolished after facade removal[1]
Other
The deteriorated original structure was removed after its historically significant facade had been carefully taken down for conservation and incorporation into a replacement development.
- 2007
Suffolk University purchases the Modern Theatre property[1]
M&A · Other
Suffolk University acquired the long-vacant theater property as part of plans involving redevelopment and additional student housing.
Sources2 sources
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