Pickwick Theatre

Recent Posts

P&Z Watch: Historic Building to be Repurposed as Residential, Parking Access via Car Elevator

Prior to being a bowling alley, the space was originally The Pickwick Theater, which opened in 1929 and offered both moving pictures and vaudeville acts. At the time it was one of the largest theaters in New England with somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 seats. In 1959 it was converted into a bowling alley where a billboard advertised 56 lanes. Continue Reading →

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P&Z Watch: Future Uses of Former Pickwick Theater Building Contemplated

On Tuesday night the P&Z commission entertained an application from Paradigm 44-48 West Putnam Ave, the owners of the property that once was Pickwick Theatre, seating 2,000+ people (opened Nov 21, 1929). After the theater closed the building was used as a bowling alley before being converted to office space and retail. The applicant seeks relief from a 1995 condition of approval that identified it as “mezzanine space,” arguing it is actually a second floor, as it is up a flight of stairs. Zoning limits the use of ground floor commercial space. Designating the space as a second floor use would allow the possibility of leasing space to a fitness center. Continue Reading →

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