Beverly, MA - Beverly couple buys Larcom Theatre

posted by ThrHistoricalSociety on September 12, 2016 at 6:17 pm

From the Salem News: The sale of the Larcom Theatre became official on Friday when a husband and wife from Beverly purchased the landmark venue for $645,000.

The new owners, Donald and Lisa Crowell, plan to continue the theater as a performing arts center, said former owner David Bull.

The Larcom had been on the market since March, with an original asking price of $699,900. It had been owned since 1984 by a group of performers from the former Le Grand David Magic Company, which also owned the Cabot Theatre before selling that building in 2014.

“I know I share the sentiment that we are absolutely delighted that both the Cabot and the Larcom are continuing on as they were intended as performing arts venues,” said Bull, who played Le Grand David in long-running shows at both sites.

Donald Crowell declined to comment on the sale. Bull described the Crowells as a young couple who moved to Beverly last year.

The Larcom and Cabot are vaudeville-era theaters located less than a half-mile from each other in downtown Beverly. The Larcom, at 13 Wallis St., was built in 1912, eight years before the Cabot.

“I don’t know if there’s a town this size in all of America that still has two standing, functioning vaudeville theaters,” Bull said.

Both theaters have been hosting live music and comedy shows. The Cabot also shows movies. The Larcom has not been showing movies on a regular basis, but a new digital projection system and retractable movie screen were installed last year.

The sale of the Larcom marks the end of a 40-year relationship between the magic company and Beverly. The company ran the world’s longest-running stage magic show at the Cabot and also performed shows at the Larcom.

“Understandably there’s mixed emotions,” said Bull, who now lives in Hadley. “This brings to a close for me and my colleagues 40 years of theater and magic in Beverly. We have loved being in Beverly. It’s such a great town. There will be plenty of reasons to come back, including a vibrant arts scene.”

Story link: http://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/beverly-couple-buys-larcom-theatre/article_25f48ddb-c7cc-5d34-9182-4fa4c68a5bb1.html

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