Bellevue Community Theatre

338 Belgrade Avenue,
Roslindale, MA 02131

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MarkB
MarkB on October 7, 2011 at 9:22 pm

I was just told by a friend who works for the post office in West Roxbury that the building was torn down about five years ago. It was replaced with townhouses.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on September 24, 2009 at 1:51 pm

I just looked at the Google Street View for 336 Belgrade Ave., (338 doesn’t work). The one story building with the arched tops was right next to the theater entrance. (to its left). The theater entrance is gone; the auditorium was in back where the large 3-story apartment building is now. So the Bellevue is demolished.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on March 11, 2007 at 11:16 am

In numerous theater pages of the Boston Post in the late-1940s, the Bellevue (no “Community”) shared a small ad with the Rialto, also in Roslindale. The two theatre names were at the top of the ad, with the same movies showing at both theatres simultaneously. One would have thought that management would have booked a different movie into each theatre for the sake of variety.

Ron Newman
Ron Newman on January 22, 2007 at 9:44 am

I’m curious if this theatre was somehow related to the (still-open) Dedham Community Theatre? The names are similar, and they aren’t very far apart geographically.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on January 22, 2007 at 9:37 am

The theatre was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. It’s difficult to make out, but although the theatre entrance and the shop to its left are right on the sidewalk (and are one story high), the theatre building in back (which is two-plus stories) seems to be sited at an angle to the sidewalk. The theatre has a 1920s-style marquee with “Bellevue Community” in bulbed letters on its front. There was a verticle blade sign above. The Report states that the theatre is at 338A Belgrade Avenue (not Belgrave) in Roslindale, that it has been playing MGM product for over 10 years, and is over 15 years old; is in Fair condition, has 780 seats and is a neighborhood theatre (“Nabe”). It’s listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, but there is no info; in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, it’s listed as part of M&P Theatres.

Ron Newman
Ron Newman on January 21, 2007 at 1:59 pm

If this was in Roslindale, the street should be Belgrade Avenue, not Belgrave. Some might say it’s really in West Roxbury. The line between the two neighborhoods is fuzzy.

A Google search finds Julianne’s Dance Workshop at this address now. Whether it’s in the old theatre building or not, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take a trip out there some time to look.

How did you find this theatre?