City Theatre

143 Church Street,
Belfast, ME 04915

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rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on August 30, 2015 at 10:14 am

Megan Pinette of the Belfast Historical Society Museum informed me that the City Theatre was located in the lower level of the old North Church building at 143 Church St. It had nothing to do with the Belfast Opera House. The church was purchased in 1926 by a local American Legion post which is still there today.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on August 25, 2015 at 10:44 am

The Belfast Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Juilius Cahn theatrical guide. It was an “upstairs house” on the second floor, and had 800 seats which is twice as many as the City Theatre had in 1941.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on August 25, 2015 at 10:39 am

In the Google Street View of 111 Church St., one can clearly see that the arched entrance at the right end of the building is marked “Opera House”. The 1941 MGM report card lists the address as just “Church St.” with no street number. The photo on the card looks nothing like the building in this street view. This suggests that the City Theatre and the Opera House are not the same.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on August 24, 2015 at 10:50 am

The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the City Theatre; it’s Card # 341. Address is Church St. There is an exterior photo dated March 4, 1941. There were big trees growing right next to the theater. Condition is Fair. The report says that the City opened in 1937, was not showing MGM films, and had 400 seats. A competing theater was the Colonial. 1940 population was 5,500.