Lawrence Public Library

Lawrence, Mass., Building Inspector archives on theatres, 1927-1946

eng

Lawrence, Mass., Building Inspector archives on theatres

1159384858

Primarily correspondence and drawings documenting the efforts of the Building Inspector to keep the theatres in Lawrence, Mass., safe for the public. At first Toomey & Demara (Thomas F. Toomey and Napoleon Demara) Amusement Co. owned and operated the Empire, Premier, Colonial, and Broadway (built by Louis B. Mayer) theaters. Later, The Empire Amusement Co., headed by Dr. Alexander l. Siskind, purchased the Empire, Palace, Broadway, and Premier and took a lease on the Colonial. Dr. Siskind had started his association with the movie industry when he opened the Marquise Theater, one of Lawrence’s earliest cinemas. His next purchase was the Victoria, which sat opposite the “4 theaters in a row.”