Mayfair Theatre, Baltimore

Mayfair Theatre, Baltimore is a historic theatre site in Baltimore. Originally opened in 1880 as a bathing house, the site was later demolished and rebuilt in 1904 as a theatre, which was closed in 1986.

This article is about the venue in Baltimore. For the venue in Dunedin, see Mayfair Theatre, Dunedin. For the venue in Ottawa, see Mayfair Theatre.
Mayfair Theatre

In 2016 the building was demolished except for the facade and lobby. The remnant is listed as a municipal landmark and remains the focus of redevelopment plans.

History

Previous uses

Built in 1880[1] and opening as the Natatorium on June 17, 1880, the first building was a bathing house and swimming school. After alterations, it became the Howard Auditorium opening April 6, 1891. The name was soon changed to Auditorium and it became an ice skating rink in Spring 1894. It was remodeled to the plans of architect J. B. McElfatrick and reopened September 30, 1895. In 1896 it was remodeled again to the plans of architectural firm J. B. McElfatrick, and a Palm Court was built on the roof garden. The old Auditorium was closed on April 4, 1903 and was demolished.

As a theatre

On the site rose a new Auditorium Theatre, built for $250,000,[2] which opened on September 12, 1904 with Keith's Vaudeville and moving pictures. It was designed by architectural firm J.D. Allen & Co. of Philadelphia. It was taken over by the Shubert Bros. in 1909 until 1913. Briefly operated by Poli, it returned to the Shuberts in 1918. The theatre remained mainly a playhouse, although occasional films were presented. In the summer of 1940, the Auditorium Theatre was remodeled again, this time to the plans of local architect E. Bernard Evander.

The building reopened as the re-branded Mayfair Theatre on January 31, 1941 with the movie A Night at Earl Carroll's starring Ken Murray. By 1960 it had been equipped with 70mm projectors. Adjacent, just north of the Mayfair Theatre, a small parking lot marks the spot of the Stanley Theatre, Baltimore's once largest theatre until it was razed in May 1965.[3] The theatre itself closed on April 22, 1986.

Today the Mayfair Theatre is another vacant theatre building in downtown Baltimore City and has been vacant for more than three decades. Its roof collapsed in February 1998 and it was further damaged in a fire that occurred in an adjacent building in September 2014.[1] As it was in general disrepair, engineers stated the crumbling building was a threat to public safety, and the structure (except the facade and the front lobby) was demolished in 2016.[2][4] It remains, however, a designated Baltimore City landmark, which sits in the Market Center National Register Historic District.[5]

Redevelopment

In 2016, the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) sought a Request For Proposals (RFP) to adaptively reuse the former Mayfair Theatre.[6] By March 6, 2017, the BDC did not receive any bids from interested groups or developers, and reopened bidding in February 2018.[7] In December 2018, the BDC selected Zahlco Development (of the 2 new bids offered), a local design and construction firm, to redevelop the site.[6] Zahlco is planning to turn it into office retail and living space[8][5] along with shopping venues next door that was once the site of the 1786 Golden Horse Tavern and 1900s New Academy Hotel that was recently torn down also due to structural concerns. The area would be called "Mayfair Place",[5] will include new amenities include office space, a restaurant, gallery space, and an outdoor seating and performance area, as well as constructing new apartments and retail buildings, according to BDC meeting minutes.

References
  1. Donnelly, Theresa. "Mayfair Theatre". Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  2. Kaltenbach, Chris. "Demolition work at Mayfair Theatre to begin today". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  3. "Mayfair Theatre in Baltimore, MD - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  4. Kaltenbach, Chris. "Much of Mayfair Theatre to be razed". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  5. McLeod, Ethan (2018-12-11). "Zahlco picked to rehab historic Mayfair Theatre site, apartments and retail building planned". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  6. Meehan, Sarah. "Baltimore's historic Mayfair Theatre finally gets a developer; site will become apartments, dining and retail". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  7. "Baltimore Development Corp. seeks redevelopment of the historicMayfair Theatre - again". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  8. "Historic Mayfair Theatre part of proposed $20 million mixed-use development". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-03-07.

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