{"nrhp_refnum":"80000443","name":"Wilbur Theatre","other_names":["Ye Wilbur Theatre"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"244-250 Tremont St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.35072750300003,"lon":-71.06516900299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-12-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A free-standing Colonial Revival theatre at 244-250 Tremont Street in Boston's theatre district, designed by Clarence H. Blackall and built in 1913-14, opening April 19, 1914.","why_significant":"The form calls it the best Boston example of Colonial Revival theatre design and the work of nationally prominent theatre architect Clarence Blackall. It was also the scene of several premieres and many notable performances. Its free-standing plan and restrained eclectic design set it apart from other theatres in the area.","narrative":"Opened in April 1914 on Tremont Street, the Wilbur Theatre is a free-standing, three-bay brick theatre in the Colonial Revival style, designed by Boston architect Clarence H. Blackall. Its entrance has three portals with fluted Greek Ionic columns, copied from the 1837 Thomas Bailey Aldrich house on Beacon Hill. Above them, arched second-floor windows open onto an iron balcony, and marble tympanums are carved with theatre masks. The interior seats about 1,000 and was designed for dramatic productions rather than spectacle, with an intimate atmosphere. Blackall designed 14 Boston theatres and was considered one of the most experienced theatre architects in the country. The theatre was named for Arthur L. Wilbur, a veteran Boston theatre manager, and stands on the site of the Winthrop School for Girls. It hosted pre-Broadway runs of Our Town and Mary, Mary, and in 1947 Marlon Brando gained fame in A Streetcar Named Desire there. Its architecture and stage history support its listing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect Clarence H. Blackall; builder Haynes Construction Co.","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"The theatre was restored to its 1914 appearance in 1969 under a 10-year lease; the lessee decided not to renew and the owner put the building up for sale.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.257316-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/47/7927/63792747/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000443.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000443/89978183fa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000443/89978183fa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_MA_Wilbur_Theatre.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_MA_Wilbur_Theatre.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792747","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8000245"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/wilbur-theatre-80000443/"}