{"nrhp_refnum":"80000444","name":"Shubert, Sam S., Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"263-265 Tremont St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.35017873800007,"lon":-71.06563665099998,"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":"The Sam S. Shubert Theatre is a theatre and office building at 263-265 Tremont Street at Seaver Place in Boston's theatre district. It was built 1908-1910 and opened on January 24, 1910, with a 1925 facade.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a well-preserved early 20th century Adamesque theatre interior and the scene of many notable theatrical performances. Its wrought iron and glass marquee is described as the last of its kind in Boston. It is also tied to the Shubert brothers and to Boston's theatre history.","narrative":"Located at 263-265 Tremont Street in Boston's theatre district, this theatre was begun in 1908 by Charles H. Bond and completed by the Shubert organization after Bond's death. It opened on January 24, 1910, with Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The present limestone entrance dates from 1925, when Tremont Street was widened by twenty feet and the original marble-faced facade was replaced. The 1910 wrought iron and glass marquee was re-erected and is described as the last of its kind in Boston. Inside, the eclectic 1,500-seat auditorium draws on Versailles and the Louis XIV, XV and XVI periods, with lobby paintings after Boucher. It was named for Sam S. Shubert, eldest of three brothers prominent in American theatre. Boston premieres here included performances by John Gielgud, Maurice Evans and Laurence Olivier, and John Barrymore appeared in 1917. The building remains a working legitimate theatre.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect: Hill, James and Whitaker (permit); principal architect Thomas M. James. Builder: W. H. Keyes & Co (permit).","architectural_style":"Adamesque theatre interior; classically inspired 1925 facade","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still operated by the Shubert organization as a legitimate theatre; condition marked on a form with options good, fair, poor.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.829082-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/49/7927/63792749/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000444.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000444/31ca70e727-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000444/31ca70e727-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_MA_Shubert_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_Shubert_Theatre.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792749","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shubert_Theatre_(Boston)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7504541"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/shubert-sam-s-theatre-80000444/"}