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Howard Athenaeum

Architect
Isaiah Rogers
Year
1846
Style
Gothic Revival
City
Boston, MA
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The Howard Athenaeum, known as the Old Howard, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history, opening in 1846 on the site of a short-lived Millerite church building. Isaiah Rogers designed the new granite structure in a Gothic-like style unique among American theaters of its time; the building stood until a 1961 fire gutted it, and it was demolished the following year.

the building

Millerite origins. The site's first building was a tent-like church erected in 1843 for followers of William Miller, who predicted the world would end in 1844; when the prophecy failed, the congregation dispersed and the structure was rebuilt as a playhouse before burning down within months.

Quincy granite construction. The 1846 building that replaced it was built of Quincy granite, giving the Old Howard a solid, fortress-like presence unusual for a theater.

the style

Rogers designed the Howard Athenaeum in a Gothic-like style he made unique among American theaters of the period — an unusual choice for a playhouse, though one that echoed the site's own history as a church built for the Millerite sect.

More on Gothic Revival

the architect

Isaiah Rogers was a nationally significant American architect known especially for his hotel designs; the Howard Athenaeum, built in 1846, shows him working in a Gothic idiom outside his usual commercial work.

significance

One of Boston's most storied theaters, the Old Howard operated for over a century before closing in 1953; a fire in 1961 gutted the building, and it was demolished in 1962.

nearby

All 282 buildings in Boston