Place History: The Charles Theatre

THE STORY OF THE CHARLES:

The Charles Theatre markets itself as “the only theatre of its kind in Baltimore” in “one of Charles Street’s most intriguing historic buildings,” a claim that can be supported by the over 120 years of history on of the 1700 block of North Charles Street in Baltimore’s Station North Arts & Entertainment District.  While originally designed as a street car barn, the Charles Theatre now features five screens, over 1,150 seats, and the opportunity for patrons to see Hollywood films and specialty screenings in the same space. 

The space originally served for city transportation.  In 1892 the Baltimore Traction Company hired Jackson C. Gott to design a streetcar barn for the Baltimore Passenger Railway.  In 1915 the space was then converted into a motor bus garage until the space was sold by the United Railways and Electric Company in 1939.

At the time of its sale, the streetcar barn was separated into two different properties and the history of the Charles takes two different paths for over fifty years.  The original streetcar barn was divided into the North Barn (1715-1717 N. Charles Street) and South Barn (1711 N. Charles Street) and were owned and operated individually, however both as entertainment venues. 

The North Barn

In 1939, Louis Schecter, purchased the North Barn and opened the property as a 100-lane bowling alley.  The space functioned as a bowling alley until 1948 when a fire damaged the second floor of the building.  Schecter took the construction opportunity on the second floor to rebuild the section of the building and opened up the Famous Ballroom as a club.  Schecter leased the venue to many patrons, including the Left Bank Jazz Society who hosted shows and promoted jazz in the space from 1966 to the Famous Ballroom’s closing in 1984.  Schecter then sold the property and in 1986 the venue was reopened as Godfrey’s Famous Ballroom.  Large crowds, underage drinking, and crime led to the closing of Godfrey’s only five years later.   

The South Barn

After the split of the streetcar barn in 1939, the South Barn was purchased by Jack Fruchtman.  Fruchtman was the founder of JF Theaters, a company that owned over 50 theaters in the state, and converted the space into the Times Theatre, Baltimore’s first moving picture house that specialized in newsreels.  In 1959, the Times Theatre was renamed The Charles Theatre in honor of its location.  For 38 years, the Charles Theatre was successful in hosting screenings of both local films and international films until 1978 when JF Theaters filed for bankruptcy and terminated its lease.

In 1979, the Charles Theatre was purchased by David Levy as an art repertory house.  The Charles remained successful and prominent in Baltimore arts culture, premiering and screening movies of Baltimore filmmaker John Waters such as his film Polyester in 1981.  Levy and the Charles’ success continued as film revenue broke records for the venue.  Slowly however around 1990, the Charles began to lose business as community demographics changed.  In 1993, Levy closed the Charles, unable to pay the rent because of low ticket sales and the theater’s single scree .  Three months later, the Charles was purchased, this time by John Standiford, a previous projectionist of the Charles, and his uncle, James Cusack, a contractor.

The Charles Theatre (as we know it)

Cusack and Standiford together transformed the Charles Theatre into what it is today.  Once again, the single-screen kept ticket sales low, but the two saw the space next door as an opportunity.  The two purchased the North Barn in 1998 and worked to create an entertainment space in the community to boost not only sales, but to bring people back to North Charles Street.  In 1998, the theater received a $79,000 grant from the city, allowing for construction to combine the North and South Barn into one large complex.  The Charles had its grand re-opening in 1999 where they debuted four new screens, for a total of five screens and 1,150 seats for patrons of the theater.  The Charles’ new look brought back the authentic looks of the North and South barn and made the theater a destination for city-goers.  With this expansion, the Charles also became a main venue for the Maryland Film Festival from 1999 to 2014. 

Today, the Charles is has become a central landmark of North Charles Street and a destination for those visiting the Station North Arts & Entertainment District.  Patrons can see varieties of films in this unique space that focuses on the history of the area and the films it screens.