Strand Theatre

79-81 Washington St, Providence

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Built In

1915

History

Designed by Thomas J. Hill Pierce, the venue opened in June 1915, located behind the Biltmore Hotel. The Strand was popular for a time as a vaudevillian theatre. In 1929, the theatre changed management and opened a year later as the Paramount Theatre. To capitalize on the emerging "talking pictures" market, the nearly 2,100-seat auditorium was converted into a movie cinema, making it one of eight in downtown Providence. Four years later, the theatre returned to its original name. Attendance declined in the early 1970s, and the cinema shifted to showing adult films. In 1978, the once-prominent theatre was renovated into a mixed-use commercial space. Aside from a small number of storefronts, the majority of the building remained vacant. In 1993, the auditorium reopened and operated as a live music hall until 1997.