Then and Now - Publix Theatre - Boston, MA

The Publix Theatre began its life as the Gaiety Theatre on November 23, 1908, showing burlesque musicals. It joined the E.M. Loews circuit in the early 1930s, was renamed to the Gaiety Theatre, and began showing double features with vaudeville. The 1,700 seat Publix had two balconies, one lower curved one and a steep upper balcony, which closed in the mid-1940s.

E.M. Loews renovated the theater in 1946 and renamed it to the Victory Theatre. It was renamed again in 1949 to the Publix. Like many of its contemporaries, it began showing “B films” however, it never went x-rated. The Publix closed in the 1980s and was used as a warehouse for a time. Despite a few efforts to save the theater, it was demolished in 2004. It was an empty lot until 2011, when an apartment building was constructed. The Kensington Apartments opened in 2013, and have an exhibit about the Gaiety/Publix in the lobby.