The Wang Theatre - Boston, MA
The Wang Theatre, located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston’s Theatre District, opened in 1925 as the Metropolitan Theatre. It was developed by Max Shoolman and designed by architect Clarence Blackall, with assistance from C. Howard Crane. Blackall was responsible for more than a dozen major Boston theaters, including the Wilbur and the Colonial. At the time of its opening, “The Met” seated over 3,600 people and was one of the largest and most ornate movie palaces in the country. With chandeliers, imported marble, and a Louis XIV-inspired interior, it quickly became a cultural landmark in 1920s Boston.
In 1962, the Metropolitan was renamed the Music Hall and became home to the newly-formed Boston Ballet. Over the next two decades, the venue hosted the Stuttgart Opera, Bolshoi Ballet, Metropolitan Opera, and other major touring productions. But as the years went on, the theater’s shallow stage and outdated backstage facilities made it less viable for large-scale shows. In 1980, the building transitioned to a nonprofit organization and was renamed the Metropolitan Center. Renovations began, and Broadway productions like Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury and My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison marked the theater’s return to form.
In 1983, Dr. An Wang, founder of Wang Laboratories, made a major donation that led to the theater being renamed the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. Between 1989 and 1992, $9.8 million was raised to restore the theater’s original 1920s interior. The restoration was led by Finegold Alexander & Associates and Conrad Schmitt Studios, who repaired and recreated plasterwork, murals, and marble finishes. In 1990, the building was designated a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission. In the following years, the Wang hosted blockbuster tours like Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, and The Phantom of the Opera, along with concerts, dance performances, and film screenings.
In 2006, a naming partnership with Citigroup changed the venue’s name to the Citi Performing Arts Center, which managed both the Wang and Shubert Theatres until 2016. That year, the Boch family took over naming rights, and the venue became part of the Boch Center. Today, the Wang Theatre remains one of Boston’s most important historic performance spaces. It continues to host Broadway tours, concerts, and special events, while maintaining its architectural legacy and its role in Boston’s performing arts community.
Matt Lambros MA Boston Mar 31, 2025 Arts History Theaters
Mar 31, 2025
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