Underground Boston Theater May Come Alive Again [View all]

http://artery.wbur.org/2015/05/24/bostons-hidden-theater-renovation



View from the balcony of Steinert Hall across the piano parts, and record boxes to the stage.

Underground Boston Theater May Come Alive Again
Amy Gorel
May 24, 2015

BOSTON After 72 years hidden from the public, Boston’s underground theater may have a chance to open its doors once again.

Steinert Hall — a performance hall 40 feet below street level and located across from Boston Common — has been a topic of intrigue for city dwellers since it was closed in 1942 due to stricter safety codes after the Cocoanut Grove fire.

The theater sits in the depths of the six-story Steinert Building at 162 Boylston St., which is home to piano sellers M. Steinert & Sons. Recently, B Minor, LLC — could they have picked a better name? — purchased the building with plans to renovate.



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The performance hall was built below ground to shield it from the noise of the street. As a basement theater, it’s below the water table, meaning it’s damp and usually around 60 degrees — posing a number of architectural issues. Today, piles of record boxes and piano parts fill the theater. Paint peels from the walls and plaster falls from the high ceilings.



Paul Murphy, president of M. Steinert & Sons, surveys the peeling paint and crumbling plaster at the entrance to the main staircase of the hall.