Senator Theater
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Senator Theatre
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Senator Theater, May 2005
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| Location | 5904-5906 York Rd., Baltimore, Maryland |
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| Coordinates | 39°21′49″N 76°36′39″W / 39.36361°N 76.61083°WCoordinates: 39°21′49″N 76°36′39″W / 39.36361°N 76.61083°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1939 |
| Architect | Zink,John J.; Et al. |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP Reference # | 89001153 |
| Added to NRHP | August 24, 1989 |
The Senator Theatre is a historic single-screen Art Deco movie theater located at 5904 York Road in the Govans section of Baltimore, Maryland 21212. It shows first run movies as well as classics.
The theater ceased showing first-run films on 15 March 2009. New managers Buzz and Kathleen Cusack have renovated the theater and plan further renovations; they reopened the theater on 15 October 2010. The theater closed again for renovations on 26 April 2012. It has since reopened, with three smaller theaters adjacent to the main one.
The Senator Theatre is an Art Deco landmark built by E. Eyring for Durkee Enterprises at an original cost of $250,000. It opened to the public Oct. 5, 1939. The first movie it featured was Stanley and Livingstone, starring Spencer Tracy and Nancy Kelly. The architect, John Jacob Zink, designed the Senator with a circular upper structure of glass blocks and limestone. Multicolored backlighting of the glass block was added to produce a dramatic effect at night.
The lobby still features the original terrazzo floors, and art deco murals about the history of performing arts. A massive gold curtain still opens to dramatically reveal the screen before each performance. The theatre’s interior is accented by a back lit sun-burst at the apex of the screen, and rainbow prisms in the recessed ceiling. "Originally, it had 1150 seats but that has gone down to 900."
The Senator Theatre also has two skyboxes for private parties. They are connected by a mezzanine overlooking the outer lobby and can host up to 40 people.
The sidewalk in front of the theatre features a ‘walk of fame’ which highlights local cinematic accomplishments.
The Senator Theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
On March 5, 2007, the Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) is scheduled to review and vote on the proposed Baltimore City Landmark designation for the Senator Theatre.
The Senator Theatre boasts a massive, modern 40 ft curved screen, state of the art projection systems, and Dolby Digital sound with surround EX. Today, the Senator Theatre mainly showcases first run movies. It is able to screen films in 35mm or 70mm. Equipment includes a Bauer U2 projector with top of the line German lenses.
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