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Of Movie Palaces and Elephants
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Our History
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The Colonial Theatre opened in 1912 on the same day the Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage. For the Colonial, at least, it was smooth sailing until a fire leveled the original building in 1923. While a new theater was rebuilt quickly the theater was operated temporarily in the Belfast Opera House. The Colonial Theatre reopened at the same location in its present structure during January of 1924.
Showing a variety of "moving pictures" as well as live theater and musical, magic, or comedy acts, the shows slowly evolved from a mixed Vaudeville to an all-film format.
After WWII, the theater's exterior was renovated into its current appearance with an Art Deco stuccoed front. During most of its life the theater was owned by the Kurson family which operated theaters all over New England from their base in the Boston Theatre District.
In the early 1970's the theater was shortened by abandoning the stage and moving the screen toward the audience as energy costs skyrocketed and attendance dwindled from the threat of television, video and cable. The lobby for a ten-year period became a video rental shop. The Colonial was "twinned" into two movie theaters in 1984. While business started to pick up, the Colonial's darkest hour was just before the dawn.
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Changing of
the Guard
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In 1995 the Colonial Theatre was purchased by local residents Therese Bagnardi and Michael Hurley from the second generation of theater-operating Kursons who, at 80 years old, were quite ready to retire. Therese had been considering a career change when her husband, flipping to the "for sale" ad in the local paper remarked, "Why don't you buy the Colonial?" Three days later she did!
In a burst of energy, the exterior and interiors were completely renovated and restored with an Art Deco spirit. One year later, more changes. The video shop was closed and after being abandoned for decades, major construction revived and unveiled the "front of the house" grand flagship theater "Dreamland" which featured a new balcony, surround sound, and utilized the original grand stage and curtain. This brought the Colonial up to three screens with ever-larger movie choices.
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Elephants?
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In 1997, Perry's Nut House an internationally known Belfast roadside attraction on Route One, was completely sold off and liquidated. The much loved elephants were saved by the Colonial Theatre from the auctioneer's gavel and kept in Belfast . . . Hawthorne, the big guy, took up a proud residence on the roof and Baby Hawthorne, hand-crafted in 1938, continues his warm and welcoming ways, challenging climbers of all ages, in our Lower Lobby. Together forever, they add a graceful air of showmanship. In recent years Perry's was re-born but the elephants love it downtown!
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Old-fashioned Movie Palace
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The glamorous Colonial now shows the best of Hollywood, foreign, and independent movies all year round on our three screens. We are a friendly locally run community theater. We are easy to find in beautiful downtown Belfast with our brightly painted facade, neon marquee, and our life-size elephant "Hawthorne" trumpeting above High Street from our roof. Close to restaurants or shopping and the active waterfront, the Colonial Theatre is an old-fashioned, yet modern member of America's downtown movie palaces where the "show starts on the sidewalk."
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