When Emerson College purchased the Majestic Theatre in 1983 it was showing X-rated films, had fallen into severe physical decline, and faced imminent demolition. The 1903 Beaux Arts opera house which The Boston Globe at its opening called “the most beautiful playhouse Boston has yet seen,” served as a metaphor for the derelict condition of Boston’s historic Theatre District.
Emerson College’s visionary leaders understood that the success of its new theater hinged on the renewal of the neighborhood it anchored. In partnership with the City of Boston, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and neighborhood groups, Emerson spearheaded efforts to create special zoning for the district that preserved theaters and support spaces while encouraging sensitive mixed use development.
Then Emerson took it a step further, and began a phased move of its entire campus to the neighborhood. It preserved and adapted historic buildings for dorms, classrooms, library, and offices. Hundreds of students brought the streets to life. The neighbors saw the potential and responded by restoring the district’s historic theaters, restaurants, and hotels, and building new mixed use developments. Over 20 years Boston’s historic Theatre District came back to life so that today it is one of Boston’s bustling, energetic neighborhoods and a center of life downtown.
