ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Built in 1903, the Majestic was the second performance facility built in Boston's historic Theatre District (the Colonial was completed in 1900.)  It is in the Piano Row Historic District.  It is a Boston Historic Landmark, listed on both the State and the National Registers of Historic Buildings.

The Emerson is an outstanding example of Beaux Arts classicism notable both for its monumental terra cotta exterior and its richly ornamented interior.  Constructed when this style was at its most popular, the Majestic is among Boston's finest remaining examples.  It appears to be the only remaining east coast building designed by John Galen Howard, architect of the Electric Light Tower at the 1901 Buffalo world's fair, and founder in 1903 of the California School of Architecture at U.C. Berkeley. 

Masterfully designed and commissioned to be a key component of the city's institutional infrastructure supporting opera, dance, and the spoken word, it opened in 1903 to accolades about its revolutionary institutional design, its architectural beauty, and its extraordinary acoustics.  In the Majestic, Howard designed the first Boston theater with cantilevered balconies, so sight lines are unobstructed.  The auditorium is shaped like an inverted bowl or megaphone, curving both out and up from the stage.  This carries sound from the stage to all seats so that the acoustics are even and loving throughout.  His revolutionary use of electric light -- over 5,000 light bulbs traced the arches and accented design elements -- attracted enthusiasts and imitators from around the world.  The Majestic was the first to integrate electric lighting into the architectural fabric; earlier buildings had simulated old forms, such as the candelabra, in their fixtures. 

The interior of the Majestic demonstrates the high standards of turn-of-the-century craftsmanship.  A nationally known New York artist, William deLeftwich Dodge, was commissioned to paint the lunettes in the lobby.  Dodge's best known murals are those at the Library of Congress.  Plaster work was done by the Boston firm of Sleep, Elliot and King, whose credits include the Keith's Boston and Providence, the Hollis Theatre (all since demolished) and the main foyer of the Colonial.  Marble work was done by L.M. Glover and brass by W.P. Marble and Company, both of Boston.  The Artificial Marble Company of New York was employed for the lobby scagliola work, a process where plaster was made to imitate stone.  Interior decoration at the Majestic was by the firm of Pennell and Haberstroth, whose senior partner, H. B. Pennell, also worked on the Colonial and Wilbur theaters.

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