After operating for 35 years as the Modern Theatre, the building was renamed the
Mayflower Theater on February 19th, 1949. It continued to show movies, although
there is some speculation that vaudeville was also performed in the theater in the
1930s. By the early 1970s, the theater was showing pornographic films, mirroring
the decline in lower Washington Street, which had become known as the Combat
Zone. In 1976, the building was purchased by David Archer and Modern Theatre,
Inc., who began a rehabilitation project with the intent of returning the building to
a theater use.
Archer proposed to divide the theater up into a 600-seat main theater and two 100-
seat smaller spaces, and also to use part of the space for a roof garden, caf?,
offices, an art gallery, rehearsal rooms, and a theater workshop. His intent was to
have three to four events happening every day at the theater and to emphasize
local talent and international performers. Much of the restoration work was
performed by Archer himself, along with volunteers. May 8th, 1979 was the target
date for opening night at the new Modern Theatre. The opening date was later
revised to mid-December of 1978 and the first performance, by the musical group
Sun Ra and his Arkestra and a light show called ?Spacescapes?, actually occurred
on December 19th, 1978.
The Modern Theatre continued to host less-traditional theater and musical acts, as
well as more mainstream fare, including The Helium Mime Show, GHOST (a
blend of mime, rock music, and slapstick comedy), and the plays ?Survival? and
?American Buffalo?, the first dramatic play ever at the Modern. There were even
plans to host bands at the Modern Theatre in an effort to compete with more
established clubs such as the Paradise.
By 1980, the theater was still struggling, but there had been 200 performances by
visiting groups and plans were underway for the first full season by the Modern
Theatre itself. Just one year later, however, Archer decided to switch his non-
profit group to a for-profit organization in an effort to attract investors to the
project. He proposed to renovate the top floors of the building into commercial or
condominium space and to build a full-service bar above the main lobby. This
proposal failed and the building was sold in the early 1980s to the Levin Family
Trust, the current owner.
Since then, there has not been a single performance in the Modern Theatre. It has
deteriorated significantly and is currently in danger of collapsing. Perhaps the
history of the Modern Theatre can best be summarized by The Fabulous Invalid, a
play from 1938. This production follows the deterioration of a grand theater
building from its glamorous opening night ? to its inglorious end as a derelict
structure.
