Columbia Hall - Hyde Square

I found the picture above in the Jamaicaplain.com photo gallery. The file is named "Columbia Hall Hyde Square", but note "Roxbury" under the picture. I believe that the building was torn down when the new Blessed Sacrament church was built, but don't hold me to it.



Bromley, George Washington; Bromley, Walter Scott, 1895 (copyright © 2000 by Cartography Associates)
David Rumsey Collection

Columbia Hall on Centre street



Boston Daily Globe May 19, 1893


Columbia Hall Dedicated. Parishioners of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament at Jamaica Plain Meet in New Quarters.


Columbia Hall, a new and elegant building connected with the church of the Blessed Sacrament, Jamaica Plain, was dedicated last evening under most auspicious circumstances and with appropriate exercises.

The building is at the corner of Centre and Creighton sts, and has a handsome frontage of 94 feet on Centre st, and is 41 feet deep. It is two stories high with a hip roof, and is built of wood. On the first floor are stores and the entrance to the hall is at the end near Creighton st.

Ascending one flight the hall is reached, which has a capacity of 600 with a gallery capable of holding 100 more. There are large windows on two sides of the hall and at one end is a fine stage.

The interior finish is in Georgia pine, and there are several exits front and back which afford every opportunity of emptying the hall. There is every facility for the holding of entertainments and it is also intended by the pastor Rev Arthur T. Connolly, to fit up a gymnasium in the hall. It will contain gymnastic apparatus which can easily be removed in case the hall is needed for other purposes.

On the upper floor is the banquet hall, which will seat 300, and equally well fitted out.

Last night the large hall was beautifully decorated for the opening exercises, and about 800 of the parishioners participated.

A reception and promenade concert took up the hour between 8 and 9 o'clock, and shortly after the latter hour the grand march was started, let by Floor Director Thomas Finneran and Miss Finneran, and followed by about 50 couples.

Immediately after the grand march Rev Arthur F. Connelly ascended the stage and made a short speech.

Dancing was then continued until midnight, with Thomas Finneran as floor director, and the following assistants; Messrs James Brandley, John J. Ryan, John J. McCarthy, M.W. O'Connell, Mark Mulvey and H.C. Cahill.

[a long list of aids and committee members followed]

Emmet Hall Opens

And earlier entry told of a fire at the Emmet Theatre on Centre street. This article announces the opening of the Emmet building two years earlier. There were several such building in Jamaica Plain, with shops on the street level and a hall or meeting rooms and sometimes apartments above. The Mason's building at the north corner of Centre street and Seaverns avenue still stands, while many more have been torn down. This building was built by the A.O.H. Of course you knew that those initials stand for Ancient Order of Hibernians, right? There was no need to "spell it out" at the time, as this article shows. That the building was named for Robert Emmet should tell you something about the men who filled the ranks of the organization - I'll let you investigate Mr Emmet off-site.

At the bottom of this 1914 map, you can see the Emmet Building at the corner of Centre street and Starr lane. This 1924 map calls it the Strand Theatre. I've been searching for information on the Strand, but I've come up empty so far.

Addendum (9/24/08): I've added more on Emmett Hall - later the Strand Theatre -in an entry here.


Boston Daily Globe October 9, 1910


Will Dedicate New Hall.

Robert Emmet Association of Jamaica Plain Has Completed Fine New Building.


The new building at 652-660 Centre st, Jamaica Plain, to be known as Emmet hall, and erected by divisions 15, 40 and 51, A.O.H., is to be dedicated with fitting exercises on the evening of Oct 13.

More than a year ago members of these divisions of the A.O.H. organized as the Robert Emmet association and purchased the property that was known as Arcanum hall. It contained 10,000 square feet of land and the new building has been erected at a cost of $75,000. It is centrally located in the heart of the business section of Jamaica Plain, and the assured rentals to date make sure its success from a financial standpoint at the start.

The building contains four large stores on the ground floor, two fine lodge rooms, with anterooms, committee rooms and one of the largest and best equipped dancing halls in this city.

The exercises of dedication will include a banquet, unveiling of a flag and addresses by prominent officials of the state, city and of the A.O.H. Among those to whom invitations have been extended to be present and take part in the dedication of the new building, are Gov Draper, Lieut Gov Louis A. Frothingham, Senators Henry Cabot Lodge and Murray Crane, Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, Mayor Brooks of Cambridge, the local congressmen, H. Regan, national president of the A.O.H.; Matthew Cummings, ex-national president of the A.O.H.; the state and county officers of the order and officials of other fraternal bodies.

The committee through whose untiring efforts the project of a new building for the A.O.H. has been worked out successfully includes these men who constitute the board of directors Francis J. Horgan chairman, Joseph H. Fallon vice chairman, Lawrence J. Malone clerk, Fred J. McLaughlin treas, William J. Burke, Brien McElroy, John J. McLaughlin, James J. Curley, Timothy Finneran, James Corvin.

[there follows a long listing of numerous committee and sub-committee members]

You Can't Shout Fire In A Movie Theatre

The Strand marquee (formerly the Emmett) is visible in the middle of this picture.




I had never heard of the Emmett Theatre before I found this article. The building wasn't there in 1905, but is shows up on this map. It stood on the south corner of Centre Street and Starr Lane. I wish they told us what was playing that day.


Boston Daily Globe May 4 1912

Prevents Fire-Panic By Ruse

Manager Finds Roof of Theatre Ablaze.

Dismisses Audience on Plea Picture Machine Is Broken.

People Amazed on Seeing Engines Working Outside.


Prompt action by the firemen and the coolness of the manager, Arthur Thompson, prevented the possibility of a panic when the roof of the Emmett Theatre, Jamaica Plain, took fire about 4:30 yesterday.

Mr Thompson first became aware of the danger on smelling smoke. Leaving the hall quietly so as not to disturb the audience, largely women and children, he walked out into the street, but could see no signs of fire there. His fears allayed, he started back into the building and up into the hall by a rear stairway. There he saw smoke issuing through cracks in the roof.

He ran downstairs and across the street to the house of Engine 42 and notified the firemen. A fireman who was seated at the window had seen the smoke at the same time and he hastened to notify the officer at the patrol box.

Returning to the hall, Mr Thompson found the moving picture operator reeling off the last picture of the performance and told him of the fire, and he promptly stopped the machine, cutting the picture short. Mr Thompson stepped forward on the stage and informed the audience that the moving picture machinery was out of order and that he would unfortunately be obliged to close the performance at once.

The people, a trifle disappointed, but not suspecting danger, quietly left the building, and were greatly surprised when they reached the street to see the fire apparatus pouring streams of water on the blazing roof.

The fire was quickly extinguished and the damage was slight.