Lost GRANDeur - Hartford's Grand/New Parsons Theater, 1914-1961

This Video is a history of the former Grand (later New Parsons) Theater in Hartford, Connecticut. When the building, located on Main Street, was demolished in 1961, it had been in existence for nearly half a century. The city's Fourth Congregational Church had previously stood on the same spot from 1850 to 1913. The Grand opened in 1914 and showed burlesque theater and movies. The name of the theater changed over the years (from Cameo to Proven Pictures and then Center Theater). In 1951, it became the New Parsons Theater, a "legit" playhouse that featured tryouts for Broadway. The New Parsons got national attention when it banned the Hartford Courant newspaper's drama critic from its theater, an action that led the state legislature to pass a third-in-the-nation law to prevent entertainment venues from prohibiting critics from attending.
Three of the images used in this video are from the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History:
Fourth Congregational Church, Main Street, Hartford (Accession number 2000.201.32)
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Steeple of Fourth Congregational Church, 1091 Main Street (Accession Number 2000.171.20)
hdl.handle.net/...
Parsons Theatre After Removal of Tower, 66 Prospect Street, Hartford (Accession Number 1982.80.330)
emuseum.chs.org...
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[@retireditguy9493]

Great video. I grew up on Winthrop Street 1948 to 1954, which was a few blocks north of that theater. I can remember my father driving past it with me in the back seat. I asked him what it was and when he said it was theater I told him I wanted to go there. I remember him saying “No you don’t. They don’t show cartoons there”. At time 12:40 there is a poster with Veeder-Root on it. My grandfather, who also lived on Winthrop Street, worked there in the 40s and 50s doing mechanical and electrical assembly. Hartford was a great place up until late 1960s. Unfortunately now it is a bankrupt mess.

[@QualityRecord]

It's shocking and sad how Hartford erased it's self in the name of urban renewal. It's now a featureless forgettable monoscape with no soul and no people.