[2] In 1876, Boston architect Levi Newcomb designed a warehouse and showroom for John and James Dobson, owners of the largest carpet mills in the United States.

[3] Boston businessman George White hired Clarence H. Blackall in 1913 to convert the basement and first two floors into a theater for the newly popular photo-plays.

The architect's plan for the first floor shows a vestibule with a circular ticket office and a small lobby opening onto a long, narrow auditorium with a balcony, seating about 800 in total.

[4] There was a small stage, with an adjoining dressing room, and an orchestra pit, which contained an Estey organ with three manuals and thirty-three ranks of pipes.

An artesian well has been driven to a depth of nearly 600 feet below the street level, and a supply of over 100 gallons per minute of fresh, cold water has been obtained.

In warm weather the air will be cooled in such a manner that the temperature can be maintained at 70 degrees even in the hottest weather outside.The Modern Theatre, believed to be the first in Boston designed specifically for movies,[note 2] was opened on June 25, 1914, by Boston theater entrepreneur Jacob Lourie, with programs of silent films, vocal music performances and organ recitals.

[10][note 5] Archer programmed a mix of stage events and music, including performances by notable jazz artists Cecil Taylor and Herbie Mann, the annual Boston Mime Week,[12] and David Mamet’s drama, American Buffalo.