Howard Athenaeum

Built in 1843 as a church by the Millerite sect, the flimsy tent-like structure housed a small but loyal congregation who eventually abandoned the site following disappointment with the minister's promise that the world would end in 1844.

After Armageddon failed to materialize, the founder of the sect, William Miller, an ex-Deputy Sheriff from Poultney, Vermont, was discredited and the Millerites moved on.

The new building, made of Quincy granite and capable of seating 1,360 patrons, was rushed to completion with the aid of funds from a local brewery.

In an 1860 playbill, the Howard Athenaeum proudly announced that it hosted performances of "opera, tragedy, comedy, burlesque, vaudeville, minstrels, and magicians."

", By the end of the 19th century, the theatre had completely switched over to burlesque with performers such as Ann Corio, Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, and comedians including Fanny Brice, and Sophie Tucker, and "Tillie the Tassel."

From its fashionable grand opera days in the mid-19th century, the Old Howard had become a tawdry establishment especially beloved by Harvard undergraduates for its strip-tease acts.

The Boston Phoenix for February 17, 2007, said: "the Howard hosted everyone in show biz from John Wilkes Booth to Phil Silvers to Minsky’s Burlesque star Ann Corio to an 'exotic Indian dancer' named Princess Lahoma."

[3] Other entertainers who appeared at the Howard include Abbott & Costello, Jimmy Durante, Fred Allen, W. C. Fields, Jackie Gleason, Al Jolson, Buster Keaton, Bert Lahr and Jerry Lewis.

This controversial incident occurred at the height of Boston's urban renewal initiative and not much was considered historic except colonial-era structures.