Designed by Thomas J. Hill Pierce, the venue opened in June 1915, located behind the Biltmore Hotel.

To capitalize on the emerging "talking pictures" market, the nearly 2,100-seat auditorium was converted into a movie cinema, making it one of eight in downtown Providence.

The reputation of Lupo's grew among musicians, although in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the club was better known as a bar than as a concert venue.

[9] Initial negotiations would have limited the concert venue to three performances a week, imposed a strict 10:30 pm curfew, and required a significant reduction in the noise level.

At the suggestion of mayor David Cicilline, Lupo identified the abandoned Strand Theatre as a possible location for his next concert venue.

Upgrades included: a wider stage, updated dressing rooms, sound systems, lights and restrooms.

Two mobile LED screens were installed to make the space feel more like a modern concert hall and less like the night club it once had been.

The following is a list of noted musicians, bands and singers who performed at the Strand Ballroom & Theatre or Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel.