I named this extraordinary architecture as the Pyramid Head Building. Because I could see the building on the main street of a fictional ghost town, and the three embellishments on top remind me pyramids. But this building exists not in Silent Hill but in Waltham, Massachusetts.
To tell the truth, these pyramid things gave me a slight chill because I remembered the Pyramid Head I had seen an empty park in a small Midwestern city. It was a Halloween but I thought he spent too much time on painting his huge knife with blood, and I'm sure nobody wanted to get close to him. "Give me a treat or I'm gonna butcher you" was the message he managed to convey.
I'm sure I'm the only one who got this unfortunate connection with this building.
This building was constructed around 1880 as a music hall. As you can see, the white part of the facade is decorated by some geometric patterns. I wonder if there are some symbolic meanings in the circles and diamonds (not to forget the pyramids), or just the architects' fancy. Since this is located within a stone's throw from the Boston Manufacturing Company, it must have been filled with mill girls...Only if they had any time to enjoy themselves.
Currently, a few shops occupy the ground floor and the rest seems to be rented out as apartments. I wonder which part of the building was a music hall. My guess is the ground floor as the hall and the above as a hotel. Well, that's one noisy hotel.
Locate Music Hall @ Google Map
http://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=WLT.126
I've lived in Newton, next door to Waltham, for 7 1/2 years, but just recently discovered that this building is a former music hall. I jogged past it during a recent run in the rain. Thanks for giving me the background I've been too lazy to look up on my own!
ReplyDeleteDave, always welcome.
ReplyDeleteThe Backside Gang is a valuable information source to me. So, I'll gladly be your "appointed researcher"!
The Auditorium portion of the building was torn down sometime prior to the 1990's, it was located in the rear of the building where the parking lot is now. If you go and look at the back of the building you can see where the entrance way to the auditorium was as it is cinderblocked up. This existing portion of the building housed the lobby (and MAYBE part of the foyer and bathrooms). The theater closed in the late 1920's shorlty after the Embassy Theater opened. Hope this helps! :-)
ReplyDelete-Jon
Hi Jon,
DeleteThanks for the detailed tip. I'll investigate the parking lot next time I buy some Indian groceries! Have you seen an old picture of the auditorium?
Unfortunately I have not seen any photographs of the auditorium. However, the Waltham Public Library does have several photographs of the Lobby, foyer and one of the exterior in their archives. The photos are from the the 20's when the theater had its third name change to Waldorf. (It was renamed several times prior, first to Scenic then to Park or reverse order); The photograph of the exterior is very interesting as it is a night time photograph of the center area (from the ground level all the way up to the three cones). That entire area and the cones was decorated in lightbulbs; that is what all of those little holes in that portion of the facade were for. :-)
Delete-Jon
Hi again,
DeleteWow, I didn't realize the holes on the facade until now. Excellent!