Coolidge Corner Theatre

Coolidge Corner Theatre marquee in 2023
Address	290 Harvard Street Brookline, Massachusetts United States
Coordinates	42°20′33″N 71°07′21″W / 42.34250°N 71.12250°W / 42.34250; -71.12250
Operator	Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation
Type	Non-profit
Current use	In Operation
Opened	30 December 1933 (1933-12-30)
Website
www.coolidge.org

Coolidge Corner Theatre is a nonprofit, independent cinema and community cultural center in the Coolidge Corner section of Brookline, Massachusetts, specializing in international, documentary, animated, and independent film selections, series, classes, and seminars.^[1][2]

Coolidge Corner Theatre was built as a Universalist church in 1906 and was redesigned as an Art Deco movie palace in 1933 as the community's first movie theater.^[1][3][4] The theater opened on December 30, 1933 with its first film being a Disney short film.^[4] Originally the theater only had one screen but was later divided into two and then four.^[5]

By 1988, the theatre faced increased competition due to VCR sales and shifts in entertainment consumption.^[6] When developer Jonathan Davis expressed interest in demolishing the theatre and repurposing the property as commercial space, a group from the Brookline community started a grassroots campaign to save the theatre.^[7]

David Kleiler, a film professor at Babson College, led the movement, called "Friends of the Coolidge," which later transformed into the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the theatre's preservation.^[8] This foundation played a role in securing the theater's recognition as a historic site, temporarily preventing potential redevelopment.^[8]

In 1989, the foundation attempted to raise the necessary $2.6 million to purchase the theatre, but faced fundraising shortfalls.^[8] In response, four hundred local residents gathered in a peaceful demonstration, locking arms and forming a human chain around the theatre.^[8] Harold Brown, a realtor and Brookline resident who had loved the Coolidge in his youth, and his Hamilton Charitable Foundation emerged, proposed the purchase of the theatre and a 99-year lease to the Coolidge Foundation.^[8] On November 8, 1989, Kleiler cut a celluloid ribbon and the theatre reopened its doors with the marquee reading, "WE DID IT - ON WITH THE SHOW."^[8] Kleiler remained the theatre's programming director until 1993.^[8]

Comedian and Brookline, Massachusetts native John Hodgman worked at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in his youth.^[9]

Academy Award-winning actor Julianne Moore saw Eraserhead at the Coolidge Corner Theatre and credits the experience as one of her key inspirations to pursue acting.^[10]

In November 2021, the Coolidge Foundation broke ground on an expansion of the theatre, which added 14,000 square feet to its existing structure.^[11] The $12.5 million expansion, "The Campaign for the Coolidge," designed by Höweler + Yoon, features two state-of-the-art theaters, a 60-seat Community Education and Engagement Center, a media library for films and Coolidge merchandise, and enhanced accessibility features.^[11] Donors included a $1 million donation from The Trust Family Foundation.^[12] The expansion opened on March 27, 2024.^[13]

On May 29, 2024, Coolidge Corner Theatre staff announced their plans to unionize, citing "the need for a more transparent, equitable, and supportive workplace" as the reasoning behind these efforts.^[14][15] On June 6, 2024, it was announced that employers of the Coolidge Corner Theatre will voluntarily recognize the union.

The Coolidge Award annually recognizes a film artist who “advances the spirit of original and challenging cinema.’’^[16] Recipients of this venue's annual Coolidge Award include:^[17]

• 2005: Vittorio Storaro
• 2006: Meryl Streep
• 2010: Jonathan Demme
• 2012: Viggo Mortensen
• 2013: Thelma Schoonmaker
• 2016: Jane Fonda
• 2017: Werner Herzog
• 2018: Michael Douglas
• 2019: Julianne Moore
• 2023: Liv Ullmann
• 2023: Ruth E. Carter
• 2024: John Waters

Created in 2023, the Coolidge Breakthrough Artist Award^[18] recognizes emerging voices in film and spotlights the next generation of young film artists. Recipients include:

• 2023: Elegance Bratton
• 2024: Jane Schoenbrun

• 
  Coolidge Corner Theatre Marquee in June, 2023.
• 
  Coolidge Corner Theatre lobby with Art Deco neon
• 
  Coolidge Award recipient Jonathan Demme at Coolidge Corner Theatre in 2010
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  Popcorn being served in Coolidge Corner Theatre lobby
• 
  Robyn Hitchcock at Coolidge Corner Theatre in 2010
• 
  A screening of Night of the Living Dead on October 2, 2023 with a live score by the Morricone Youth.