The Majestic Theater, located at 219 Tremont St. in Boston, will reopen in the spring of 2003 after a complete renovation.

Following a total renovation, the Majestic Theater at 219 Tremont St. will reopen in the spring of 2003 and once again bring performing arts to Boston’s historic Theater District.

As the second oldest theater in the city, the Majestic, listed on both the State and the National Registers of Historic Buildings, boasts a richly colored beaux arts interior, reminiscent of old Victorian classicism. It is the only remaining East Coast building designed by John Galen Howard, architect of the Electric Light Tower at the 1901 Buffalo’s world’s fair.

The Majestic is of historical interest as the first of three theaters erected for the city by Boston’s merchant and music patron Eben Dyer Jordan, who succeeded his father in 1895 as president of Jordan, Marsh and Co. When Jordan commissioned John Galen Howard to design the magical Majestic Theater, the theater took on a unique style introduced by The L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.

As the first electric-lighted theater, built at the beginning of the 20th century, the Majestic attracted enthusiasts and aficionados from the around the world to view the over 5,000 light bulbs that traced the arches and accented the intricate gold leaf detailing, at a time when most theaters were using candelabras in their fixtures. Since the interior of the theater showed-off an overwhelming amount of gold leaf and intricacies, the Majestic was deemed, “The House of Gold.”

Since its construction in the early 1900s, the Majestic Theater’s appearance has undergone many changes over the decades.

In the mid- to late-1920s, after being purchased from New York City’s Shubert Organization, the design was simplified as the Shubert’s modernized the theater with softer colors. In the 1950s and 1960s, the once ornate lobby was filled with fake brick and a drop ceiling. Luckily, designers had added on to what was previously in place, instead of destroying what was originally erected.

The intent in this restoration is to make the structure look exactly like it did in 1903 and restore the Majestic to its full dramatic glory.

The Restoration

After 100 years, the dramatic Majestic Theater is preparing to open its doors as a state-of-the-art 21st century theater nestled inside the façade of an old-world classical look.

Taken over by Emerson College in 1983, management and Lee Kennedy contractors agreed on the overhauling of the site and the design of the final project, so far totaling more than $6 million.

Contractors from the Lee Kennedy Co. began investigating what it would take to restore the theater to its original glory, and make it useful for touring performing arts groups and theater patrons. They spent two years researching the facades, stained glass, paint, stencils, support beams, acoustics and colors required to restore the theater to its original grandeur and make it conform to today’s standards for compliance and space restrictions.

The Landmarks Commission approved changes for improving access and restoration, as well as working with the inspection services. Unlike the building of a new site, this historic gem was approved with different dimensional requirements and has been approved to keep the function contemporary, but the design historical.

As part of the renovation process, the Landmarks Commission approved the lights and interior finishes. The stained glass – recreated by Lyn Hovey Studios – and murals were all approved for renovation and restored to their original look. A vote to keep the original fixtures from 1903 and install modern-day efficiency was unanimous among contractors, painters and Emerson College management.

Due to the years of foot traffic and touring, the carpeting in the theater had deteriorated, and while it was a difficult process to find one reflective of 1903 patterns, designers combined materials and patterns from information found in newspaper reviews of the theater from its opening night in 1903.

As part of the original discovery process, a stencil pattern was found on the first and second balcony, which has been recreated with the original paint colors, including the restoring of the gold leafing to its original texture.

With the advent of electric lighting, the Majestic was designed as a celebration of electricity, as shown by the bare light bulbs throughout the entire theater. While the original lights were both gas and electric in a single fixture, the “strand of pearls” lighting being framed through the theater is reminiscent of the innovative era.

As part of modernizing the century-old building, the Majestic was filled with the latest technology available for sound, light and video production in a performing arts center. While the Majestic is not as a large as the Wang Center or other theaters in the area, this small and contained space allows a performer to stand on the stage and easily be heard by someone in the balcony.

The orange- and red-flecked Scagliola marbling on the walls extends to the two marble staircases leading to the mezzanine and balcony levels.

The theater seats, dark-green leather with turquoise and red, will be retouched and made more comfortable, boasting a dark-stained wood backing and dark-green velour fabric.

There will be velvet valances and plush drapery.

And even though the expanse of the ceiling will be grand, the feeling will be intimate. The dome is delicately laid out with grape arbors and lighted with globes.

When the lights are dimmed, the masks and angels on the walls seem to take on a life of their own and join in the performance about to take place.

The marquee facade will remain as is and light up the heart of the theater district, showing residents and visitors the historic and dramatic gift adorning the heart of Boston.

The sequence of construction has been non-linear due to the short schedule; although the timing itself is condensed, virtually every surface of the theater will be touched before the grand century-old opening in the spring of 2003.

After every piece of plaster is gilded and every speck of primer painted, the Majestic will mark its 100-year birthday by opening its doors to a grander interior, including lounge areas and gathering rooms. It will re-introduce Boston to the magic of the House of Gold, better known on Tremont Street at the Majestic Theater.