You are here

Maryland » Baltimore City » North Baltimore and Jones Falls Valley » SENATOR THEATER

SENATOR THEATER

-A A +A
1939, John J. Zink. 5904 York Rd.
  • (Photograph by John Margolies, John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.)
  • (HABS)

The finest movie theater surviving in Baltimore, and the entire state of Maryland, is this Art Deco gem in the Govans neighborhood of north Baltimore. Designed by prolific regional theater architect Zink for the Durkee chain, the Senator rivaled the downtown movie palaces of the period. Its stepped cylinder front facade is adorned with neon backlit glass block and neon signage while Vitrolite panels and aluminum bands add further Art Deco flare. While some details have been changed, most notably the addition of three smaller screening rooms in 2013, the interior of the Senator is also remarkably intact, with original terrazzo floor and murals in the lobby, wood veneer, aluminum wall coverings, and stylized floral wall motifs in the main theater. The 2013 renovations also included a reproduction of the original lobby chandelier and restoration of historic features.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie
×

Data

Timeline

  • 1939

    Built

  • 2013

    Renovated

What's Nearby

CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER
CATHEDRAL OF MARY OUR QUEEN
EVERGREEN HOUSE
Roland Park Shopping Center
ROLAND PARK

Citation

Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie, "SENATOR THEATER", [Baltimore, Maryland], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-BC112.

Print Source

Buildings of Maryland, Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2022, 221-221.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,