BEVERLY — The Cabot theater is planning a major renovation of the exterior of its building, including the replacement of its 1960s-era marquee.
The plan would dramatically reshape the façade of the historic theater in downtown Beverly in an attempt to match the beauty of the theater space on the inside, said Thad Siemasko, a member of The Cabot’s board of directors who is also donating his time as the architect for the project.
“Generally when people come to The Cabot for the first time and walk into the theater space they say, ‘Wow, I never knew this was here,’” he said. “We wanted something on the outside that suggests the excitement of what’s going on on the inside.”
The plan calls for the removal of the prominent marquee and Cabot Cinema sign over the entrance. Its removal will expose an arched window, which Siemasko said will be restored and will provide views from the lobby to the exterior.
Instead of a marquee, upcoming events will be advertised on two electronic message boards that will be attached to both sides of the building, so people driving or walking up Cabot Street can see them from either direction.
The new sign will hang from the top of the building and say “The Cabot.” Siemasko said it mirrors the type of sign that was on the building when it was known as the Ware Theater.
Another feature includes the installation of what Siemasko called “mesh veils” along part of the front of the building over a new canopy that will provide shelter from the weather for people waiting in line.
The plans mark a new phase in the ongoing renovation of the historic theater since it was bought by five Beverly residents, including Siemasko, in 2013 and turned into a nonprofit. The interior of the theater, which opened in 1920, has undergone millions of dollars of renovations under the new organization, including new seats, sound and lighting systems, HVAC system, lobby and accessibility improvements.
“When we started on The Cabot the first order of business was the comfort and safety of the customers,” he said. “The last piece for us was, how do you make the building on the outside suggest the really fantastically beautiful space that’s on the inside. It never really did that.”
The current marquee and Cabot Cinema sign was installed in the 1960s when the theater was bought by the E.M. Loew’s movie theater chain. It is not the original marquee from the theater’s opening as the Ware Theater in 1920 as a venue for vaudeville shows and silent movies. At the time, the theater was called “the most impressive auditorium of its size east of New York.”
From 1977 to 2012, The Cabot was home to Le Grand David and His Own Spectacular Magic Co. When the theater went up for sale in 2013 and people feared it might be demolished or turned into condos, it was acquired by Siemasko, Henry Bertolon, Bill Howard, Rich Marino and Paul Van Ness and turned into a nonprofit.
Marino, who owns Chianti Tuscan Restaurant & Jazz Lounge across the street from the theater, said The Cabot is excited to improve the outside of the building after a decade of work on the inside.
“It’s exciting to put some frosting on the cake,” he said.
“The Cabot sits at the gateway of downtown Beverly,” he added. “For it to be as majestic as possible will benefit the entire community.”
The Cabot hopes to start the work in the summer of 2025 or 2026, depending on fundraising to help pay for it. Siemasko said he didn’t have a specific cost, but said the price tag will be “multiple millions.” The theater would shut down for about three months while the work is being done.
Both Siemasko and Marino said the community has responded to previous fundraising campaigns to continue to improve the theater.
“To watch this theater come back to life, and to think what would have happened if the community didn’t rally behind The Cabot,” Marino said.
“It would’ve been a parking lot or it would’ve been condos. It’s living proof that it takes a village.”
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.