Wollaston Theater History
The Wollaston Theater is one of Quincy’s great architectural treasures and the last “old-time,” theater of its kind in the surrounding area. It is an elegant building, an attractive survivor of pre television days and a fine example of' a 1920s movie house. Both the exterior and the interior were richly decorated. It was built as a 1259-seat legitimate theatre and movie house and cost around $90,000 in 1926 to build. Its original owner was W. W. Wilson, a Wollaston realtor. He then sold it to the well-known contractor, Mr. Edward H. Sears. The architect for the building is listed as "James Tucker" which may be James A. Tuck of Boston. Somewhere between 1930 and 1935, the structure was converted to a movie theatre. A noteworthy example of longevity of ownership, the Sears family retained the theatre until 1977 when they sold it to, Arthur Chandler. Mr. Chandler passed away in 2008.
The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 (Building - #89001315) and the architectural style is Classical Revival.