The Charles Theatre, often referred to as simply The Charles, is the oldest movie theatre in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

. The theatre is a Beaux-Arts building designed as a

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

barn in 1892 by Jackson C. Gott, located in what is now the Station North arts and entertainment district. The theater was renamed the Charles (for its location on Charles Street) circa 1959 and became a calendar revival house in 1979. Many of

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

's early films premiered at this theatre; this honor has since shifted to the

Senator Theatre The Senator Theatre is a historic Art Deco movie theater on York Road in the Govans section of Baltimore, Maryland. It is the oldest operating movie theater in central Maryland and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a d ...

. In 1999, it underwent a major expansion and is now a five-screen theater, though the original main theater has been left largely intact and is still the largest theater in the complex. The Charles now serves as an

arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...

, showing a variety of

independent films An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

along with some major studio prestige pictures. The main theatre hosts revival series and special screenings several times a week, as well as the occasional live concert performance. The entire theater complex served as the host of the annual

Maryland Film Festival The Maryland Film Festival is an annual five-day international film festival taking place each May in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival was launched in 1999, and presents international film and video work of all lengths and genres. The festival ...

from 1999 until 2013. The Charles sits just across the tracks of the

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...

from

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...

, putting the theater within easy walking distance of

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

MARC Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

, and Light Rail service. Another Light Rail stop, University of Baltimore/Mt. Royal, is also close by. The original structure, known as the

Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn, also known as the Charles Theatre, is a historic street railway building located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a two-story brick Romanesque Revival style building, constru ...

, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1998.

Trivia

The pre-expansion Charles of the '70s was featured in the

film ''

Polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natura ...

'' as the X-rated theater run by Elmer Fishpaw, the husband of Divine's character, Francine Fishpaw. The first public screenings of the expanded 5-screen Charles took place within the inaugural year of

in April, 1999. The expanded Charles includes the former location of the Famous Ballroom, where the

Left Bank Jazz Society The Left Bank Jazz Society was a Baltimore, Maryland-based organization that promoted jazz in Baltimore. It formed in 1964, hosting a series of concerts featuring nationally acclaimed performers like John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. Recordings o ...

held events in the 1960s and 1970s. That incarnation of the space can be seen in portions of the documentary '' Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise''.

References

External links

Official site
Buildings and structures in Baltimore Beaux-Arts architecture in Maryland Central Baltimore Cinemas and movie theaters in Maryland Baltimore City Landmarks {{US-theat-struct-stub