The Little Theater, aka The Lincoln Theater

The story of the Little Theater on Lincoln Street, also at various times in history known as the Lincoln Theater, was in large part determined by the Crawford family. A Yale Professor, Mr. Crawford (whose first name I could not establish) was one of the earliest and strongest proponents of Theater Studies as an academic discipline, and was integral to the formation of the Yale Theater Studies Department. He and his wife were two of the founders of The Little Theater, and as we will see, it was their daughter who, decades later, would rescue it from destruction. The earliest record of ownership for the property at 1 Lincoln Street attributes it to a Roger S White who acquired it in the late 19'" century. After several decades of ownership, on September 17, 1915, he sold it to Thomas B Osborne who would own the property for eight years, until 1923. 1 Lincoln Street had a short career as personal, residential property: in 1923 it became The Little Theater. In the early 1920s, the Crawfords and several of their friends started the Theater Guild Co., to advocate participation in theater among amateurs and children. This organization was inspired by a larger movement at the time, called Little Theater, which advocated more subtle, small-scale theater (as opposed to the large production melodramas that were dominant at the time), and also developed theater programs for non-professionals and children.



In 1923, the Theater Guild Co. entered into negotiations with Thomas B Osborne. The Crawford's lived on Lincoln Street, and wanted the theater to be built in their neighborhood. The Theater Guild Co. raised the funds for the land and the building from the New Haven community. At a meeting of the Theater Guild at the office of their Secretary, Eliot Watrons, the Guild voted to purchase not only Mr Osborne's land for a total of $6,000, but also pieces of the surrounding properties, including those of Charles S Miller, John A Myer, Edward F and Mary F Camey, and The Congregation Mishkan Israel. Once the Little Theater was constructed, children would rehearse and put on plays on the weekends. The Crawfords own children participated, and the theater thrived for several years as a community institution. But it could not sustain itself for long. and within fifteen years it was converted into a movie theater. In the 1930s, it became popular for movie producers to own their own cinemas, in order to guarantee spaces for their films to be shown. The Little Theater was first purchased by Joseph Levane, and subsequently by Major Bowles of Major Bowles Amateur Hour. Finally, it was purchased by the Spotek Brothers, who later owned York Square Cinema. Under their ownership, the Little Theater was used to show foreign and art house films, and occasionally a more risque movie, which it is still remembered for among some members of the community. In 1978 there was a strike among the Little Theater's projectionists for, what the newspaper describes as, "breach of contract, sex discrimination, and unsafe working conditions."



Although the dispute was settled, the late seventies and early eighties saw the trend toward large multiplex cinemas, and finally the Spotek Brothers found that their cinema was no longer sustaining itself. The paper reported, about the last day of the Lincoln Theater cinema: Winding up a 50-year run, the Lincoln Theater will go dark tonight after an all-day screening of The Last Picture Show. The Little Theater remained empty for years. In the 1980s, the Arts Council of the Greater New Haven area began plans to redevelop the Audobon Street area. The Little Theater, at the very end of Lincoln Street, backs onto the buildings of Audobon. The development plans for Audobon, which included several new community arts buildings, as well as office, parking, and housing developments, included a plan to destroy the old, empty Theater and extend its housing development over that property. The younger Ms. Crawford, (now not so young) who had grown up performing in the little Theater, saw the destruction of the little Theater as a significant loss to the neighborhood. Together with some of her fellow child-actors and other members of the community, she led the effort to "SAVE THE LINCOLN." They argued that ~ was Historically ~ not Architecturally Significant, and that its location and scale contributed to the neighborhood character. They submitted to the Trust for Historic Preservation, describing that it was vacant and in danger of demolition by the City of New Haven, which owned it. They got it registered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Finally they had saved it but didn't know what to do with it. At that time the ECA (Educational Center for the Arts) had a drama program that was rapidly expanding, and they were beginning to outgrow the Temple building. The Director of ECA worked with the Arts Council to transfer the Little Theater to ECA. This brought its use full circle once again used to help kids explore theater. It was approved by the State Department School Facilities committee and the City sold the building to ECA for $1 or some nominal amount. It was swept up in the POD (Planned District Development) program of the New Haven Arts Center, and at that point it was remodeled. In 1985 it was approved by the State Department of Education. The Spotek Bros had taken the name The Lincoln Theater, so when it reopened its name was reverted to the original: The Little Theater on Lincoln Street. There are classroom facilities, as well as a theater that seats 500. It has 7,650 sq feet of retail and services space, and 14,000 of space used for administration and classrooms.



ARCHITECTURE



In 1924, the previously-existing building was tom down, and the Little Theater was constructed. The large concrete building was designed by the local architecture firm Gray and Lawrence. It stands today. despite renovations, much as it was originally constructed: it is one and one half stories in front and two stories in the rear, as many theaters provide additional height above the stage for the operation of sets; the roof was gabled in the front and flat in the rear; and the front area was sided with stucco. The only architectural element of note was the horseshoe arch at the front, which has been preserved through renovations. Although the original awning no longer exists, and the front is now entirely concrete, it has maintained the integrity of the original, simple design. With the incorporation in to ACES and the acquisition of the building by the ECA, the Little Theater had to undergo some basic renovations, primarily for issues of safety. It was remodeled by Donald Baerman, AlA from North Haven, who is still practicing there. After multiple experiences of wood door failure, Mr Baerman finished the front doors himself. The east leader heads were also added at this point. The construction manager was David Dickson, who still works in New Haven but who I didn't get a chance to talk to.



COMMUNITY



What was notable was that the Arts Council was so willing to work with community members to execute their idea of what their community should consist of. Ultimately it was also beneficial to the redevelopment of the area, as the presence of the theater is an attraction for the people who live in those new communities.