After 112 years of movies, vaudeville, concerts and neighborhood memories, the Somerville Theatre has a new future — thanks to the people who have spent years keeping it alive.
The historic Somerville Theatre in Davis Square has been purchased by its operators for $12 million. Explore its 112-year history and how to support it.
Sometimes preserving a piece of Greater Boston history takes more than nostalgia.
Sometimes it takes $12 million.
The historic Somerville Theatre in Davis Square has been purchased by the very people who operate it, ending months of uncertainty about the future of one of the region's most beloved independent movie houses.
The purchase, announced October 23, 2026, gives the employee-led company CSB Theatres ownership of the building at 55 Davis Square, home to the Somerville Theatre since 1914.
It also protects the Crystal Ballroom, the upstairs performance venue, and Mr. Crêpe, the neighborhood café that shares the building.
For movie lovers, history enthusiasts and anyone who values Greater Boston's independent cultural institutions, this is welcome news.
But the story is about much more than a real estate transaction.
It's about the people who decided that a historic theatre was too important to lose.
Fifty Cents and a Lifetime of Memories
For me, the Somerville Theatre isn't simply a historic building in Davis Square. It's part of my childhood.
I grew up in Somerville, and one of the great pleasures of being a kid was walking to the theatre for a Saturday matinee with 50 cents in my pocket.
I remember watching Big Red, The Three Lives of Thomasina, 101 Dalmatians, Gidget Goes Hawaiian, Beach Blanket Bingo, The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, and The Shaggy Dog. There were Elvis movies, too.
But nothing quite compared to A Hard Day's Night.
I was a young Beatles fan, and when the Beatles appeared on that screen, I completely lost it. I stood up, screamed at the top of my lungs, and cried with excitement.
I can still remember it more than 60 years later.
That's what makes a neighborhood theatre so much more than bricks, mortar, seats and a screen.
It's where children experience their first taste of independence. Where movies become memories. Where music becomes part of growing up. Where generations of families share experiences they carry with them for the rest of their lives.
When I heard that the people who operate the Somerville Theatre had purchased the building themselves, I wasn't simply pleased that another historic landmark had survived.
I was grateful that another generation of Somerville children might have the opportunity to make memories as lasting as mine.
A Davis Square Landmark Since 1914
The Somerville Theatre first opened its doors on May 11, 1914, when Davis Square looked very different from the busy neighborhood visitors know today.
Motion pictures were still relatively new, silent films dominated the screen, and vaudeville performers traveled from theatre to theatre entertaining audiences with music, comedy and theatrical performances.
The Somerville Theatre offered both.
Over the decades, its stage welcomed performers who would become famous, including Tallulah Bankhead and Ray Bolger.
Later generations saw appearances by Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Adele, along with author events featuring Stephen King and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The theatre survived the arrival of talking pictures, television, suburban multiplexes, home video, streaming services and the transformation of Davis Square itself.
When the MBTA's Red Line extension reached Davis Square in December 1984, the neighborhood entered another period of enormous change.
Yet through it all, the Somerville Theatre remained.
Today, its historic main auditorium seats approximately 840 people, with a grand interior that recalls the golden age of American movie palaces.
The theatre operates three screens and continues to present everything from new releases and independent films to silent classics and special 35mm and 70mm screenings.
In an era when so many historic movie theatres have disappeared, that continuity is remarkable.
The People Who Run the Theatre Now Own It
The new owners are Ian Judge, Jamie Mattchen, Jay O'Leary and Ian Brownell, operating as CSB Theatres.
The group took over theatre operations in 2025, following decades of ownership by the Fraiman family.
When the historic building was placed on the market in July 2026, the operators faced a difficult question.
Could they find a way to purchase the property themselves?
Or would the theatre's future depend on a new landlord whose priorities might be very different?
They decided to buy it.
With financing from First Citizens Bank and support from two private lenders, the group completed the $12 million acquisition.
For Judge, who grew up just blocks from the theatre, the purchase is especially personal.
He has spent nearly 25 years working there.
The new owners aren't absentee investors. They're the people who manage the screenings, welcome audiences, sell concessions and keep the theatre operating.
They understand the building because they work in it.
And they understand what it means to Davis Square because they are part of the community.
What Happens to the Crystal Ballroom?
The purchase also secures another important part of the building's history.
The Crystal Ballroom, originally built with the theatre in 1914, hosted dances and community gatherings before later being converted into additional movie screens.
It reopened in October 2021 as a performance and event space.
Today, the ballroom accommodates approximately 500 people for live music, comedy, special events and private functions.
Its continued operation matters because the Somerville Theatre building isn't simply a place to watch movies.
It's a gathering place for the community, supporting several different kinds of cultural experiences under one historic roof.
The purchase also provides continuity for Mr. Crêpe, the popular café occupying the building's corner storefront.
What About Arlington's Capitol Theatre?
There is good news for another Greater Boston landmark.
CSB Theatres also operates the Capitol Theatre in East Arlington, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025.
The Capitol's building was placed on the market at the same time as the Somerville Theatre.
Although CSB couldn't afford to purchase both properties, the group negotiated a 20-year lease to continue operating the Capitol.
That agreement provides important stability for another historic neighborhood cinema.
The Capitol building remains separately owned and was still being offered for sale when the Somerville purchase was announced.
The Theatre Is Saved — But the Work Isn't Finished
Buying a $12 million building is an extraordinary accomplishment.
Paying for it is the next challenge.
The acquisition required significant borrowing, and CSB Theatres has launched a fundraising campaign to help reduce the debt.
The owners also plan to establish a nonprofit organization in 2027 to support the theatre's programming and long-term future.
That means the public has an opportunity to participate in preserving a Greater Boston landmark.
The theatre is encouraging supporters to make contributions, purchase merchandise, become members or simply attend a movie.
Every ticket sold helps sustain the institution.
And every contribution toward the building debt helps reduce the financial pressure on the people who have taken responsibility for its future.
How to Visit and Support the Somerville Theatre
Somerville Theatre
55 Davis Square
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
The theatre is located in the heart of Davis Square, a short walk from the Davis station on the MBTA Red Line.
Visitors can combine a movie with dinner, coffee or a walk around one of Greater Boston's most recognizable neighborhood centers.
For current movie schedules, special screenings, membership information and ways to support the building purchase, visit:
Somerville Theatre — Help Secure Its Future
A Different Kind of Happy Ending
Boston and its surrounding communities have lost too many historic theatres, independent businesses and neighborhood gathering places.
Buildings that once held generations of memories have been demolished, converted or left vacant.
The Somerville Theatre could have faced an uncertain future under new ownership.
Instead, the people who know it best found a way to buy it.
They now face the financial responsibility of preserving it.
But they also have something that money alone cannot purchase: generations of goodwill from people who have attended movies, concerts, festivals and community events beneath that familiar Davis Square marquee.
After 112 years, the Somerville Theatre has a new chapter.
And this time, the people who keep the movies running own the place where the movies are shown.
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