MEDFORD — Calling it a “historic gem,” Mayor Stephanie M. Burke said the city will search for a consultant to oversee the operation of the Chevalier Theatre.
The 78-year-old venue was built in 1939 as part of Medford High School. It was the place to be in the 1950s when singers including Frank Sinatra and Lou Rawls performed there. President John F. Kennedy once spoke at the Chevalier during his campaign for the presidency in 1960.
When a fire destroyed Medford High School in 1965, the theatre was spared from destruction.
For 35 years, the volunteer Chevalier Theatre Commission has worked to preserve the theatre. It is a continuous work in progress including a major rebuild in the mid-1980s.
There are architectural and decorative plans to bring the interior of the house back to its former glory, designs for painting, seat augmentation, according to members to the commission.
The mayor said a professional management company will be picked in the next few weeks.
At a recent Medford City Council meeting, two votes were taken regarding the Chevalier which directed Burke to enter into negotiations with a company that would provide full-time professional management services, programming, marketing and operations of the theater. It asked for a contract of at least four years or more.
The council also voted to seek the legislature’s approval to allow the city Licensing Commission to give the management company permission to sell alcoholic beverages and food. This measure would eliminate the need for the company to seek one-day liquor licenses from the commission, or a food license from the City Council.
“The city is thrilled to work in partnership with the Chevalier Theatre Commission and to be able to provide professional management experience to this historical gem,” Burke said in a statement. “The Chevalier Theatre is a remarkable space for performances, movies and more within the heart of Medford Square.
These two resolutions will have a positive impact on economic development in Medford Square, the arts in our community, and throughout the city.”
May Marquebreuck, a longtime Chevalier Theatre supporter and community activist, likes the professional management concept.
“I have been advocating for the Chevalier for more than 25 years,” Marquebreuck said in a statement. “The management company will have a vested interest in doing a good job and I believe the Chevalier Theatre will become a destination for Medford residents and beyond. It could be the beginning of transforming Medford Square into a go-to place for dining, entertainment, shopping, a Mystic River taxi to bring people to Medford and more.”
