SNF Parkway Theater

Information

The Parkway has stood at the corner of Charles and North for over a century, and served Baltimore cinema-lovers thousands of films from the silent era into the 1970s. Baltimore boasted many fine theaters built to present motion pictures prior to The Parkway, but for its size and beauty it has always been a rare gem.

The Parkway was designed by Baltimore architect Oliver B. Wight, modeled after the West End Theater in London and the Strand Theater in New York. The Parkway’s facade reflected an Italian Renaissance influence with its light-gray terra cotta tiles and multi-hued brick. The interior boasted an impressive and ornately decorated dome with a large gold sunburst as its centerpiece. At its opening in 1915, the theater’s seating configuration included an ambitious 1100 seats (800 orchestra and 300 balcony). The interior was decorated in Louis XIV style with matching furniture, and an elaborate tea room in the mezzanine area. The walls were dressed in gray and gold, with draperies and upholstery of old rose velour. The marquee was a canopy of brass and iron.

A remodeled Parkway seating 950 operated as a Loew’s theater from 1926 until 1952, then, under the ownership of Morris Mechanic, The Parkway had a brief life as a live theater and then an art-house cinema into the late 1970s. After decades of falling into disrepair, The Parkway was acquired from the city by Maryland Film Festival. In the months that followed, MdFF began implementing their proposal to make The Parkway a year-round film center. The revitalized Parkway and newly constructed adjacent buildings, together comprising a 3-screen film complex, opened to the public on May 3, 2017.