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Belfast in Waldo County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)
 

The Silver Screen
⎯⎯⎯
Le septi่me art

Belfast, Maine

— The Museum in the Streets —

 
 
The Silver Screen Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James True, May 29, 2012
1. The Silver Screen Marker
Inscription.  
The burgeoning appeal of the silver screen led to the construction of the Colonial Theatre which opened the night the Titanic set sail from England in April 1912. A fire in 1923 following a showing of the film "Way Down East" leveled the building and a new theater (inset) rose from the ashes. In 1927, the introduction of "talkies" led to a widely expanding audience for movies. The Colonial Theatre also featured vaudeville acts, political rallies, concerts and boxing matches. In the early years, the movie selection changed several times a week and cost just pennies to attend. The current art deco style facade was added in 1947. The elephant sculpture, Hawthorne, was purchased from Perry's Nut House and added to the Belfast skyline in 1997 (panel #20).


 
Erected 2004 by The Museum in the Streetsฎ. (Marker Number 16.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureArts, Letters, Music
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EntertainmentIndustry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Art Deco, and the The Museum in the Streets: Belfast, Maine series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1912.
 
Location. 44° 25.585′ N, 69° 0.48′ W. Marker is in Belfast, Maine, in Waldo County. It is on High Street east of Market Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is in the small park in back of City Hall across the street from the theatre. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Belfast ME 04915, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Midcoast Maine and on Penobscot Bay. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Belfast City Hall / L'H๔tel de Ville de Belfast (within shouting distance of this marker); The Belfast Historical Society Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); Main and High / Au carrefour de main et de high (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Post Office Square / La place de la poste (about 400 feet away); Downtown Main Street / La rue principale en centre-ville (about 400 feet away); Belfast, Maine (about 400 feet away); The Opera House / L'Op้ra
The Silver Screen image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James True, August 30, 2012
2. The Silver Screen
(about 400 feet away); The Windsor Hotel / L'H๔tel Windsor (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Belfast.
 
More about this marker. Marker #16 (of 30) in "The Museum in the Streets". The text on the Marker is in English, followed by a French translation.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2012, by James True of Newark, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 635 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on September 15, 2012, by James True of Newark, New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
 
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Transcription of the French text • Can you help?
m=59500

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Jun. 5, 2026