The Charles Theatre opened on October 6th, 1939 as Baltimore’s first newsreel theatre known as The Times Theatre, which was built within a cable car barn building from 1892. It became The Charles Theatre in 1958 after it was taken over JF Theatres before remodeling it and reopening as an art house theatre. The Charles changed hands again in the 1990s, and reopened in 1994 under John Standiford and his uncle James “Buzz” Cusack. In 1999 the theatre underwent a $1.6 million expansion into the old car barn, which added four additional screens, a spacious lobby and concessions stand, as well as the renovation of the original auditorium. The architect entrusted with the expansion project was Alex Castro. The expansion raised the seating capacity to a combined 1,028 and the original lobby became what is now Tapas Teatro.
Today The Charles operates as an art house theatre – the only one of its kind in Baltimore – with a mix of first-run specialty films and the longest running revival series in town curated by John Standiford. The auditoriums at The Charles feature:
- A fully digital system with NEC projectors
- Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
- Preserved 35mm Century film projectors in the main auditorium that still operate today. Visit www.TheCharles.com for upcoming repertory films presented in 35mm film.