Introduction

The Castle Theatre on Chalkstone Avenue is one of those typical old neighborhood movie houses, which became popular in American suburbs, when the movies had arrived a certain respectability. The marquee has retained the art deco detailing of the stainless steel and enameled metal marquee, which announces the films featured, underneath the green neon letters with its name. The façade still contains the porcelain tiles and terracotta in its brick walls. Built in 1925 in the Mount Pleasant area of Providence, then a middle class neighborhood of mostly one or two bedroom houses, the area has changed from rural to slightly more suburban, yet has retained much of its rich history.