Middlesex COUNTY · Places & community
The Middlesex Theater: behind the College Street façade
Seven survey photographs document a Middletown performance space, from its street elevation to the interior. The record connects local entertainment to theater architect Francis H. Kimball.
Historical focus · 1896–20th century
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The story in photographs
July 1980
EXTERIOR, NORTH ELEVATION - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown,…
1. EXTERIOR, NORTH ELEVATION - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, CT
Image credit & source
Harvey Limon / Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
Original source · Reuse termsJuly 1980
EXTERIOR, SOUTH ELEVATION - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown,…
2. EXTERIOR, SOUTH ELEVATION - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, CT
Image credit & source
Harvey Limon / Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
Original source · Reuse termsJuly 1980
EXTERIOR, LOBBY ON COLLEGE STREET - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street,…
3. EXTERIOR, LOBBY ON COLLEGE STREET - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, CT
Image credit & source
Harvey Limon / Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
Original source · Reuse termsJuly 1980
EXTERIOR, THEATER CONNECTION TO PRESENT LOBBY - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College…
4. EXTERIOR, THEATER CONNECTION TO PRESENT LOBBY - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, CT
Image credit & source
Harvey Limon / Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
Original source · Reuse termsJuly 1980
EXTERIOR, THEATER CONNECTION TO MIDDLESEX MUTUAL OFFICE BUILDING - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater,…
5. EXTERIOR, THEATER CONNECTION TO MIDDLESEX MUTUAL OFFICE BUILDING - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, CT
Image credit & source
Harvey Limon / Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
Original source · Reuse termsJuly 1980
VIEW OF ALLEY SHOWING CONNECTION OF THEATER TO MIDDLESEX MUTUAL OFFICE BUILDING - Metro South Historic District,…
6. VIEW OF ALLEY SHOWING CONNECTION OF THEATER TO MIDDLESEX MUTUAL OFFICE BUILDING - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, CT
Image credit & source
Harvey Limon / Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
Original source · Reuse termsJuly 1980
INTERIOR, LOBBY - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex…
7. INTERIOR, LOBBY - Metro South Historic District, Middlesex Theater, 109-111 College Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, CT
Image credit & source
Harvey Limon / Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
Original source · Reuse termsTHE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPHS
People, places, and change.
A theater in the city
The Library of Congress identifies the Middlesex Theater at 109–111 College Street as part of Middletown’s Metro South Historic District. Its catalog attributes the design to Francis H. Kimball and notes the building’s reputation for acoustics. The survey places the theater within an urban district rather than treating it as an isolated monument. Its street frontage formed part of the everyday route through downtown. [1]
Two dates in the building’s record
The HABS record gives 1896 for initial construction and 1926 for later work. Those entries provide a starting chronology, not a complete performance history. They should not be used to date every surface visible in the photographs. The original field-note reference, FN-42, points researchers toward further survey documentation that may help explain changes to the structure. [1]
Look beyond the entrance
The photographic sequence gives exterior and lobby evidence. Moving through it connects the public façade with the entrance and passages behind it. The archive retains the theater’s catalog name and address so it is not confused with other Middletown cinemas, including the separately documented Capitol Theatre on Main Street. [1]
Keep the sources close.
Download this collection’s notes, timeline and image credits. Photographs link to their original archives and require an internet connection.
Building dates and photograph dates are recorded separately. Later photographs are identified in their captions; unknown exposure dates remain unknown. Follow each image’s credit and reuse terms.