First opened in 1914, the Colonial Theatre was designed by George I. Griffin and owned by Benjamin Piscopo, a stone cutter from Venice, Italy who emigrated to Boston. He became a successful real estate developer and moved to Laconia, where he developed several of the city’s business buildings.
The theater’s entrance and lobby retain a majority of their original historic finishes and decorative details, including a pair of 12-light mahogany-stained birch doors with brass hardware, Vermont marble wainscoting, terrazzo floors and ticket booths with arched windows. The theatre features a fire curtain depicting Venice as seen from the water.
The theater space still has its original layout, with an overhanging balcony, orchestra pit and two-tiered box seating at the front of the auditorium. Restored details include the original gilded plaster ornaments, frescoes, high coffered ceiling decorated with images of high arts and floral designs, woodwork and a “1914” medallion centered above the stage.
The theatre originally had 1,400 seats. Early programs included vaudeville acts and motion pictures. The stage was used for recitals, meetings, high school graduations and cooking classes. In 1983, the theatre was divided up into 5 separate movie screens. In August of 2002, the theatre closed after 87 years of operation. After significant historic preservation and renovation efforts on the part of the city of Laconia the Colonial Theatre reopened in 2021.
