Newton Theater

Patrons of the CVS pharmacy at 12th and Newton streets in northeast D.C. may do a doubletake when approaching the store. The striking Art Deco facade, with its central ziggurat design (which some people say resembles a middle finger), is the last vestige of the grand 1007-seat Newton Theater that used to occupy the building.

Dating back to 1937, the Newton Theater was a major part of the social scene in the neighborhood of Brookland during the middle of the 20th century.

The Newton was designed by the highly prolific architect, John Jacob Zink, who is also responsible for the Uptown, Atlas, Naylor, and Senator theaters, among dozens of others in D.C., Baltimore, and suburban Maryland.

By the mid-1960s, the Newton Theater had run its course. Among other factors, desegregation had a major impact on its success, as redundant theaters began to feel the pinch from the quick dispersion of clientele.

The theater was purchased by Catholic University after its closure and was used by the school until 1971, after which it enjoyed a brief revival as a movie house under the banner of the Brookland Community Corporation, but the effort sputtered toward the end of the 70s.

The Newton Theater ushered in a wave of bold new sounds in the 1980s, playing host to a number of seminal punk bands, such as Hüsker Du, Government Issue, Iron Cross, Butthole Surfers, Malefice, Honor Role, and 9353.

As with the MacArthur Theater located in the Palisades neighborhood on the west side of the city, the Newton eventually became a CVS drugstore with only the wonderful retro facade to alerts passers by to its storied history.