[724] in Depressing_Thoughts
Re: Can you name just one depressing thought?
dkk@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (dkk@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Sun Jan 15 05:12:54 1989
Until a number of years ago (1984, I think) the Viano family had been
running the Capitol and Regent theaters in Arlington, and leasing out
the Davis Square Theater in Somerville. The Vianos owned the building
that housed the Regent. The Fraimans (of Chatham Realty Co., in
Harvard Square) owned the building that houses the Capitol.
The elder Fraiman denied the Vianos a renewal on their lease for the
Capitol so his son, Douglas Fraiman could try his hand at the theater
business. The Vianos pulled out of the business altogether rather
than run just the Regent (the lesser of his two theaters). Douglas
Fraiman (Fraiman Enterprises) now ran both theaters in Arlington, and
his family owned the Davis Square Theater, as well.
The Fraimans tried to split the Capitol into a 3 (or more) screen
theater, but changed their minds (presumably because they couldn't get
local approval for the change). The Vianos denied the Fraimans a
renewal of their lease for the Regent (fitting, in my opinion) thus
forcing the Regent to close down. Now Fraiman Enterprises is either
going to expand to Davis Square (with more popular movies and less
popular prices) or the building will be converted for higher rent
potential. (Ted, do you know which?) A few years ago, Douglas
Fraiman was also talking about buying some other local (closed down)
theaters, so the business may have expanded, for all I know.
My main source of information is the "Horse's Mouth". 8-) I worked
for Fraiman Enterprises as General Manger (of the theater business)
for about a year.
