A relic of Fall River's past is on the market: the Royal Theater on Brightman Street
FALL RIVER — What was once a jewel of the Brightman Street neighborhood is buried under tan vinyl siding, waiting for a buyer to bring it back to life.
Realtor Keller Williams South Watuppa has listed the building at 277 Brightman St. for sale for $260,000, once the home of the Royal Theater, a vaudeville theater and movie house.
“This unique property offers over 5,000 square feet with endless possibilities,” reads the listing. “Perfect for office space, warehouse, storage, or with the right vision maybe another theatre!”
According to Herald News archives, the Royal was built in 1896, and was initially known as the Pastime Theater. During the silent film days, movies were shown with live piano accompaniment — and before then, live vaudeville shows. It was known for its Saturday matinees and "ladies' night" dish giveaways.
"It wasn't a 'palace' theater," said Fall River Historical Society Curator Michael Martins in a 2016 interview. "It was more of a neighborhood place."
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The late John McAvoy, who spent his youth managing several Fall River theaters and documented his career as a Herald News columnist, once wrote of seeing a movie at the Royal and feeling the vibrations from a passing train. The building sits right next to the railroad bridge on Brightman Street.
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The theater last appeared in the city directory in 1956. The building had several lives after that, including hosting a flea market, as a youth center with basketball court owned by St. Joseph Church, and the Pilgrim Casket Co.
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In February 2005, the Youth Musical Theater Corp. expressed plans to buy and restore the theater by September of that year, with seating for 200. At the time, restoration plans were estimated to cost $250,000. That plan never came to fruition, and today the building is boarded up. The theater company has a studio at 1 Father Devalles Blvd.
City property records show the Royal was last sold for $10,000 in April 2022, and is owned by 277 Brightman Street LLC. According to state corporation records, that company is owned by Scott Bazinet of Fall River. The building is zoned in a local business district.
Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.