Culture and Society: Theater District peak and decline
By 1935, downtown Boston had 40 theaters; six of them shared the same Washington Street block with the Modern Theatre.
The Great Depression took a toll on Boston theaters, and, as Hollywood shifted to larger-format films, the Modern Theatre was limited due to its small screen. The 1950s saw a further decline as television became a major source of entertainment and middle-class migration to the suburbs changed patterns of nightlife in the city.
The Modern was renamed the Mayflower in 1949 and began showing “adult films” in 1967.