History of the Cameo Theater

The Cameo Theater was designed by architects William Luther Mowll and Roger Glade Rand, and built in 1939. In keeping with the local colonial architecture of Boston's South Shore, the designers recalled the essential elements of design that enter into the ensemble of Old Colony homesteads. The owners of the Cameo wanted to give as much local color and atmosphere as possible, attempting to make their patrons feel as "at home" as possible. Much of the original treatment is still in place.

The lounge/lobby area is more like an old New England parlor than a part of a modern theater. It is a colonial room with a fireplace, paneled walls, and glazed Chinese red wall paper.

Originally, the Cameo was a single theater with 672 seats. It had a large screen for cinematic events and a stage for live events. The stage area was flanked by two large fluted columns with Doric capitals.

The auditorium's walls used four-by-four foot squares of natural colored wallboard, stenciled to imitate Chinese wallpaper. When the theater was converted to a twin in the 1980's, the walls were lined with conservative red drapes and consistent white paneling.