Contributed by: Dayton Grandmaison
Organization: Friends of the Gayety Theatre
Dated Posted: May 31, 2026

The historic Gayety Theatre Bldg. in Van Buren, Maine is undergoing a complete renovation.

The Gayety was built in 1920 in the Classical Revival style, and decorated with Craftsman and Colonial Revival details. It was built as a movie theatre and performing-arts theatre, and opened in March 1921. The theatre featured a sunken orchestra pit, a large stage, a mezzanine (balcony), and seating for 900 patrons (in a town with a population of 4600). The theatre lobby was positioned between two attractive storefronts, and the second floor featured a spacious function hall that connected to the theatre’s mezzanine. After the theatre was damaged by a conflagration in December 1924, the auditorium and roof were redesigned and rebuilt, and the seating capacity was reduced to approximately 650 patrons.

The Gayety reopened in August 1925 under new management. In July 1929, the Gayety – which had been constructed for the exhibition of silent pictures – became one of the first movie theatres in the region to be retrofitted for sound pictures. Circa 1954, the Gayety became one of the only movie theatres in the region to be equipped with a CinemaScope screen (which – unfortunately – required that use of the full stage be permanently discontinued).

From the 1920s through the 1950s, the Gayety was an enormously popular gathering place; theatregoers from the local community and from miles around went to the Gayety because the Gayety played the best movies and featured the best acoustics in the region; indeed, the theatre was known as “Northern Maine’s Favorite Theatre”. The local high school’s graduation exercises were held in the Gayety for a number of years, and the Gayety served as the venue for many town meetings and school district meetings. In those days, the function hall on the second floor – called the City Club – was a popular venue for bridal showers, baby showers, wedding receptions and club meetings, and the local high school’s proms – including the first Junior and Senior Prom in June 1941 – were held in the City Club for a number of years.

Because of the growing popularity of television and VHS movies, ticket sales gradually declined, and the Gayety was forced to close in December 1983. The first and second floors were eventually repurposed, but the building became a victim of neglect, particularly after 1996. The last enterprise in the building – a large restaurant occupying much of the first floor – closed in late 2017, at which time all maintenance stopped. The building was soon abandoned.

In the summer of 2021, brothers Jason and Dayton Grandmaison – whose father had operated the Gayety from 1962 to 1983, and who had grown up in the shadows of this marvelous structure – began working to stabilize, save, rejuvenate, and repurpose the theatre (and Jason has since bought the property).

Over the last 5 years, much has been accomplished: the restaurant marquee on the facade has been removed, the facade has been cleaned up, and all wooden trim on the facade has been repainted; a large wooden annex on the right side of the main brick structure has been demolished and the alley between the main structure and the neighboring property has been cleaned up; water issues in the basement have been addressed; all first-floor supports in the basement have been inspected and/or replaced; the left storefront space – most recently the home of a restaurant kitchen – has been gutted, the floor has been rebuilt, and the space has been insulated; a staircase leading from the left storefront to the second floor has been removed and the resulting hole in the second floor has been rebuilt; the right storefront space has been gutted and insulated; the theatre lobby has been gutted; the space once occupied by the theatre’s restrooms has been gutted and completely rebuilt to accommodate a staircase; most of the rooms built in the original auditorium for a restaurant (open 1996 to 2017) have been deconstructed and removed (but four rooms have yet to be deconstructed); the stage has been re-supported (but much work remains to be done to the proscenium); the two apartments on the second floor have been deconstructed; and the entire flat roof – measuring 62’ x 138’ – has been stripped, repaired/rebuilt, and resurfaced with a membrane roof.

In 2023, the Gayety was listed on Maine Preservation’s list of Maine’s Most Endangered Historic Places (and the Gayety is no longer on that list). We welcomed the listing because it provided valuable publicity to the project. In 2024, the Gayety Theatre Project became a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation; our Board meets several times a year, as necessary. In 2026, the Gayety was added to the National Park Service’s list of National Historic Places; we are thrilled with the honor, and are humbled by the responsibility we have to preserve and rejuvenate this elegant and important structure.

The completed rejuvenation project will include a new community museum in the left storefront, a new rental space in the right storefront, and a movie theatre with two auditoriums (a smaller one and a much larger one). The museum, rental space and theatre lobby will feature original, rejuvenated pressed-metal ceilings that have been in place since 1920; the theatre lobby will include a completely-new concessions stand and additional museum space (the museum entrance will be in the theatre lobby). The smaller auditorium will occupy a rear quarter of the original auditorium and will sit on the original sloped wooden floor; the larger auditorium will occupy the lower half of the original auditorium and will feature the theatre’s historic stage, which will be equipped for live performances. Restored Art Deco light fixtures installed on the first and second floors of the building in the late 1930s will grace the theatre lobby and both auditoriums.

We intend to play first-run and classic movies, host film festivals on a fairly-regular basis, sponsor whatever live events are possible, and host “free movie events” for special groups, such as daytime shows for our local school district's kindergarten class and graduating senior class; free kiddie movies were a long-standing tradition at the Gayety. We intend to make a big social, commercial, and educational contribution to our little community, which is undergoing a dedicated revitalization effort of its own; a new movie theatre and a new community museum in our downtown will provide opportunities for entertainment and greater awareness of our community’s rich history, and will attract visitors and tourists to our community.

Our community is excited about the rejuvenation of this historic building and what its redevelopment will mean for our business section . . . And so are we.

Check out the progress on Facebook at FRIENDS OF THE GAYETY THEATRE !!!