Dec 2, 2016

Photos and text by Amy Davis

: By late November, only the front of the house and a portion of the north wall remained at the Mayfair site. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: A c. 1927 Maryland Historical Society photo of the Mayfair, when it was called the Auditorium, has been posted with other historical background across N. Howard Street from the theater. The historical art installation is by Baltimore photographer James Singewald. This view, from July 2016, shows the north wall at right, which has been partially demolished. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The former Mayfair auditorium was filled with structural debris from the fallen balconies. The interior, destroyed by exposure to the elements after the roof collapsed in 1998, is an example of what preservationists call demolition by neglect. This was the view in September when the partial demolition of the Mayfair theater began. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Umberto Reyes of K&K Adams, Inc., picks through the brick rubble from the rear walls of the Mayfair theater that have been knocked down. The bricks will be crushed and recycled. The partial demolition of the theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The light rail rumbles by the former Mayfair theater on North Howard Street in October, before the north wall, at right, was torn down. Only the front portion, including the ornamental 1904 Beaux Arts facade, and part of the rear walls survive. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: This is one of two faces that adorn the granite and terra cotta facade of the Mayfair theater, which was called the Auditorium when it opened in 1904. The facade has been saved from the partial demolition of the theater on N. Howard Street, now nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. Two female figures and two male faces flank the ornate entrance. The facade will be saved. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Looking north at the 500 block of North Howard Street in July 2016 toward the Mayfair as a southbound light rail train passes by. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: View looking down at the ruined Mayfair auditorium in September from the Congress Hotel Apartments, at the start of the partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Inside the Mayfair Theater in January 2008, when Accent Development Co. of Washington D.C. was planning to renovate the theater into apartments and retail space. The plans never came to fruition due to the economic downturn. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Looking toward the stage, inside the Mayfair Theater in January 2008, when Accent Development Co. of Washington D.C. was planning to renovate the theater into apartments and retail space. The plans never came to fruition during the economic downturn. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Workers from NorthStar Construction dismantle the steel truss above the stage. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Looking toward the stage, inside the Mayfair Theater in January 2008, when Accent Development Co. of Washington D.C. was planning to renovate the theater into apartments and retail space. The plans never came to fruition during the economic downturn. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The rear of the Mayfair after the stage and supports for the fly loft were removed. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The rear of the Mayfair, facing N. Eutaw Street, and the north wall, at left, have been torn down. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Terra cotta ornamentation near the roof line of the Mayfair. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: View of the Mayfair at the start of the demolition of the south wall. The original name of the the theater, the “Auditorium,” is faintly visible on the upper right corner. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: K&K Adams, Inc. construction workers carefully demolish the top of the south wall of the Mayfair by chiseling the bricks out. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: NorthStar Construction workers watch an excavator remove debris. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Workers in a man lift remove material near the front roof line of the theater. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Workers in a man lift remove material near the front roof line of the theater. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: An excavator removes debris from the demolition process near the rear of the auditorium. The exit doors lead to the lobby. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Gary Hughes of NorthStar Construction supervises workers. Behind him are the exit doors to the lobby of the Mayfair theater. The partial demolition of the theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Upper levels of the former balconies at the Mayfair. This part of the theater will not be torn down. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: An entrance behind the demolished stage area is buried in rubble from the bricks that formed the walls. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: An excavator places debris into a dump truck for removal. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: An exit door on the north side of the theater. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: View of the Mayfair from June 2016, before the north wall, seen at right, was partially demolished. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: This is one of two faces that adorn the granite and terra cotta facade of the Mayfair theater, which was called the Auditorium when it opened in 1904. The facade has been saved from the partial demolition of the theater on N. Howard Street, now nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Sean MacCarthy, left, of Accent Development Co. of Washington D.C., was planning to renovate the theater into apartments and retail space, but the plans fell through, affected by the economic downtown. This photo was taken in January 2008 from the top of the marquee. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: One of the windows behind the stage on the west wall of the Mayfair, which has since been torn down. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The bricks that formed the thick walls of the Mayfair are piled up before being removed from the site. The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The partial demolition of the Mayfair theater on N. Howard Street is nearing completion. A worker from K&K Adams Inc. climbs a mound of bricks that were taken down from the high brick walls. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

The maw of an excavator swoops down, gobbling up the dusty rubble of the Mayfair Theatre. Bricks that tumbled down from the substantial demolition of the three rear walls of the North Howard Street landmark are piled in high mounds. The excavator operator maneuvers around what was once the auditorium, scooping up eight decades of memories. All that remains of the 1904 theater after three months of deconstruction is the ornate Beaux-Arts façade, 35 feet of the front house, and part of the north wall.

Some remember the Mayfair after it became a first-run movie house in 1941. Many recall its last decade as a decrepit haven for action flicks. Recollections have dwindled about its earliest days as a 2,000-seat vaudeville and legitimate theater known as the Auditorium. Former patrons would be shocked to see the Mayfair’s fate after it closed in 1986 and was taken over by the city. The forlorn theater’s deterioration accelerated after the roof collapsed in 1998. Preservations call this demolition by neglect. A 2014 fire in the adjacent building led city engineers to claim that the neglected auditorium was not structurally sound. Fortunately, the portion behind the granite and terra cotta façade, anchored by two solid staircases flanking the lobby, was deemed safe.

Susan Yum, spokesperson for the Baltimore Development Corporation, the agency overseeing redevelopment plans for the Mayfair, says they have received some inquiries. She expresses hope that proposals will be “reflective of the emerging and growing arts community in the Bromo Arts and Entertainment District and incorporate the remaining portion of the Mayfair.” New apartments and trendy eateries on the east side of North Howard Street offer fresh hope that what remains of the battered Mayfair may finally be redeemed.

Battered Mayfair Theatre Barely Survives

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