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Images Cinema is a single-screen, non-profit, historic art film theater in Williamstown, Massachusetts, located at 50 Spring Street. It was founded in 1916 as the Walden Theatre, the namesake of its founder, Hiram Walden (né Hiram Courtland Walden; 1843–1931), who operated it until 1919, when he and his family moved to Los Angeles.

History

The theater, as a building, is unremarkable, architecturally, albeit, as an enduring, functioning theater, is noteworthy.

From 1932 to 1967, it was operated as Walden Theater by Josephine "Chick" King (née Josephine Virginia LeRay; 1923–2005), daughter-in-law of the owner, Clarence Albert King (1892–1982).

Restorations and ownership

Arthur S. Thornton (born abt. 1876 in New York) was owner sometime from 1927 to the mid-1930s.

In 1930, the Walden Theatre installed equipment for talkies, which debuted February 17, 1930. The new equipment included the latest type of projector and sound equipment manufactured by Western Electric.^[1] In the 1930s, Walden Theatre closed during the summers, during summer break of Williams College, from June to Labor Day.

In 1948, Walden Theater was leased from Calvin King to the Franklin Amusement Corporation, underwent renovations and reopened as Taconic Theatre. Lawrence J. Hacking, Jr., of Cambridge, principal stockholder in the company, was the initial manager.

In 1950, Clarence A. King and Irene M. King, took back the lease and, under an arrangement with E.M. Loew (né Elias M. Loew; 1898–1984), managers of the Mohawk Theatre in North Adams (the next town), would manage College Cinema.

In 1967, Walden Theater was restored and renovated by Esquire Theaters of America, which had a lease on the building – Louis Chiaramonte, Boston architect and interior decorator for the theater chain, oversaw the project. Esquire Theaters, which, that same year, entered into a long-term lease agreement from Clarence A. King, changed the name to College Cinema. New seating capacity was reduced to 406; previously it was 442. Esquire Theaters is the same company that, in 1964, opened the Esquire Cinema in Cambridge.