Wilbur Theatre opens.

[4/20] Architect: Clarence Blackall. Originally Ye Wilbur Theatre and named for owner A.L. Wilbur, it is designed in the Colonial Revival style and located at 246 Tremont Street. Built by the Shubert brothers, the theater seats 1,227 and opens with a production of Romance starring Dorothy Keane. Architectural historian Douglass Shand-Tucci later calls the Wilbur, “In its chaste way the handsomest of any Boston playhouse.” Performers include Fred Astaire, Ethel Barrymore, Marlon Brando, Hume Cronyn, Clare Luce and Jessica Tandy. The building is leased for 20 years to Bill Blumenreich and converted to a venue for live music concerts and a comedy club beginning August 5, 2008.