ENCORE FOR STEEL

Boston Airport is not where I would have expected to find a theatre. High Grade Jay apparently saw room for one, and the Brotherhood gave him a patch of ground to work with. He called the place B.O.S.TON Theatre. I have taken to calling it Encore for Steel, on account of the audience it was built for.

Jay fitted the hall with rows of red seats and an upper balcony, all facing a curved stage shell. Purple light picks out the arch, while a proper microphone and instruments stand ready below it. Away from the stage, he worked in patterned walls, old performer portraits, a concession counter, and small tables. The steel doors and rough repairs still tell you where you are.

I have heard Jay speak of being an architect before the war. Between this hall and his work back in Appalachia, I can believe he remembers a thing or two. Getting a room this size laid out takes more than stacking walls. He paid attention to the stairs, the seating, and what a person could see from the back. That is the sort of care I look for in a builder.