Welcome to the Eckington Theater
June 1st, 2010 | By
It was a day and time you never knew. While the rest of America was enjoying “Lum and Abner,” “Fibber McGee and Molly”, “Amos and Andy” and World War II, a Washington, DC, showman was involved in an entertainment battle of his own.
The decrepit Eckington Theater, located near the cross streets of Florida and New York in Northeast DC, was known as the headquarters for a large printing concern. But the door you see in the lower right hand corner of the picture led to a world of wonder. It led to…
The Eckington Theater.
Purchased in 1929 for a pittance (which, in 2010 money is about a billion dollars), a young and jovial impresario named Walter J. Puddingbottom sought to turn the theater into the glittering jewel in the dazzling crown of the Washington, D.C. theater scene. Walter envisioned nothing less than a “New Broadway” centered in the Nation’s capital.
This photo, taken on the day young Puddingbottom purchased the theatrical portion of the building, shows his optimism as the young impresario stands on the corner of Eckington Place and Florida Avenue, waiting for the crowds to arrive for his first show… “And Some Called Them Dandies!” — unfortunately by the time this photo was taken, the show was well into its first act and closed in the middle of the second act.
When Walter learned the truth about his non-existent radio program in 1952, the theater lay dormant until 2001 when XM Satellite Radio purchased the entire building. Broadway Bill Schmalfeldt and Ben Krech revitalized the theater and made it, for awhile anyway, rival to anything Broadway ever produced. On the radio, anyway.
When XM merged with its rival, Sirius, the theater again fell into disrepair.
Walter’s failure as an impresario was eclipsed by his failure as a would-be broadcaster. And it is to his spirit that we dedicate this website.
