History:
In 1936, a New York lumber dealer named Carroll T. Cooney decided to build a movie theater in Waldoboro. He hired New York theater architect Benjamin Schlanger, who designed the building with an Art Deco interior and a Greek revival-style façade. Rumor has it that Benjamin designed New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall, so the Waldo soon earned the nickname “Maine’s Little Radio City.”
With seating for 400, the Waldo opened in 1937 and was renowned for its wonderful acoustics. For twenty years, the Cooney family operated the Waldo as the region’s premiere motion picture cinema. In 1957, the Cooneys decided to sell the building and soon after that the theatre’s doors were closed, seemingly for good.
In 2006, long-time owner Kitty Fassett gifted the theatre to the non-profit. Since 1990, Kitty had covered all the operating expenses of the building itself, which are quite substantial especially during the colder months. Without Kitty's patronage, none of the staff could be paid, and there was a period of uncertainty whether the theatre could remain open relying solely on volunteers and donations from the surrounding community. Fortunately, the community came together to keep the theatre running. That support has revitalized the Waldo once again, and the theatre now offers the mid-coast an expanded range of entertainment, from adult and youth theatre, to comedians and concerts of modern and classical music.
