The Charles Theater

The Charles Theatre, often referred to as simply The Charles, or, even more simply, The Chuck, is the oldest movie theatre in Baltimore. The theatre is a Beaux-Arts building designed as a streetcar barn in 1892 by Jackson C. Gott, located in what is now the Station North arts and entertainment district. The theater was renamed the Charles circa 1959 and became a calendar revival house in 1979. Many of John Waters's early films premiered at this theatre; this honor has since shifted to the Senator Theatre.

In 1999, it underwent a major expansion and is now a five-screen theater, though the original main theater has been left largely intact and is still the largest theater in the complex. The Charles now serves as an arthouse multiplex, showing a variety of independent films along with some major studio prestige pictures.