It was 2006 when Katherine Tallman started out at the Coolidge Corner Theatre as a member of its board. But her relationship with the Brookline cultural landmark started before that, stretching back almost four decades to when she first moved to Brookline in 1987.

Not knowing anyone, Tallman found a solace and a home within the theater, where she would often go to watch movies alone. 

“I described the Coolidge as my first friend,” Tallman said in an interview with The Daily Free Press. “The Coolidge is still one of my very dearest friends.”

Tallman was named executive director and CEO in 2013 following a national search to fill the position. She stepped down from her position on Feb. 28, WBUR reported. 

In the 20 years Tallman has been at the helm, she has navigated the Coolidge Corner Theatre through many obstacles and initiatives, including the global pandemic and the expansion of two new theaters and a lobby. 

COVID-19 hit the film industry hard — the U.S. lost over 2,000 movie screens from 2019 to 2022. The struggle wasn’t just closing theatres down for a period of time, it was getting people to come back. 

“[It] wasn’t that we were just closed for 14 months,” Tallman said. “It took a while for the industry to come back.”

But Tallman didn’t shy away from this challenge. 

Beth Gilligan, former deputy director of Coolidge Corner Theater, said Tallman “worked so hard and so tirelessly” to keep the theater running until it could reopen. 

“I think her leadership has ushered the Coolidge into an incredible sort of a golden era she’s overseen,” Gilligan, who recently succeeded Tallman as the theatre’s executive director and CEO, said in an interview. 

As a non-profit organization, the Coolidge Corner Theatre struggled to raise money. With fluctuating numbers from developers, Tallman said she was unsure of how the theatre would reach its goals. Until a community of 1,000 donors banded together to help the theater reach its $15 million goal, she said. 

“Everybody feels a really vested interest and a vested kind of ownership in this place,” Tallman said.

The Coolidge dates back to 1906, when the building originally served as a church. In 1933, it became the iconic cinema it’s known as today. Tallman said going to see a movie then was “like an event” and today, “it still is.”

Today, the Coolidge is a hub for art and an “asset” for Brookline, Tallman said. Over her tenure, it hosted Ethan Hawke, Francis Ford Coppola and Jane Fonda, among others. It has also been home to community-wide celebrations and film festivals. 

“We’re a big asset for the town,” Tallman said. 

Tallman said she felt comfortable stepping down because of her “unbelievably capable” team.

“I worked myself out of a job,” Tallman said. “I built a team that could take over, and they’re ready to take over.” 

Gilligan was chosen unanimously by the theater’s board, Tallman said. 

“We just always had a great rapport,” Gilligan said. “So I feel like we just kind of got to know each other better, and really just were great sounding boards for one another, and it really kind of developed into like a leadership partnership.”

Gilligan said she and her colleagues told Tallman “she’s not allowed to go too far,” expecting her back at the Coolidge for the latest releases. 

Tallman’s departure has left the community reflecting on Coolidge. 

Peyton Bliley, a Boston University junior who said she likes the Coolidge for its independence, hopes the theater “doesn’t change too much,” under new management. “It’s such a fun spot and I think the way it’s being run is really great,” she said.

Bliley’s favorite movie she’s seen at the Coolidge is Moulin Rouge, noting how she enjoys how the theatre features older movies.  

“It’s got such a cute, vintage kind of feel to it. I feel like you don’t see a lot of those, at least not in my hometown” she said. “It’s really nice that so close to campus there exists this movie theater that’s independently owned.”

Gilligan said she doesn’t plan on changing much. She intends on carrying on Tallman’s collaborative working environment and emphasis on staff appreciation. 

“I’m not like the disruption,” Gilligan said. “I think I’ve been there for a long time, and I think there’s a lot that is working incredibly well.”

While Tallman leaves her post, her relationship with the theatre will live on. 

“I’ll be at the Coolidge all the time seeing movies,” Tallman said. “I’ll probably see more movies here after I’m retired than I did before.”