Question: Playing a central role in American history, what famous theater was established in Boston, Massachusetts in 1845?

The Howard Athenæum (1845-1953), also known as Old Howard Theatre, in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history.  Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, finally closing in 1953. <SEP> Massachusetts ( or ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous state in the New England region of the northeastern United States.  It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west.  The state is named for the Massachusett tribe, which once inhabited the area.  The capital of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England is Boston.  Over 80% of Massachusetts's population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry.  Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution.  During the 20th century, Massachusetts's economy shifted from manufacturing to services.  Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade. <SEP>  In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded Boston and helped it become the way it is today.  Boston quickly became the political, commercial, financial, religious and educational center of the New England region.  The American Revolution erupted in Boston, as the British retaliated harshly for the Boston Tea Party and the patriots fought back.  They besieged the British in the city, with a famous battle at Bunker Hill in Charlestown on June 17, 1775 (which was lost by the colonists, but inflicted great damage against the British) and won the Siege of Boston, forcing the British to evacuate the city on March 17, 1776.  However, the combination of American and British blockades of the town and port during the conflict seriously damaged the economy, and the population fell by two thirds in the 1770s. The history of Boston plays a central role in American history. <SEP> The Boston Associates was a term created by historian Vera Shlakmen in "Economic History of a Factory Town, A Study of Chicopee, Massachusetts" (1935) to describe a loosely linked group of investors.  They included Nathan Appleton, Patrick Tracy Jackson, Abbott Lawrence, and Amos Lawrence, often related directly or through marriage, they were based in Boston, Massachusetts.  By 1845, there were 31 textile companies—located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine—produced one-fifth of all cotton and wool textiles in the United States.  With the capital earned through these mills, they invested in railroads, especially the Boston and Lowell.  These railroads helped transport the cotton from warehouses to factories.  These Boston-based investors established banks—such as the Suffolk Bank—and invested in others.  In time, they controlled 40% of banking capital in Boston, 40% of all insurance capital in Massachusetts, and 30% of Massachusetts' railroads.  Tens of thousands of New Englanders received employment from these investors, working in any one of the hundreds of their mills.