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Topic: What's the latest theatre to close or open you have heard about?
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Jeffry L. Johnson
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 809
From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 02-18-2006 10:28 AM
New houses coming to former drive-in
quote:
New houses coming to former drive-in
Friday, February 17, 2006
Thomas Ott
Plain Dealer Reporter
Warrensville Heights- The legions of movie-goers who once frequented the Miles Drive-In won't recognize the place in its new role.
Rysar Properties will build nearly 100 single-family houses on the site of the former theater, which Rysar bought for $900,000 in December.
Rysar's Ken Lurie said the 21-acre development, to be called Cinema Park, will pay homage to the property's past by naming model houses after famous movies and streets after movie stars. The names have not been picked.
The former drive-in is a has-been. The screen is marred by a gaping hole. Corrugated metal walls are rusted and falling down.
The Miles opened in 1953 and closed six years ago, according to Web sites kept by theater devotees. It had room for 1,000 cars. Listings published in The Plain Dealer on Sept. 17, 2000, show a double feature: "Turn It Up" and "Cell."
Oldcastle, a company that produces landscape materials, later owned the property but never followed through with plans to locate there.
Lurie, 50, traveled to the Miles as a Shaker Heights teenager. City Economic Development Director Brad Sellers, who grew up in Warrensville, went there with his parents as a boy and took his own children years later.
Sellers said the theater was popular with black residents who moved from Cleveland to Warrensville Heights, starting in the 1960s, and grew to comprise nearly the entire population. He dreams of salvaging the theater's giant block-letter sign and planting it on a nearby hillside, like the universally known "Hollywood" sign in California.
"Everybody remembers going to that drive-in -- young, old," Sellers said. "It's going to be a place that serves the public again."
The houses will measure 1,500 to 2,200 square feet and sell for $160,000 to $180,000, Lurie said. Banks have agreed to lend money to buyers at reduced interest. Owners will receive property-tax breaks of up to 75 percent for as long as 15 years.
Sellers said the project will allow residents to move out of smaller older homes without leaving Warrensville. And the homes are priced below dozens of other new houses going up in the city.
The surrounding area is zoned for light industry and other business use. Lurie said he will shelter the property with features like a walkway and retention pond.
"This is going to be a nice neighborhood," he said. "It's going to fit nicely where it's at."
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 02-25-2006 05:10 PM
This post is a couple months late. I would have posted earlier, but I didn't get around to taking some photos until just a few days ago.
The Wallace Theaters Cache 8 (formerly Hollywood, United Artists, Litchfield) closed December 31, 2005. This theater originally opened in the early 1980s. Not too much had been done to upgrade it over the years. Four screens had Dolby Stereo optical and the other four were mono. One screen had a DTS system put in for Jurassic Park II, but as far as I know subwoofers were never installed. And then the darned thing broke down or something and was hardly ever used.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
The place was famous for dim pictures and bad sound. And that's too bad because its auditoriums were quite a bit larger than any of the other theaters in town (I think the largest theaters had around 400 seats each).
The theater was also fairly notorious for its poorly maintained sign. Sections of the marquee by the road blew out and were never replaced. Then the rest of the marquee blew out of the cabinet. And it sat that way for more than 2 years. Finally, at some point after Wallace had taken over operations, the original marquee was removed and replaced with a much smaller lighted cabinet sign. That sign used one of the supports of the original, old sign.
This theater sits on a rather BIG lot. I think the property may still be owned by the folks who bought out United Artists. My hope is the old theater building will be torn down and replaced with a prominent retailer, such as Best Buy. Lawton doesn't have a Best Buy (the nearest ones are in Norman and Wichita Falls). Loews and Home Depot are just to the east along Cache Road from this location. So it would be an excellent location for such a retailer.
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Monte L Fullmer
Film God
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 03-01-2006 01:44 PM
So, Art finally sold his little Avalon on St. Street. Quite an interesting place to watch oldie films. I used to go to the Murray in Murray down the street and watch the oldies as well. Bob Swanson had that theatre, plus the Arcade (on 4th S and 9th W - one of those little neighborhood theatres and it's long gone now..and I used to work there in 1975..had XL's with 6k magazines and Peerless Magnarcs..).
Then, there was the Vista up the street from the Murray (they had E7's with Enarc lamps) then the Tower as mentioned (which also had Enarcs but with Supers in front) The Tower is another neighborhood theatre and it was quite a nice place back in the 70's running sub-runs.
When the Utah was open, it was a BIG palace that was split in two as a "piggyback" twin. Both booths had the V-18 setup and the lower floor was wired for "Sensurround" where "Earthquake", "Midway", "Rollercoaster" had their premieres there for SLC.
..then the Capitol....what a palace! Big main floor and a double balcony. Booth was up above the second balcony and a 210 ft throw to the screen that was only about 16x34 in size. Machinery were the XL with Ashcrafts. Machinery were on on a 2ft high tilted platform with the base jacks also cranked fully downward to get that 27 degree downward throw. The screen was slightly tilted back to help with the keystone for the drastic downward throw angle. Projectionists used a closed TV circuit to watch to make changeovers due to the extremely small screen, which was the size of a postage stamp when looking out the changeover port in the booth. Outside of the building had a huge Marquee and an archway that would span completely over the street with the wording "CAPITOL" emblazed on it. This used to be a Fox Intermountain theatre and having archways over the streets were a common thing for them to do. That archway is now down at Trolley Square over the main entrance.
Now, the place is the home for Ballet West after the restoration.
Another palace in SLC was the Centre. Opened in 1939. Big house with a huge main floor and balcony. Before demolition that entire block that the theatre was located, booth had Bauer U2's with Strong Futura II's, and a 35mm platter setup on the side for 35mm presentations.
Then, our beloved Villa: www.villatheatre.com We can thank Carmike for closing that grand palace down as they did with the Cottonwood Mall and the Creekside Plaza theatres.
-Monte
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Monte L Fullmer
Film God
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 03-01-2006 07:02 PM
Thx for the correction. Really couldn't remember if it was '38, or '39, thus opted for the latter.
But with the mentioning, it was '38 due to it opened a year before the war in Europe and the opening of the NYC World's Fair.
Then, there were the "domes" in Ogden and in SLC. the CineDome 70 in Ogden. A huge dumbell shaped twin with 800 seat circular shaped houses on each end of the 'bar span'. Lobby had large crytal chandeliers and minuature waterfalls. a theatre organ situated in the middle of the lobby with the organist entertaining the customers during intermissions or the first showings of the day.
Each auditorium was set up for 35/70mm projection. One side, I remember, was playing "Ryan's Daughter" in 70mm, where the other side was playing a standard 35mm movie (and talk about the complete difference in presentations with each film format..just like night and day on how the 70mm had such a much clearer picture than the normal 35mm showing-which was in flat). Unfortunately, I can't remember what the machinery was, but it was a xenon booth. Been only there once is why my memory on this place is a bit sketchy.
Then, there were the Century 21 and 22 on the corner of 33rd and State. Another set of "domes" but only 35houses using Cine V-18 setups. Then the one dome was split to house a twin, which ruined this place completely in as well as dbl splitting the other dome for three more houses. Now, the Century 16 sits on this same spot.
-Monte
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Mike Olpin
Chop Chop!
Posts: 1852
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 03-02-2006 10:23 PM
RIP Pacific Grossmont Trolley 8
Pacific closed it's Grossmont Trolley 8 theatre complex Feb 27th last week. Built in the mid-late 1980s, it was billed as THE place to see movies in San Diego. The two largest houses featured THX sound and retractable curtains. All 8 screens were equipped with Dolby Stereo. The theatre was built along a section of trolley tracks in La Mesa, and had good access to a nearby stop. Located at the corner of the Lobby was the Trolley Stop Cafe. In the early 90s, pacific expanded another 3 plex up the street to a 7 plex, and then to a 10 plex with stadium seating only a few years after that. This caused attendance to slip rapidly at the trolley. Toward the end of its run, It became considered by most to be dirty, uncomfortable, and generally rundown. Pacific closed the trolley stop cafe, and converted it into a concession stand to replace the main island style stand. Finally, they consolidated operations between it and the complex up the street, splitting staff and prints between them.
Personally, this theatre has quite a bit of sentiment in it for me. It was where, at age 13, I saw Toy Story and decided that I wanted to get into animation. It was also the last remaining complex that I used to Frequent when I was younger. I'll miss that place.
In the coming months, it will be bulldozed to make way for condominiums.
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John Plasket
Film Handler
Posts: 16
From: Berks County, PA, USA
Registered: Feb 2004
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posted 03-03-2006 01:27 AM
GoggleWorks, Reading, PA.
An old manufacturing plant (for goggles) has been turned into an art center incorporating galleries, classrooms, offices, and a one-screen theater.
Now showing: Capote.
Coming soon: Bird and Ray (probably in honor of the upcoming annual Berks Jazz Fest).
I visited the place briefly, but I didn't see the show (yet), so I don't know what the specifics are. I'd say they have at least film (not sure if it's 16 or 35), and seeing as though it's an art facility, I'd say they have video (for film festivals and the like... now that'd be fun).
More info when I get it. It'll be interesting to see whether they get a print of Bird (from '88) or if they just run the DVD.
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Used to drive by on Fletcher Parkway on the way to visit relatives in El Cajon.
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