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Preservation Alert
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May 27, 2008
Fight for Grand Ecran Place d'Italie
PARIS, FRANCE —
Hello,
I enjoy Cinema Treasures enormously. I am glad I am not the only one obsessed with huge movie theaters. I will be going back to Paris this summer.
I lived in Paris for seven years and one of my favorite movie theatres was the Grand Ecran Place d'Italie, not a classic palace but a modern marvel. Great cinema. Imagine my surprise when I discover that they want to close it down. Lucky for us, there is a big move to stop the raze. They have a website that contains many pics. You might be interested.
Thanks,
A.P.
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May 22, 2008
Reminder: Rally In Support of Boyd Theatre Today!
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A rally is scheduled for today at 11:30 AM in front of the Boyd Theatre, located at 1908 Chestnut. Everyone is urged to attend and show their support. According to Friends of the Boyd:
- Adrian Fine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation will speak on why the National Trust included the Boyd Theatre on this important list.
- John Gallery of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia will speak on why the Alliance included the Boyd Theatre in their 2008 Endangered Property List.
- State Representative Babette Josephs, will speak on why the community deserves a reopened Boyd Theatre.
- Howard B. Haas, President of the Friends of the Boyd will speak, summarizing what needs to be done to ensure that the Boyd Theatre is restored and reopened instead of being demolished or altered.
Most important will be your joining our rally!
Thanks to Howard Haas for the information.[pre][/pre]
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May 21, 2008
Park Theater to be demolished
LINCOLN PARK, MI — Sunday’s News Herald newspaper revealed that the Park Theater was donated to non-profit organization Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency. Plans are for the historic theater to be replaced with a mixed use development.
The Park Theater, c. 1925, was designed by C. Howard Crane. The Fort Street facade was changed to a Streamline Moderne facade in 1936. It is believed that the architect of that design was Charles Agree.
More info on the recent news can be obtained at the News Herald.
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May 20, 2008
BREAKING NEWS: Boyd Named One of America’s Most Endangered / Rally This Thursday, May 22 @ 11:30am
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The National Trust for Historic Preservation has listed the Boyd Theatre as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The Trust has just released their annual list of the nation’s most endangered building and added the Boyd to the list. In their estimation:
Boyd Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa. — Philadelphia’s last surviving downtown movie palace—a masterpiece of Art Deco design—faces an uncertain future as it sits vacant and remains vulnerable to demolition, awaiting a preservation-minded buyer to return the vintage venue to its original grandeur.
This is only the second Philadelphia site to be added to the list (the other was Independence National Historical Park). Howard B. Haas, President of the Friends of the Boyd stated, “The National Trust listing verifies what Friends of the Boyd have said all along – the Boyd Theatre must be saved, restored, and reopened for entertainment.”
A rally is scheduled for this Thursday, May 22 beginning at 11:30 AM in front of the theater, located at 1908 Chestnut. All Cinema Treasures users are urged to attend and show their support for this irreplaceable theater. According to Friends of the Boyd:
- Adrian Fine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation will speak on why the National Trust included the Boyd Theatre on this important list.
- John Gallery of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia will speak on why the Alliance included the Boyd Theatre in their 2008 Endangered Property List.
- State Representative Babette Josephs, will speak on why the community deserves a reopened Boyd Theatre.
- Howard B. Haas, President of the Friends of the Boyd will speak, summarizing what needs to be done to ensure that the Boyd Theatre is restored and reopened instead of being demolished or altered.
Most important will be your joining our rally!
Thanks to Howard Haas for the information.[pre][/pre]
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May 9, 2008
Green Lane, Derby UK, Hippodrome Theatre petition
DERBY, ENGLAND — A petition has been raised to try to save this fineold grade 2 listed theatre from demolition by its owner.
If you would like to add your name to the growing list of signatories, please visit the link below.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/derbyhippodrome/
Lets hope we can raise awareness of the plight of this building before it is too late.
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April 15, 2008
NuWilshire currently an eyesore in Santa Monica
SANTA MONICA, CA — One of the oldest theatres in Santa Monica, the NuWilshire has been closed since November 2007. As of now, nothing has changed, and it still is just a great theatre, with the soul gone.
It is hard to believe that this time last year, the theatre was filled with happy moviegoers, ready to see a good independent film. However now, it is just a block of nothing. When looking at it, all I see is a reminder of what once was…and is now just a vacant building covered in graffiti and trashed, with a gate across the entrance so as not to allow homeless to sleep under the marquee.
A few months ago, after hearing about how the front of the theatre became a city landmark, I have yet to see anything touched on it. I will keep you posted on any new information I have on the status of this great place!
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March 7, 2008
Historic Vegas theatre in danger
LAS VEGAS, NV — After being placed on the State Register of Historic Places and even receiving government money for renovations, the owner of the Huntridge is looking to tear it down.
The rub is that the Huntridge is listed on both state and national registers of historic buildings. Eli Mizrachi bought the Huntridge in 2002 under a contract that required the building to be preserved until 2017. The state has paid $1.6 million in recent years to help with renovations and maintenance.
Mizrachi, reportedly eager to build a high-rise office building on the spot, is offering to give the state its money back in exchange for being allowed to tear down the building — a Las Vegas icon that was designed by S. Charles Lee, one of the 20th century’s most notable designers of motion picture theaters.
The full story is in the Las Vegas Sun.
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February 28, 2008
State Cinema, Grays - New Preservation Website
GRAYS, ESSEX, ENGLAND — A new website has been set up, to help drum up support for the rescue of the State Cinema in Grays. This site contains a massive amount of pictures of this cinema, which is one of very few art deco cinemas single-screen cinemas left in the UK.
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February 22, 2008
Effort to save old theater is long, uphill battle
FULLERTON, CA — Years into to the fight to save the Fox Fullerton, the theatre is still in need.
More than three years after Fullerton residents raised $3.5 million to save the Fox Theatre from the wrecking ball, the 82-year-old structure remains in peril.
Despite the efforts of preservationists, the one-time vaudeville theater and movie house stands in contrast to the urban hipness that has swept downtown Fullerton, now brimming with upscale restaurants, jazz clubs and a lively street scene.
Approximately $9 million in grants, interest-free loans and community donations have been earmarked for restoring the landmark building, but the non-profit group that took over the project remains $17 million short of its goal.
Get the full story in the Arizona Republic.
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February 18, 2008
Threats to future of Philadelphia’s Boyd and Royal theaters
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The dire threats to the future of Philadelphia’s Boyd Theatre and the Royal Theatre on South Street are featured in this article in the Philadelphia Citypaper.
The Boyd on the 1900 block of Chestnut is again up for sale, according to its owner, Live Nation. (The 2,400-seat theater is the city’s sole remaining movie palace and has been closed since 2002.) And over on the 1500 block of South Street, the Royal Theater also faces an uncertain future, say its owners, Universal Companies. (Closed since 1970, the theater was once the city’s pre-eminent theatrical, movie and music venue for African-Americans.)
Live Nation spokesman John Vlautin acknowledged the Boyd “is currently on the market,” but declined comment on potential deals. “We are keeping all of our options open,” he says. That worries Howard Haas, a Center City attorney who founded Friends of the Boyd when the building’s demolition looked imminent in 2002. The group drew attention to its potential loss and steered it toward Live Nation (then the entertainment division of Clear Channel) in 2005.