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Renovations
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March 21, 2005
Tennessee Theater Reopens After 23 Million Dollar Restoration
KNOXVILLE, TN — The City of Knoxville recently completed a $23 million restoration of it’s vintage Tennessee Theater.
The beautiful Tennessee Theatre is a jewel of historic Knoxville, located in the heart of downtown. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and honored as the Official State Theatre of Tennessee, “Knoxville’s Grand Entertainment Palace” has something for everyone: classical music, vintage films, dance, theater, and stellar performances by today’s hottest musicians. It now rivals the Fox Theater in Atlanta.
A second jewel, the Bijou is moribund awaiting underwriting for rennovations as well. Since the Tennessee Theater reopened, it has hosted The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Earl Scruggs, and a sold out Valentine’s Day screening of Casablanca!
If you are ever in town, check out this beautiful Moorish theater.
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Memories of the St. George Theatre
STATEN ISLAND, NY — I just attended the Tony Kenny Ireland Tour show at the St. George Theatre (3-16-05).
Rosemary Cappozalo (Richmond Dance Ensemble) and her daughters have done a tremendous job in restoring and refurbishing the theatre to its former glory. It brought back childhood memories of the Valencia in Jamaica, Queens.
If you live in the metro NYC area, you should make a concerted effort to attend a performance. The price of admission just to see the restoration is a treat in itself.
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February 7, 2005
MoMA’s Titus Theaters Receive Major Upgrade
NEW YORK, NY — The February edition of Film Journal International reviews the biggest facelift since 1984 and latest technology upgrades to the famed Roy and Niuta Titus auditorium on the lower level of the Museum of Modern Art.
The article includes comments from senior curator Laurence Kardish, Mary Lea Bandy, the Celeste Bartos chief curator of film and media, and by Charlie Kalinowski, chief projectionist since 1987 and recently appointed Audio Visual Department head.
“When New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) reopened the doors to its expanded and gorgeously redesigned home, not only were Matisse and MÃro seen in an all-new and column-free gallery light, but also the likes of Mamoulian and Mizoguchi…”
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January 17, 2005
Dallas' Inwood Theatre Reopens After Renovation!
DALLAS, TX — Landmark’s Inwood Theatre has reopened after a 45-day renovation. New screens grace the facility, along with new entry-level restrooms and leather seats in the upper level auditoriums. While featuring a brand-new concession stand and direct access from the Inwood Lounge, the theater retains its 1947 grandeur!
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January 7, 2005
Boyd Theatre To Be Restored & Reopened
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The following email was sent in by Howard Haas:
“The Boyd Theatre’s Future!
The great news is that the historic Boyd Theatre will be restored & in late 2006 reopened. Clear Channel will invest much money in the Art Deco showplace. Money won’t be asked from Philadelphia or PA taxpayers. As we have said before, the Friends of the Boyd will continue to fundraise for restoration of Art Deco features, and to assist with a film program, public tours, exhibits of the theater’s history, and in other ways.
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December 27, 2004
Carpenter Center Closes for Two-Year Renovation Project
RICHMOND, VA — The John Eberson-designed Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 1928 as the Loew’s Richmond Theatre, is closing for about two years while it is renovated and modernized to include a new larger stagehouse to accomodate Broadway musicals and an expanded lobby space.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the $25 million project will begin in January or February and events usually hosted by the Carpenter Center will be held at the Landmark Theater, which will be renovated itself at a later date as part of the downtown arts center’s second-phase.
The Carpenter Center, as the Loew’s Richmond, closed as a movie house in 1979, and was reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, thanks to a $1.5 million gift by the Carpenter Foundation.
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December 17, 2004
The Paramount Center For The Arts Continues Major Renovation Project
PEEKSKILL, NY — The Paramount Center for the Arts is pleased to announce that it will begin the second phase of a dramatic interior restoration project, from December 20th, 2004 through February 4th, 2005.
The renovation project will involve the completion of the decorative painting of the theater walls, columns, and lobby by Evergreene Painting Studios, whose impressive resume includes the restoration and preservation of over 100 historic theaters and capitol buildings in over 26 states.
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December 16, 2004
Groundbreaking Ceremony At Chicago’s Biograph Theatre
CHICAGO, IL — The renovation of the historic Biograph Theatre kicked off yesterday with a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony in front of the former movie house in Lincoln Park.
Acquired by the famed Victory Gardens theater company, the 90 year-old Biograph is being converted into a new venue for the troupe, which will include a 299-seat main auditorium and a 128-seat studio, as well as rehersal spaces.
The total cost of the transformation is expected to run $9 million, of which Victory Gardens already has over $8 million in the bank. Both members of the theater company and city officials braved chilly temperatures for the ceremony, which is expected to open “at the end of 2005”. The Biograph’s facade, a neighborhood landmark, will be retained.
Read the full report from the Chicago Tribune.
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December 1, 2004
New History Channel Series Seeks Active Theater Restoration Projects
Back to the Blueprint, a new restoration program now airing on The History Channel is looking for current theater restoration projects for an upcoming episode. Entire program will be filmed over the course of a week in either January or February.
The program is a hands-on, interactive look at the hard work involved in restoring historic homes and properties. We try to give background into why homes and structures were built as they were, the materials and tools used, and what we can do to restore and renew these structures for the future.
Our host, Marty Dunham, himself comes from a contracting background, and we have him work side-by-side taking 2-3 projects, or portions of, from start to finish. Prior episodes have focused mainly on residential styles including NY Brownstones, Chicago Bungalows, Sears Catalog Homes and Shotgun Homes. We’re very interested in expanding the scope of the show with an episode on theaters.
I would love to speak with any owners, architects or contractors who are working on projects that might fit in with our format and filming schedule. I can be reached , and I look forward to speaking with you all.
Also, the series airs Saturdays at 5:00 PM ET/PT, 4:00PM CT & 3:00 MT, if you’d like to get a visual idea of the format!
Thank you,
Barbara Maranzani
Researcher
A & E Television Networks/HTV Productions -
November 9, 2004
The Hollywood Theater Returns
EAST ORANGE, NJ — The Hollywood Theater is on its way back. According to the Star-Ledger, a new renovation has begun which will transform the theater into a five-screen multiplex.
After 20 years of being boarded up, a New York City developer has steel workers, electricians, masons, roofers and laborers working in and around the once-famed movie house — at 634 Central Ave., near the Orange border — for a grand reopening.
“We’re doing a gut renovation, to create a brand-new fiveplex movie theater,” said Schwartz, whose father, Albert Schwartz, owned the building just before it closed in the early 1980s. “Four of the theaters will feature stadium seating, and one will be a traditional theater.”
Read more details in the full report.