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The latest movie theater news and updates
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December 6, 2002
New Theaters Coming Soon!
We’ll be adding tons of new theaters over the next few days, so be sure to check back often!
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Upcoming Groundbreaking Ceremony At Colonial Theater Site
HARTFORD, CT — According to an article in the Hartford Courant, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the site of the former Colonial Theater this upcoming Wednesday, December 11.
The ceremony comes at the end of a tortured 5-year effort to find a productive use for the site. After several efforts to preserve the theater as a performing arts center, the theater was ultimately raised in 2000, athough its Greek Revival facade, which is a city landmark, was preserved.
As part of a $5 million grant to redevelop the site and nearby properties (which are part of Hartford’s West End neighborhood), a new building will be built on the Colonial’s site and will incorporate the theater’s facade.
(Thanks to Gregg Anderson for this story.)
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December 5, 2002
Geneva Theatre Update
GENEVA, IL — According to a recent article in Wednesday’s edition of the Chicaco Tribune, the Geneva Theatre, which closed in 2000, is bringing new interest in Geneva’s downtown area since its owner decided to carve the theater’s space into storefronts.
“The city was very concerned about what would happen to that location when the theater closed in 2000,” said Chris Aiston, Geneva’s economic development director. “At first, we tried to reintroduce a theater there, but we couldn’t make that work. We’re happy about how this project is turning out.”
Thankfully, unlike other theater-to-storefront alterations, the Geneva’s owners are concerned with preserving the theater’s character. $30,000 was spent on restoring the theater’s marquee, and many of the retailers have incorporated a movie motif into their interiors.
Note: registration required to view article.
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Loews Cineplex Theatre Up For Auction
STREAMWOOD, IL — In other Chicago-area theater news, the former Loews Cineplex Theatre in Streamwood, IL will be sold at auction on Dec. 19, according to an article in Tuesday’s Daily Herald.
Since the opening of a megaplex in nearby South Barrington that features stadium-style seating and enhanced sound, the Loews Cineplex has faced stiff competition for moviegoers' interest. So much so, in fact, that parent company Loews Cineplex now wishes to rid itself of the theater completely.
According to auctioneer Alan Krevts, the opening bid for the Loews Cineplex is set at $2.2 million, although it is unknown at this time how many potential buyers are interested in the property.
(Thanks to Bryan Krefft for both of today’s stories!)
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December 4, 2002
Inside San Diego’s Balboa and California Theatres
SAN DIEGO, CA — As a followup to a previous story about the Balboa Theatre, Monday’s issue of the San Diego Union-Tribune took an in-depth look at both the Balboa and the California, two classic movie theaters in downtown San Diego that await restoration.
The article includes a rare photo of the California’s interior, as well as descriptions of the current state of both theaters.
(Thanks again to Gregg Anderson sending us another story!)
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Help Save The Park Theater in Menlo Park, CA
MENLO PARK, CA — Donald John Long is seeking classic theater lovers and preservationists in the San Francisco Bay Area who are interested in saving the Park Theater in Menlo Park.
Donald writes…
Recently, within the past year, the Park Theater, on El Camino Real in Menlo Park, California, closed down and the property was put up for sale.
I contacted Gary Parks, and he said a developer interested in the property hired someone to destroy the theater marquee at 5 AM one morning so the theater would lose its value as a cinema showplace, thus making it easier for the developer to acquire the property to demolish or remodel the building.
Similar things have happened elsewhere many times, unfortunately. Perhaps the most famous incident was the Art Deco Pan Pacific Auditorium on Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles, which had achieved historical preservation status with the city and county, but the developer hired someone under the table to torch the structure and an arsonist burnt the building down in April 1989.
Please join with me and Gary Parks, and let’s do something to save and restore this cinema treasure before it is history.
If you’re concerned about the status of the Park Theater and would like to help out on this project, you can contact Donald at .
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December 3, 2002
Oakland’s Fox Theater To Get Facelift
OAKLAND, CA — The Fox Theater in Oakland, CA is about to get a huge facelift — with $750,000 allocated for the restoration of the theater’s facade — according to a new report from the Oakland Tribune.
Thanks to a $375,000 grant from the State Historical Resources Commission, along with matching Central District Redevelopment funds, the City of Oakland plans to restore the Fox’s store fronts, exterior masonry and terra cotta, and central dome.
“We’re excited the city got this grant,” said Gary Knecht, spokesman for the Friends of the Fox. “Even though we don’t know how or when the theater will actually be used again, we would like to hope that this incredible public treasure might be open for public tours within about a year, so that the people of Oakland can begin to realize what a valuable resource it is. We’re working hard to celebrate a grand reopening of the theater sometime before the end of the decade.”
In an earlier 2001 restoration, the Fox Theater’s marquee and blade sign were restored and relit at a cost of $650,000, thanks to the efforts of Friends of the Oakland Fox and the Wagner Sign Company.
Read the full article
Read the press release
View photos of the marquee and blade restoration -
$10 Million Restoration Plan for Balboa Theatre Approved!
SAN DIEGO, CA — According to this article in the San Diego Union Tribune, the San Diego City Council has approved a $10 million restoration plan for the city’s long-vacant Balboa Theatre.
The winning plan from Centre City Development Corp., which was approved by unanimous vote, beat out a competing plan from the Theater Now company, which had proposed to buy the Balboa from the San Diego for $1 and renovate the theater using private funds.
As a result of this approval, the Centre City Development Corp. (which serves as San Diego’s downtown redevelopment arm) plans to present a detailed business plan to the City Council, with hopes of beginning construction in 2004.
(Thanks to our friend Gregg Anderson at the American Diner Museum for both of today’s stories.)
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December 2, 2002
Return of the Cine Capri
PHOENIX, AZ — According to a recent article in the Arizona Republic, the Harkins Theatres chain has announced plans to rebuild Phoenix AZ’s famous Cine Capri movie theater as part of a $17 million, 14-screen complex.
“It’s bigger, better and brighter than the old Cine Capri,” chain owner Dan Harkins said, adding that it will be the largest stadium-seating movie auditorium in the Valley. “We decided to use all of our resources to make this the absolute premier venue for the Southwest, which is (the same) in fashion and form as the old Cine Capri.”
The original Cine Capri, which first opened in 1966 and featured a wrap-around 60-foot wide screen with more than 800 seats, was destroyed in 1998 despite enormous public support. In fact, a petition created by concerned local citizens at the time garnered over 250,000 signatures, but to no avail.
(Thanks to Bryan Krefft for sending in this story.)
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Deer Lake Drive-In To Reopen?
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA — Kevin Moxley and Joseph McDade, two businessmen in Schuylkill County PA, are attempting to revive the area’s last drive-in movie theater, according to a report in the Morning Call.
The two plan to restore the Deer Lake Drive-In, which has been closed since the mid-1990s, by restoring the theater’s screen, outlying buildings, and road sign.
Currently, Moxley and McDade, in partnership with the county Visitors Bureau and Orwigsburg Historical Society, are circulating a petion to measure public support for reopening the theater.
(Thanks to Denny J. Huber for letting us know about this development.)