Nothing would thrill me more than seeing the Village Theater restored and reopened as what it originally was, a traditional single-screen neighborhood movie palace. I’d happily contribute to a fund for undertaking such a venture.
As the only movie theater in the peninsula city of Coronado (which is nearly an island), it’s hard for me to understand how the Village cannot attract enough business as a standard movie theater to stay afloat indefinitely, and without resorting to gimmickry. The Village is within easy walking distance of hundreds of houses and apartments, and the next closest theaters cannot be reached on foot since they are on the other side of a large bridge that (I believe) does not permit pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, parking near the Village is easy, it’s close to many restaurants, coffee houses and other businesses, and best of all, the Village is a beautiful old building in a beautiful old, well-preserved village. What could be more ideal?
Because cinema treasures (and other architectural treasures) are disappearing at an alarming rate, especially in San Diego, I am happy to report that the Ken remains alive and well and the new seats mentioned in my previous posting are just fine. The Ken still has a loyal clientele and remains the soul of the Kensington neighborhood.
Yes, the Ken is certainly a precious jewel. I heard a recent rumor that the Ken has all new seats, including (yuck!) cup holders. I’ve yet to verify this rumor, but if it’s true, it’s great news, since the old seats at the Ken were notoriouly uncomfortable. On the other hand, I suspect the new seats will be in the modern plasticly style, whereas the old Ken seats had that classic 1950s (or so) metal configuration that is rarely seen these days. Hmm, maybe this isn’t really good news anyway, at least not from a historic preservation point of view. I guess I should be thankful that the Ken even just exists, as nearly all the other single-screen theaters in San Diego are gone or converted to multi-screen.
Nothing would thrill me more than seeing the Village Theater restored and reopened as what it originally was, a traditional single-screen neighborhood movie palace. I’d happily contribute to a fund for undertaking such a venture.
As the only movie theater in the peninsula city of Coronado (which is nearly an island), it’s hard for me to understand how the Village cannot attract enough business as a standard movie theater to stay afloat indefinitely, and without resorting to gimmickry. The Village is within easy walking distance of hundreds of houses and apartments, and the next closest theaters cannot be reached on foot since they are on the other side of a large bridge that (I believe) does not permit pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, parking near the Village is easy, it’s close to many restaurants, coffee houses and other businesses, and best of all, the Village is a beautiful old building in a beautiful old, well-preserved village. What could be more ideal?
Because cinema treasures (and other architectural treasures) are disappearing at an alarming rate, especially in San Diego, I am happy to report that the Ken remains alive and well and the new seats mentioned in my previous posting are just fine. The Ken still has a loyal clientele and remains the soul of the Kensington neighborhood.
Yes, the Ken is certainly a precious jewel. I heard a recent rumor that the Ken has all new seats, including (yuck!) cup holders. I’ve yet to verify this rumor, but if it’s true, it’s great news, since the old seats at the Ken were notoriouly uncomfortable. On the other hand, I suspect the new seats will be in the modern plasticly style, whereas the old Ken seats had that classic 1950s (or so) metal configuration that is rarely seen these days. Hmm, maybe this isn’t really good news anyway, at least not from a historic preservation point of view. I guess I should be thankful that the Ken even just exists, as nearly all the other single-screen theaters in San Diego are gone or converted to multi-screen.