The ad posted does indeed show that the theater’s opening was for $1 movies, but this was an opening promotion to get people to experience this well-appointed but pretty far out there movie house. I remember seeing Lethal Weapon 3 on opening day there. The local radio station (WKDF) was also giving away concert tickets, which is why I went there in the first place (I actually worked at a nearby competing Carmike theater at the time).
After a few weeks of these features (maybe even just a week) they reverted to first-run movies at regular prices.
The Publix is now open. One exception to the description in the top section: It wasn’t intended to be a discount house, and it opened as a first-run theatre. Unfortunately, it did so just as Regal and Carmike decided to war with each other over larger theatres at 100 Oaks and CoolSprings.
This theatre had stadium seating, cupholders, good sound and picture, even a game room. But it failed miserably due to location —the funny part is that if it had been able to hold on for another 2 years, it would have reaped the benefits of all the developments going in off of Edmondson Pike.
Carmike had a somewhat strange fascination with “traditional” movie seating, even when all the other megaplexes were moving to stadium-style seating. They opened this theatre only a few years after they opened Harding Mall 6, and both of them seemed woefully out-of-date on the day they opened. This, along with the fact that the theatre opened before all the interstate improvements to the Mall area were finished, put it a little behind profit-wise. The placement of the building was also very poor — there was only one exit from the lot onto a busy road, and it had a very short light. I can remember being in line waiting to leave the theatre for nearly half an hour after the movie once. Carmike moved to a newly constructed, stadium-seating multiplex just a short drive away and sold the property. The buyers divided the property and sold it to a number of entities, the restaurant included.
There are weeds growing, but the building is still there and pristine. The death of this theatre and the 4 screen down the road from it leaves the nearest theatres being Opry Mills and the new multiplex at Mt. Juliet, I think.
There used to be a building on this property that housed a bar called the “Wagon Wheel”. I recall it as being an unusual building, and I do remember it had a stage and offered live music. It was a pretty rough-looking establishment…
This was located on the side of the mall directly facing Harding Road. When the mall was rehabbed during the 1980s, the twin was taken out and replaced by the aforementioned 6-screen in the early 90s. For a time, Harding Mall had no theatre at all… As previously mentioned, the mall itself is no more — it’s a WalMart now.
Demolished. The entire block is now the Amsouth Center, a revival-style skyscraper. The theatre would have been where the bricked front plaza to the building is now.
This theater is apparently demolished. The satellite photo of this address shows that it is a parking lot (the whole block is, actually) for the work trucks of the Nashville Electric Service. This is almost immediately behind the NES main building.
I used to work at this theatre during high school. It didn’t have three screens, it had four screens. The largest auditorium of the four had a (small) stage, sound mixing booth, lighting rails in the ceiling, and a spotlight. The projection booth ran in a U-shape around the top of the lobby area, and had a batch of hanging pulleys so films could be transferred from one platter (screen) to another without respooling them to the shipping reels. At one time, the rumour was that the theatre was owned by Chris Clark of WTVF Channel 5 fame.
The ad posted does indeed show that the theater’s opening was for $1 movies, but this was an opening promotion to get people to experience this well-appointed but pretty far out there movie house. I remember seeing Lethal Weapon 3 on opening day there. The local radio station (WKDF) was also giving away concert tickets, which is why I went there in the first place (I actually worked at a nearby competing Carmike theater at the time).
After a few weeks of these features (maybe even just a week) they reverted to first-run movies at regular prices.
Looks like they’ve been successful!
http://www.wsmv.com/story/22770815/historic-capitol-theater-reopens-on-lebanon-square
Now THIS is how you do a marquee replacement on one of these old theaters! Freaking gorgeous! http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomfrundle/5760701216/
As you can see, they’re also going to be hosting stage performances as well (Keb Mo!).
The Publix is now open. One exception to the description in the top section: It wasn’t intended to be a discount house, and it opened as a first-run theatre. Unfortunately, it did so just as Regal and Carmike decided to war with each other over larger theatres at 100 Oaks and CoolSprings.
This theatre had stadium seating, cupholders, good sound and picture, even a game room. But it failed miserably due to location —the funny part is that if it had been able to hold on for another 2 years, it would have reaped the benefits of all the developments going in off of Edmondson Pike.
It’s not next to it anymore. It’s gone.
Carmike had a somewhat strange fascination with “traditional” movie seating, even when all the other megaplexes were moving to stadium-style seating. They opened this theatre only a few years after they opened Harding Mall 6, and both of them seemed woefully out-of-date on the day they opened. This, along with the fact that the theatre opened before all the interstate improvements to the Mall area were finished, put it a little behind profit-wise. The placement of the building was also very poor — there was only one exit from the lot onto a busy road, and it had a very short light. I can remember being in line waiting to leave the theatre for nearly half an hour after the movie once. Carmike moved to a newly constructed, stadium-seating multiplex just a short drive away and sold the property. The buyers divided the property and sold it to a number of entities, the restaurant included.
The building (224) that sits on this lot dates back older than 1964. Could this have been located where the BellSouth mechanical building is?
Another theatre that got swallowed whole by the huge footprint of the Amsouth Center.
There are weeds growing, but the building is still there and pristine. The death of this theatre and the 4 screen down the road from it leaves the nearest theatres being Opry Mills and the new multiplex at Mt. Juliet, I think.
There used to be a building on this property that housed a bar called the “Wagon Wheel”. I recall it as being an unusual building, and I do remember it had a stage and offered live music. It was a pretty rough-looking establishment…
This was located on the side of the mall directly facing Harding Road. When the mall was rehabbed during the 1980s, the twin was taken out and replaced by the aforementioned 6-screen in the early 90s. For a time, Harding Mall had no theatre at all… As previously mentioned, the mall itself is no more — it’s a WalMart now.
Demolished. The entire block is now the Amsouth Center, a revival-style skyscraper. The theatre would have been where the bricked front plaza to the building is now.
This theater is apparently demolished. The satellite photo of this address shows that it is a parking lot (the whole block is, actually) for the work trucks of the Nashville Electric Service. This is almost immediately behind the NES main building.
I used to work at this theatre during high school. It didn’t have three screens, it had four screens. The largest auditorium of the four had a (small) stage, sound mixing booth, lighting rails in the ceiling, and a spotlight. The projection booth ran in a U-shape around the top of the lobby area, and had a batch of hanging pulleys so films could be transferred from one platter (screen) to another without respooling them to the shipping reels. At one time, the rumour was that the theatre was owned by Chris Clark of WTVF Channel 5 fame.