This is the last time I comment on this disgrace. First of all, the status of the theatre should be changed to “destroyed” so people know what really happened. It’s not merely closed. It’s soon to be gone completely for a suburban crap box.
I came across this when searching for info on the Benn Theatre at 63rd & Woodland Ave in SW Philly. Scroll through it if you’re looking for people to blame, email, or stores to boycott who lobbied for the demolition.
Don’t blame the city of Philadelphia for this. Philadelphia is a great city. Blame the entitled suburbanites who hold the most influence in the city and metro, the Historical Commission who is probably in the pockets of developers, the suburbanite-run media throughout the city and metro, and the cowardly developer who can’t be honest and real about what he’s doing.
This whole process has entirely been shaped by entitled suburbanites who either moved to the city or don’t even live there yet feel they have every right to determine what happens there. A lot of them are delusional enough to think that they or the suburban nowhere they come from is somehow as important or more important than Philadelphia. This situation is sadly not unique these days as the only people who ever actually get a voice anymore are those with the most money or the most entitlement. If you don’t believe me, feel free to check out our local media or even our local messageboards and other sites.
Life’s Too Short, it’s really quite easy to demolish anything you don’t like when you spread misinformation, insult and belittle those who oppose you, and deal with a “Historical” Commission that has probably never even saved a single building in its entire history.
I’d just like to congratulate the “Historical” Commission on turning Philadelphia into King of Prussia. I look forward to boycotting the suburban joke of a theater that iPic is going to replace the Boyd with, and I’d also like to congratulate Neal Rodin on being an absolute disgrace to the great city of Philadelphia and its storied history, along with the “Historical” Commission.
Now those entitled, delusional suburbanite transplants will have that “blight” removed once and for all. What a joke they are.
I love how pretty much every single person speaking on the matter as an “expert” who argues that the Boyd should be demolished or that iPic’s is the best idea is from the suburbs yet they want to talk about “urban” this and “urban” that. I’m FROM an urban area. You don’t know about blight or about what causes problems in an urban neighborhood. I grew up around crumbling factories and other buildings that were worse for wear. Even they aren’t a blight, let alone a shuttered movie theatre. Unlike somebody who grew up on a cul-de-sac with strip malls, I also understand just how important a venue like the Boyd could be to the city and to its immediate surrounding area under my above off-the-top-of-my-head idea and what does and doesn’t work in this situation. iPic’s idea will be an actual blight on the community and anybody who has seen what happens when rowdy teenagers and other people from a background of less discipline and less self-control cram into a movie theatre knows what I’m talking about, not to mention how god awful ugly their building will be. It will also ensure that the city continues to be looked down on as less than its peers of Boston and other major cities because people continue to be allowed to destroy what makes the city unique without so much as a single protest.
These are the people who speak on urban issues and historic preservation in this area… a bunch of people from bland, soulless places with no character, history, or architectural or cultural importance whatsoever. I also find it funny that not once has anybody actually refuted or proved wrong the idea of making the Boyd the showpiece theatre in a multiplex and building a regular multiplex around and above it, while also renting the Boyd out for all kinds of live events when not using it as the biggest screen in a multiplex. Maybe it’s because they know it would probably work.
I was unaware the Chinese theatre was actually a multiplex. So is that the only one in the country then? That wouldn’t be bad company to have given how important the Chinese theatre is.
There are no regular multiplex, first-run theatres, no. There are theatres that are mostly for indie, foreign, and other specialized films that show certain mainstream films that fit into their vision but that’s about it. There’s also the theatre and IMAX at the Franklin Institute. There are multiplexes in the city but they’re either in University City or the area by Temple or Penn’s Landing or Manayunk.
I have been following the situation with the Boyd closely, and I’m finally saying something because it looks like this is going to be a hard-fought battle by everybody who wants to see the Boyd saved. It is an absolute travesty that a city with the cultural history and cultural assets that Philadelphia has sees nothing wrong with demolishing its last movie palace after demolishing places like the 200+ foot Fox building and theatre in Center City, among others.
On one side Mr. Haas’s group is saying to restore the Boyd fully and use it for mixed events. On the other, the movie chain who owns the Boyd now is saying they need to go with a multiplex. I don’t see why they can’t do both. Assuming they have the same land that Hal Wheeler owned for his hotel idea, I would think they could build a multiplex around and connected to the Boyd and use the Boyd auditorium as their showplace theatre. I do not know of a single city in this country that has that combination. It would make Philadelphia their flagship location and would easily be majorly profitable because there are no major theatres in Center City, let alone any that can accommodate such large audiences. It would have to be a multi-story multiplex but honestly I think it’s time Philadelphia gets one of those, especially in Center City. If they include a restaurant like they should given that they have them in other cities, then I would think this idea could be profitable. Auditoriums that big usually don’t work for movies, sure, but it would be pretty much the only theatre in Center City and one of few in the city, so there is no reason they couldn’t at least get the auditorium ¾ full fairly often. It would simply be the theatre that gets the best, most in-demand movies every single time it’s used.
As for the Boyd, on top of being the showplace theatre, there are all kinds of uses for an auditorium like that. One idea off the top of my head is that the local universities or the city can give kids in the city or college students an opportunity to showcase their plays or other written pieces on a big, prestigious stage like the Boyd, a yearly contest sort of thing. Not only could it give kids in the city or in the universities an opportunity to get their stuff out there on a big stage but it could help with the costs of keeping the auditorium running and even maintained by getting the groups and sponsors using it for whatever event that evening to pay their share. There could be local concerts, meetings, lectures, really any kind of event without even getting into national musical acts. This is the perfect time for a place like the Boyd because not only are theatres bigger again (have you seen the theatres they build now, with multiple levels?) but people aren’t stuck in that backwards “newer is always better” mindset that saw so many of these places rot or be torn down to begin with.
If I were the Friends of the Boyd I’d be doing my best to help out with at least a chunk of the cost. I’d hold fundraisers, get a kickstarter page, hold concerts to help raise the money…. Just use whatever resources I could to help with the restoration, including my own sweat and volunteers to help with the work for free, maybe even school kids whether they’re from the universities or from the high schools. I’d be doing everything I could to show people I could do it.
Anyway, this is just my .02. I think it’s a crime that such short-sightedness and shoot-yourself-in-the-foot mentality is not only allowed but encouraged in this day and age.
This is the last time I comment on this disgrace. First of all, the status of the theatre should be changed to “destroyed” so people know what really happened. It’s not merely closed. It’s soon to be gone completely for a suburban crap box.
I came across this when searching for info on the Benn Theatre at 63rd & Woodland Ave in SW Philly. Scroll through it if you’re looking for people to blame, email, or stores to boycott who lobbied for the demolition.
http://www.phila.gov/historical/Documents/Boyd%20Interested%20Parties%20Set%201.pdf
Don’t blame the city of Philadelphia for this. Philadelphia is a great city. Blame the entitled suburbanites who hold the most influence in the city and metro, the Historical Commission who is probably in the pockets of developers, the suburbanite-run media throughout the city and metro, and the cowardly developer who can’t be honest and real about what he’s doing.
This whole process has entirely been shaped by entitled suburbanites who either moved to the city or don’t even live there yet feel they have every right to determine what happens there. A lot of them are delusional enough to think that they or the suburban nowhere they come from is somehow as important or more important than Philadelphia. This situation is sadly not unique these days as the only people who ever actually get a voice anymore are those with the most money or the most entitlement. If you don’t believe me, feel free to check out our local media or even our local messageboards and other sites.
Life’s Too Short, it’s really quite easy to demolish anything you don’t like when you spread misinformation, insult and belittle those who oppose you, and deal with a “Historical” Commission that has probably never even saved a single building in its entire history.
I’d just like to congratulate the “Historical” Commission on turning Philadelphia into King of Prussia. I look forward to boycotting the suburban joke of a theater that iPic is going to replace the Boyd with, and I’d also like to congratulate Neal Rodin on being an absolute disgrace to the great city of Philadelphia and its storied history, along with the “Historical” Commission.
Now those entitled, delusional suburbanite transplants will have that “blight” removed once and for all. What a joke they are.
I love how pretty much every single person speaking on the matter as an “expert” who argues that the Boyd should be demolished or that iPic’s is the best idea is from the suburbs yet they want to talk about “urban” this and “urban” that. I’m FROM an urban area. You don’t know about blight or about what causes problems in an urban neighborhood. I grew up around crumbling factories and other buildings that were worse for wear. Even they aren’t a blight, let alone a shuttered movie theatre. Unlike somebody who grew up on a cul-de-sac with strip malls, I also understand just how important a venue like the Boyd could be to the city and to its immediate surrounding area under my above off-the-top-of-my-head idea and what does and doesn’t work in this situation. iPic’s idea will be an actual blight on the community and anybody who has seen what happens when rowdy teenagers and other people from a background of less discipline and less self-control cram into a movie theatre knows what I’m talking about, not to mention how god awful ugly their building will be. It will also ensure that the city continues to be looked down on as less than its peers of Boston and other major cities because people continue to be allowed to destroy what makes the city unique without so much as a single protest.
These are the people who speak on urban issues and historic preservation in this area… a bunch of people from bland, soulless places with no character, history, or architectural or cultural importance whatsoever. I also find it funny that not once has anybody actually refuted or proved wrong the idea of making the Boyd the showpiece theatre in a multiplex and building a regular multiplex around and above it, while also renting the Boyd out for all kinds of live events when not using it as the biggest screen in a multiplex. Maybe it’s because they know it would probably work.
I was unaware the Chinese theatre was actually a multiplex. So is that the only one in the country then? That wouldn’t be bad company to have given how important the Chinese theatre is.
There are no regular multiplex, first-run theatres, no. There are theatres that are mostly for indie, foreign, and other specialized films that show certain mainstream films that fit into their vision but that’s about it. There’s also the theatre and IMAX at the Franklin Institute. There are multiplexes in the city but they’re either in University City or the area by Temple or Penn’s Landing or Manayunk.
I have been following the situation with the Boyd closely, and I’m finally saying something because it looks like this is going to be a hard-fought battle by everybody who wants to see the Boyd saved. It is an absolute travesty that a city with the cultural history and cultural assets that Philadelphia has sees nothing wrong with demolishing its last movie palace after demolishing places like the 200+ foot Fox building and theatre in Center City, among others.
On one side Mr. Haas’s group is saying to restore the Boyd fully and use it for mixed events. On the other, the movie chain who owns the Boyd now is saying they need to go with a multiplex. I don’t see why they can’t do both. Assuming they have the same land that Hal Wheeler owned for his hotel idea, I would think they could build a multiplex around and connected to the Boyd and use the Boyd auditorium as their showplace theatre. I do not know of a single city in this country that has that combination. It would make Philadelphia their flagship location and would easily be majorly profitable because there are no major theatres in Center City, let alone any that can accommodate such large audiences. It would have to be a multi-story multiplex but honestly I think it’s time Philadelphia gets one of those, especially in Center City. If they include a restaurant like they should given that they have them in other cities, then I would think this idea could be profitable. Auditoriums that big usually don’t work for movies, sure, but it would be pretty much the only theatre in Center City and one of few in the city, so there is no reason they couldn’t at least get the auditorium ¾ full fairly often. It would simply be the theatre that gets the best, most in-demand movies every single time it’s used.
As for the Boyd, on top of being the showplace theatre, there are all kinds of uses for an auditorium like that. One idea off the top of my head is that the local universities or the city can give kids in the city or college students an opportunity to showcase their plays or other written pieces on a big, prestigious stage like the Boyd, a yearly contest sort of thing. Not only could it give kids in the city or in the universities an opportunity to get their stuff out there on a big stage but it could help with the costs of keeping the auditorium running and even maintained by getting the groups and sponsors using it for whatever event that evening to pay their share. There could be local concerts, meetings, lectures, really any kind of event without even getting into national musical acts. This is the perfect time for a place like the Boyd because not only are theatres bigger again (have you seen the theatres they build now, with multiple levels?) but people aren’t stuck in that backwards “newer is always better” mindset that saw so many of these places rot or be torn down to begin with.
If I were the Friends of the Boyd I’d be doing my best to help out with at least a chunk of the cost. I’d hold fundraisers, get a kickstarter page, hold concerts to help raise the money…. Just use whatever resources I could to help with the restoration, including my own sweat and volunteers to help with the work for free, maybe even school kids whether they’re from the universities or from the high schools. I’d be doing everything I could to show people I could do it.
Anyway, this is just my .02. I think it’s a crime that such short-sightedness and shoot-yourself-in-the-foot mentality is not only allowed but encouraged in this day and age.