I worked in this cinema as a projectionist in the late 1960’s. It was a delux cinema owned by the Carbonell family which also owned the Monroe Cinema two blocks further South. I remember showing “Midnight Cowboy” at this cinema. The writer of the movie was a Key West local who put a local “joke” in the movie…when John Voight who ask do you know so and so it was a name of a corrupt local politician…which brought roars of laughter in the audience. what killed this cinema was the advancing age of the family and a local multiplex with plenty of parking.
The Regency was originally a lumberyard which was converted into a cinema by Victor Carrady who heads the family run Caribbean Cinemas ( formerly known as Regency Caribbean ) with this location and the take-over of the Metro started the present Caribbean Cinema Chain. He is responsible with the creation of the older Wometco chain since he and his partners sold their first chain of cinemas to them…and two years later with his family created Regency Caribbean…I have personally seen this company grow from 35 people to 2000+ of today.
We serviced this location when it was a cinema. It was a delux situation with full 70mm capability and large screen which ended as a dollar cinema prior to closing. I had a large terrazzo sloped entrance to the lobby area which caused the eventual closing of the cinema due to slip and fall accidents…this was removed in the renovation. The performing arts space has been used for occasional movie premieres.
This cinema has had many owners; at one point the city was unsure who the real owner was in the late 1980’s. The last use as a cinema was as a last run cinema. we removed the projection equipment which was used in an art cinema in Coral Gables, Florida. The floor was leveled and the screen area removed and has been a club ever since.
Our company has upgraded the cinema projection system in the performing arts center. The theatre is closed for 9 months in 2003 so that they can build a new stage area to the existing complex.
I remember this cinema due to the very low ceilings in this mixed use apartment and commercial / restaurant space building. Some plans have been thought to include cinemas in this area but real estate pricing and parking are the problems.
The Paramount will never be a cinema again since Caribbean Cinemas has 5 cinemas ( and 2 more planned for Fine Arts ) on this screen and parking for the area is not as convienent. The building had major roof damage in 2000 due to a storm and renovation for cinema use to Caribbean Cinema standards would have been too expensive.
I was involved in the triple conversion of the cinema. We created three auditoriums of ample width by referring to the original plans of the building. A structural engineering firm hydraulically raised the roof over the stage area to create the space fro cinema #1 ( if your tour the projection booth, you will see the steel support beam holding the roof. the auditorium plan was rotated 90 degrees in the building to create three auditoriums of diminishing size, with the largest, #1 toward the rear. A new 2nd floor deck houses the projection room, which connects into the old projection area at the front of the building. In 1993 we renovated the old projection room, which was a huge area set up for 3 projectors, and stage spotlights, into a 35 seat screening cinema which is used by Caribbean Cinemas + all local film distributors.
The cinema was the first with DTS and Dolby Digital sound, The projection screens in #1 and #2 are studio grade Stewart non-perforated screens with custom sound. All three cinemas handle Dolby Digital sound while #1 and #2 can handle DTS sound…..a grand old lady of a building, the original METRO sign is on the roof for storage since it is past repairable state……I have done 105 cinemas in Puerto Rico but this was one of my favorites.
I was involved in the tripling of this cinema. The building was originally built as a radio studio. Cinema one still has the sound proofing baffles on the side walls and was sized to handle bands and orchestras. Cinema #2 was craved out of two smaller radio studios and Cinema #3 was originally the private screening cinema for Caribbean Cinemas who operate the Fine Arts in conjunction with a partner. There are future plans to add two more screens on the second floor.
I worked in this cinema as a projectionist in the late 1960’s. It was a delux cinema owned by the Carbonell family which also owned the Monroe Cinema two blocks further South. I remember showing “Midnight Cowboy” at this cinema. The writer of the movie was a Key West local who put a local “joke” in the movie…when John Voight who ask do you know so and so it was a name of a corrupt local politician…which brought roars of laughter in the audience. what killed this cinema was the advancing age of the family and a local multiplex with plenty of parking.
I went to this cinema as a child on the weekends…in the early 1970’s it became a porno cinema prior to closing.
The Regency was originally a lumberyard which was converted into a cinema by Victor Carrady who heads the family run Caribbean Cinemas ( formerly known as Regency Caribbean ) with this location and the take-over of the Metro started the present Caribbean Cinema Chain. He is responsible with the creation of the older Wometco chain since he and his partners sold their first chain of cinemas to them…and two years later with his family created Regency Caribbean…I have personally seen this company grow from 35 people to 2000+ of today.
We serviced this location when it was a cinema. It was a delux situation with full 70mm capability and large screen which ended as a dollar cinema prior to closing. I had a large terrazzo sloped entrance to the lobby area which caused the eventual closing of the cinema due to slip and fall accidents…this was removed in the renovation. The performing arts space has been used for occasional movie premieres.
This cinema has had many owners; at one point the city was unsure who the real owner was in the late 1980’s. The last use as a cinema was as a last run cinema. we removed the projection equipment which was used in an art cinema in Coral Gables, Florida. The floor was leveled and the screen area removed and has been a club ever since.
Our company has upgraded the cinema projection system in the performing arts center. The theatre is closed for 9 months in 2003 so that they can build a new stage area to the existing complex.
I remember this cinema due to the very low ceilings in this mixed use apartment and commercial / restaurant space building. Some plans have been thought to include cinemas in this area but real estate pricing and parking are the problems.
The Paramount will never be a cinema again since Caribbean Cinemas has 5 cinemas ( and 2 more planned for Fine Arts ) on this screen and parking for the area is not as convienent. The building had major roof damage in 2000 due to a storm and renovation for cinema use to Caribbean Cinema standards would have been too expensive.
I was involved in the triple conversion of the cinema. We created three auditoriums of ample width by referring to the original plans of the building. A structural engineering firm hydraulically raised the roof over the stage area to create the space fro cinema #1 ( if your tour the projection booth, you will see the steel support beam holding the roof. the auditorium plan was rotated 90 degrees in the building to create three auditoriums of diminishing size, with the largest, #1 toward the rear. A new 2nd floor deck houses the projection room, which connects into the old projection area at the front of the building. In 1993 we renovated the old projection room, which was a huge area set up for 3 projectors, and stage spotlights, into a 35 seat screening cinema which is used by Caribbean Cinemas + all local film distributors.
The cinema was the first with DTS and Dolby Digital sound, The projection screens in #1 and #2 are studio grade Stewart non-perforated screens with custom sound. All three cinemas handle Dolby Digital sound while #1 and #2 can handle DTS sound…..a grand old lady of a building, the original METRO sign is on the roof for storage since it is past repairable state……I have done 105 cinemas in Puerto Rico but this was one of my favorites.
I was involved in the tripling of this cinema. The building was originally built as a radio studio. Cinema one still has the sound proofing baffles on the side walls and was sized to handle bands and orchestras. Cinema #2 was craved out of two smaller radio studios and Cinema #3 was originally the private screening cinema for Caribbean Cinemas who operate the Fine Arts in conjunction with a partner. There are future plans to add two more screens on the second floor.