AMC Mountain Farms 4
335 Russell Street,
Hadley,
MA
01035
335 Russell Street,
Hadley,
MA
01035
1 person
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Related Websites
Dead Malls.com -- Mountain Farms Mall
Additional Info
Previously operated by: AMC Theatres
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
413.584.9153
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
There were once hundreds of theaters just like the AMC Mountain Farms 4 scattered across America—shoebox auditoriums with bland designs and minimal aesthetics.
The AMC 4 was located inside what area residents later deemed The Dead Mall, so named because when a newer shopping mall was built next door, business evaporated and many stores closed.
However, the AMC hung on long enough to see the dead mall filled with a Walmart and other stores. AMC operated another 6-plex down the street in the newer mall, which was torn down in 1999 to make way for a planned megaplex.
Unfortunately, the theater project was stalled when the exhibition market tanked and for awhile, this venerable, old multiplex was the only game in Hadley. Finally, Cinemark stepped in and built a new megaplex at the newer mall in 2000.
The AMC Mountain Farms 4 finally shut its doors in 2001 after two decades of delighting area audiences. Before AMC purchased the vanished GCC circuit, this was the last AMC theater in all of New England. When it finally came down, memories of $2.50 matinees and its hallowed orange walls went with it.
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Cinema Treasures
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Recent comments (view all 21 comments)
I worked at this theater during my college years at UMass/Amherst. It’s sad to hear it’s gone. The name “The Dead Mall” was extremely fitting as it did indeed feel like an abandoned building out of “Night of The Comet” with the much larger Hampshire Mall right next door.
But the theaters were always the bright spot in the building.
The AMC road sign still stands with “For Lease” displayed. Could be for the theaters or the space they once occupied. Don’t think it is the latter since large shopping centers don’t usually promote available space that way. If that lettering was put up upon the theater’s closing, wouldn’t the center’s owners haved the sign taken down?
The road sign is still there with a for lease sign on it because there is a small explorable walkway between EMS and Barnes and Noble that I believe to be the sole remaining part of the Theater
there is nothing much there at all but there is a small room in the very back next to barnes and noble side which would seem to me as though it was definately part of the theater in one capacity or another and currently is abandoned. I believe this to be there are for lease and it is so tiny that I highly doubt one will take it. In fact, the EMS next door build up such a wall between it and this space, including a windowed area that it almost seems like you are staring at the outside of a building, not the side of an adjacent store. I have pictures I have yet to develop and hope to eventually post on the web somewhere. but there is definately still leasable space there that was a tiny part of the theater. As far as the movie sign itself, it is blocked by bushes now if i recall correctly. Why it is still up is beyond me, but imo it adds flavor to the plaza.
The road sign is still there with a for lease sign on it because there is a small explorable walkway between EMS and Barnes and Noble that I believe to be the sole remaining part of the Theater
there is nothing much there at all but there is a small room in the very back next to barnes and noble side which would seem to me as though it was definately part of the theater in one capacity or another and currently is abandoned. I believe this to be there are for lease and it is so tiny that I highly doubt one will take it. In fact, the EMS next door build up such a wall between it and this space, including a windowed area that it almost seems like you are staring at the outside of a building, not the side of an adjacent store. I have pictures I have yet to develop and hope to eventually post on the web somewhere. but there is definately still leasable space there that was a tiny part of the theater. As far as the movie sign itself, it is blocked by bushes now if i recall correctly. Why it is still up is beyond me, but imo it adds flavor to the plaza.
As of early 2007, nothing much has changed. The hallway that enters the mall builting left of EMS is still bare sheetrock – unpainted – they are probably waiting until they get a tenant before doing any more work. The explorable walkway mentioned abofe is not where the theater used to be, it’s the space to the right of that walkway in the back half of the building, right behing EMS – that space should still be intact at this point. The door was locked any time i tried to go in.
For years this was the main theater in Amherst until Hampshire Six opened and shortly after that opened both went to first run movies (finally!). But Mountain Farms Four was really built at the nadir of cinema construction – shoebox theatres, approx 300 seats each, plain red & orange curtains – long and narrow, with really small screens up front. We’d make occasional visits to the Calvin in Northampton or the Amherst Cinema to get a real cinema experience – they were still doing 2nd run then.
Forgot to mention – the Mountain Farms Four opened approx. January of 1974 a few months after the mall opened. The Hampshire Six across the street opened in June of 1979.
used to love this place.
used to take my girlfriend here during college
1993-1997
Interesting Stories.I guess AMC did grab quite a few GCC locations in New England.
Does anyone know if the theaters have been demolished or are still there. I visited this location a few years back and it still was there but hidden in the back of the center.
As far as i know the theatres are still there – that’s the only part of the mall that hasn’t been renovated into something else. Last time I checked, the hallways lading back from the front of the mall had finally been painted but it looks like nothing has been done with the cinrma space yet – it’s probably still there.