Uptown Theater

I'm plenty old enough to remember the Uptown the way it used to be. I am very excited about the renovations that are taking place and can hardly sit still waiting!

The Uptown Theatre is located at 3rd Street and Franklin Street. At one point this theatre seated 1254 people.

The address that I have for the Uptown theatre is 1350 Third Street, Napa, Ca. 94559.

This theatre should be listed as "closed". It was undergoing renovation and a lot was accomplished. From the outside it looks like it has been repainted and that the poster frames and woodwork have been restored.

But as of September 1, 2005 there was no evidence that any work being done on the theatre. And it looked like the work had been discontinued for some time.

There was some unsubstantiated rumor to the effect that the contractor was negotiating for construction permits on other buildings and that this was tying things up.

But whatever the cause for the stop the theatre is not being finished and it looks like it has been "under renovation" for a period that is so painfully long that the project may have createred.

It's a shame because it looks like it was a beautiful classic theatre and the neighborhood where it i s located looks like it could use a shot in the arm.

I looked at this site when I returned and found no current news about the theatre.

Any news would be welcome.

Donald Baraf

I'm still waiting for news.

It looks like a beautiful theatre.

It looks like someone spent money on renovating it and cared for it.

It looks like it is now abandoned.

Please advise.

You can find a current photo of the Uptown at the following link: http://www.napaphotos.com/newuptown.html - It appears the lights are on but no one's home...

As I worked in the projection room of this thatre both before and after WW2 I,too, have a special interest in the restoration. I no longer live in Napa but when I do visit there never seems to be any one around or working.They have restored the "vertical" and done a beautiful job, other than that, I don`t know whats been done or how to find out.

William; the Uptown Theatre always had 1130 chairs in it from 1937 until they decided to multiplex it.

This is a recent photo of the Uptown Theater.

When I first moved to Napa County, the Uptown was a single theater. It soon split into two when the nearby River Park Theaters opened. It stayed a twin theater for many years. By the 1980s it was playing seconds at cheap prices but it had a wonderfully large screen and comfortable seats. But there were problems. The projectors would often break down and the film cancelled. The heat would often not work in winter. When the River Park Theaters closed down, their projectors were moved to the Uptown. And then in the 90s someone got the "bright" idea to make 4 small theaters out of the place. These were cramped theaters. The screens were to high and large, the seats at weird angles because they kept the seats designed for the larger layouts in the same places The projectors kept breaking down. People stopped going. And it closed down. Now Napa does not have a second run discount theater.

As a child I remember standing in line to see a Disney feature on a Saturday and the line would reach around the block to the front of the post office! We always sat in the lower seating area, but if you turned around and looked back at the balcony, there would be a thick haze of blue smoke. We ate ice cream bon bons, Sugar Babies and those greasy french fries that came in a bag. Going to the Uptown was a treat!!!!!!

The plans for this theatre were announced in a November, 1936, article in the magazine Southwest Builder & Contractor. The architect named was A.A. Cantin.

I went to a movie once at the Uptown, in 2000, to see "Elizabeth." The lobby was mostly in original condition, though it needed work. The auditorium was 'plexed, as mentioned above, and had been pretty much gutted in the process. I don't remember there being any decoarative features surviving in there.

According to this October 2007 article, the Uptown Theater is being renovated for use as a "venue for concerts and other live events, with the occasional feature film or premiere". Photos of the remodeling are included.

In the 80's, I was the assistant manager in high school.
I was "Lured" away from the Sound Connection where I was their Video Manager. Video rentals were just starting to take off. We rented BETA too! Blockbuster wasn't even around yet, they didn't start until 1985. Anyway, I moved to The Uptown theater and started their video rental department from scratch. They let me choose the stock of rentals; as a future film school student, I was in heaven.
---- end of part I ----






tickets, talking with customers about the movies. I forgot to mention that this is one of the HUGE old theaters with a Giant screen. I even enjoyed closing and cleaning up the theater at midnight all alone. I'd crank up the music in the theater and go to work.

Good times....

part II

Rentals picked up and we hired another person to run the video rentals and I became assistant manager. I had a ball there, selling tickets, talking with customers about the movies. I forgot to mention that this is one of the HUGE old theaters with a Giant screen. I even enjoyed closing and cleaning up the theater at midnight all alone. I'd crank up the music in the theater and go to work.

Good times....

Here is an August 2008 photo.

The Uptown Theater can be seen in this September 2008 photo. Status should be Closed/Restoring.

This is a November 2008 photo.

I miss Perry's Deli, best darn sandwiches anywhere. Anywhere I tell you!
Word of warning:
If you live in California still, cherish your deli sandwiches. They're so fresh and wholesome. Not so on the East Coast. Who wants to eat a "Hoagie" ? <rolling eyes> Damn you, you can get your sandwiches on Sourdough. It's not fair!

Say HI to the Sonoma Cheese Factory for me. However, last time I was there, you can't watch them make cheese there any longer!

Remember 15 cent ice cream cones at Thrifty in Riverpark???? I'm sounding damn old now, but -

With inflation, that 1978-1979 15 cent ice cream cone should be like $1.60 now I am guessing. However, try to find any ice cream for under $4.00, I challenge you. Why's ice cream so expensive these days? It's people who go and spend $6 at cold stone creamery who has made the cost go up and caused the credit crisis. Same people who had to have 52" flat panels in every room of their house.

Looked inside at ongoing work yesterday. The appearance is about as in the 2007 article mentioned above, but the ceiling decorative paint looked nicely restored, as well as a huge mural over the stage. It's basically a wonderfully large space with a very high ceiling for a theater lacking a balcony. In the back of the house, the seats rise stadium-style over the relatively small lobby.

The place appears to be a purpose-built movie house, with lots of original deco details and light fixtures still intact. There is no real stage or fly loft, but it looks like a new thrust stage area has been built.

It seems as though the place is being restored a bit at a time, but should be really nice someday. Maybe room for 900-1000 seats. Extensive second floor offices and booth were being worked on.

Here is another photo of the Uptown.

The year given for this photo is 1985.

2009 photo fo the Uptown Theatre courtesy Stone 55.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stones55/4148672411/sizes/l/