GTC Beechwood 11
196 Alps Road,
Athens,
GA
30606
196 Alps Road,
Athens,
GA
30606
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The Beechwood Cinema opened in 1962 in the Beechwood Shopping Center, featuring wide spaced rows, 600 lounge seats, wide screen, acoustic design, and an entrance mall with shrubbery and fountains. On November 17, 1972 – a Cinema II opened.
On June 19, 1987 it was reopened as the Lefont Cinemas, with one auditoriun split from 600 to two 277 capacity auditoria, one 400 seater retained intact, and a fourth 300 seater built in neighboring dance studio. In 1993 Georgia Theatre Company took over, increasing the size to 8 screens. In 1998 three more stadium seating screens were added, and plans were made to convert the existing screens to stadium seating.
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
While it was the Lefont, it was run by Hoyt for a time.
This is actually a really nice theater. I went there tons of times while I was going to school at UGA.
Sometime during early 2005, the facade of the theater and the strip mall it is located in changed because a TJ Maxx was built right next door. I remember for months it looked like the theater had closed down completely. They took the Beechwood sign down and the marquee. I honestly don’t know how they stayed afloat during those 6 or 8 months or however long the construction took. Since this place is tucked into that strip really well, and with no signage, I don’t know how people found the place.
The TJ Maxx opened by the end of that year, I think, and the huge Beechwood sign I had come to know was reduced in size in order to fit between the two buildings.
I worked at GCC at Georgia Square Cinemas 1.2.3.4. in the Mall. The Beechwood at that time in the mid 80’s was a twin theatre. It played first run.
So back then, was Georgia Square Cinemas like THE place to see movies? Because I think that’s pretty much what Beechwood and Carmike are now. The Georgia Square Mall theater is like a dollar theater now that plays movies that came out 2-6 months ago, right?
GEORGIA SQUARE was the place to go for movies.THE PALACE, CLASSIC TRIPLE, ALPS and BEECHWOOD was it. The ATHENS DRIVE IN Closed sooon after the mall opened. it was in walking distance of the mall. The Palace was a Plitt Theatre. Classic was a Georgia Theatre. The little five plex was probably opened in the mid 80’s after I had gotten out of the business.See Georgia Square on CT, for more stories about movies and Athens moviegoers if you have not already Doonyman!