AMC Classic Dekalb Mall 16

Picking up on various comments made on various North Dekalb pages here on CT, I visited the AMC 16 earlier this year and do strongly believe that the Market Square 4 is part of this 16-plex. This theatre after entering the lobby, to the right side of the snack bar are four slope-seating theatres. To the left of the snack bar is a long hallway that connects to what is essentially a 12-plex stadium style theatre. Pics soon to be up at Cinematour.com

Maybe it was first expanded to from 4 screens to six, then the other section with 10 screens were built. My local AMC Classic (formally Carmike) has a similar set up. There are four screens in a row in one hallway that was built along when the mall was built in 1980, and around 1990 another section was built with 4 theatres on each side of a new separate hallway.

Since those are pretty standard AMC designs of the time, I assume that AMC remodeled to match the additions just without stadium.

Article in today’s paper reports that the mall owners have decided that the days of enclosed malls are over and that they are going to tear this place, Atlanta’s first enclosed mall, down. In its place will be built yet another “Town” concept development. It will have eating, retail, offices, apartments, and a Costco. It also said that the AMC Theater will remain but did not specify if the current theater would be incorporated into the center or if it would be rebuilt in another part of the development.

If this comes about it means that the original mall (and Storey Theater) lasted 21 years, and the Market Place rebuild with its Cineplex-Odeon 4 / AMC 8 / AMC 16 about 34 more.

Recently in the news, the developers have backed out of the plan I described above. Their stated reason was the insistence of the county that the project include area road improvements and park land / green spaces over and above what what the project included. They said the county requirements made the project economically unviable. This kind of thing happens on every big development proposed in this town although it is rare that someone calls the governments bluff and walks away.

Time will tell if they come to some sort of face saving compromise or if some new player enters the market. This is one of the few areas of DeKalb that has not incorporated so if the city of LaVista Hills ever comes into being the attitude of a new zoning board may be different. Meanwhile, what is left of the first enclosed mall in Atlanta continues into its 55th year.