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Closing of UA Pasadena Marketplace 6
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120305
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November 19, 2004 at 1:22 pm
PASADENA, CA — The United Artist Pasadena Marketplace 6 has closed. Ever since Pacific Theatres opened a new 14-plex a few years ago down the street, this theatre has been a ghost town. This doesn’t surprise me because it was very outdated. But then again, it’s right in the middle of Old Town Pasadena.
You would think the area would be busy enough to support the theatre. I don’t know if the lease was up or why Regal Entertainment pulled the plug. Last year, AMC Theatres abandoned its 8-screen theatre across the street. Laemmle Theatres reopened it — showing first-run movies and independent films.
Comments (7)
The irony of this is the UA Marketplace was instrumental in the revitalization of Old Town Pasadena. Now it is a victim of it.
FROM PASADENA STAR NEWS:
Pasadena UA theater shuts down
By Kevin Smith Staff Writer
Friday, November 19, 2004 – PASADENA — The United Artists Pasadena 6 theater screened its last films this week and the Colorado Boulevard venue has closed down as the building’s new owner prepares to revamp the site for new tenants.
Knoxville-Tenn.-based Regal Entertainment Group has run the six-screen theater since 1986, but the company opted to discontinue operations there, Regal spokesman Dick Westerling said.
“The new landlord and Regal mutually agreed upon a lease termination,‘ he said.
The theater was sold over the summer to CIM Group Inc., a Los Angeles real estate investment firm.
CIM officials could not be reached for comment Friday, but Maggie Campbell, president and chief executive officer of the Old Pasadena Management District, said CIM doesn’t plan to operate the building as a movie theater.
“There’s not going to be any formal announcement about the tenant mix until May, but in the presentation they have given us, they are carving it up into three leasable spaces,‘ said Campbell, whose organization represents property owners, businesses and residents in Old Pasadena.
“We’re sorry to see the movie theater go away on that corner, but we also recognize that the market is changing and that this could be a tremendous opportunity.'
Campbell said her association is looking for other potential locations in Old Pasadena where a new movie theater might be possible.
“Old Pasadena is a proven market,‘ she said. "The UA theater hasn’t been a big draw for a long time, but the base of our draw isn’t going anywhere. From what I’ve heard, we will end up with some top-notch tenants. There are many strong tenants that aren’t in our market that are trying to come in.’
Campbell said her organization is always proactive in regards to luring new businesses to the area.
“Old Pasadena has great opportunities but there are also challenges,‘ she said. "We have to keep reinventing ourselves.’
Regal Entertainment Group is the nation’s largest theater chain, with 560 theaters nationwide, including 105 in California. The company averages more than 11 screens per complex, according to Westerling.
— Kevin Smith can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2701, or by e- mail at .
Not a surprise to me, either. Funny how LA and Pasadena went from being under-screened to over-screened in so little time…
Ah, OK, so it just closed last Friday (11/19/04). I work in Old Pasadena and on Friday when I saw the marquee on this theater it said “FADE TO BLACK.” I wasn’t sure if maybe it was closed for a special indie movie premiere with that title or something, hehe.
I know that this theater was instrumental in the revitalization of Old Town Pasadena, but honestly I’m not sorry to see it close; I have no sentimental attachment to this theater nor do I imagine anyone to think it to be an architecturally significant building. Two or three years ago I saw a movie here and I saw a rat run across the aisle while I was waiting for the movie to start. That really gave me an uneasy feeling when the movie did start and the lights dimmed… I imagined rats running around unseen.
Does anyone know when the theater opened?
Regarding my last question, reading the post with the news article in it I saw that the theater opened in 1986. My bad!
I do not believe the theater was instrumental in the revitalization of Old Town. I was born and raised in Pasadena (1966 – 2004) and worked at Cafe Jaquelet (1983/84), which was one of the first places to boost old town. Others I remember are: The original “Espresso Bar” off or Raymond street, “Birdies”, The “Hot Dog Building Company”, oh yeh, and let’s not forget “Josephina’s”. I remember Colorado Blvd being a cool thrift shopping area as well.
Wow…..I moved Texas in 1994 and haven’t been back much since.
I remember when that theater opened, and all of the Espresso Bar regulars dubbed it “The Neon Monstrosity”. There were alot of jokes about “There goes the neighborhood!” and so on.
I guess the tired old beatniks and hippies saw through the drugs alot more clearly than I thought!