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Varsity Theater to close
posted by
bobosan
on
June 16, 2007 at 10:30 am
HONOLULU, HI — It was announced on June 15, 2007 that the Varsity Theater in Honolulu would close in two days.
The Varsity opened in 1939. In recent years it was known for showing art house and foreign films.
The building had original Art Moderne/Art Deco designs.
Here’s a link to an article on the closing in the Honolulu Advertiser.
(Thanks to Bob Bobster for providing the photos along with the urgent story)
Comments (9)
Here’s an expanded version of the Advertiser’s story on the closing of the Varsity:
View link
And here’s a story from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin which has a nice photo of the lobby:
View link
More pictures of the Varsity can be found here:
http://bobster1985.tripod.com/
Does anone have any contact information? Is it going into foreclosure or is the present owner going to sell it?
From what I’ve heard, the theater will be demolished and the land re-developed. The University of Hawaii is nearby and might want to build dorms there. Land is scarce in Honolulu and there’s great demand for a prime location like this.
There was a proposal in 2003 to demolish the Varsity and build dorms for the U of H. That plan envisioned preserving part of the theater’s entrance:
View link
What a shame it seems like a great old place.
It’s a shame for so many reasons, it’s so sad to see art houses close, especially when they’re housed in a building with such a history.
How sad! Let’s hope any new owners does indeed incorporate the facade with the wonderful looking marquee, and the gorgeous Art Deco/Art Moderne light fixtures, too, in a new building if this theater is demolished.
I live near Greensboro, NC, but I was still saddened to hear about the closing of the Varsity in Honolulu. There is also a Varsity in Chapel Hill, NC, which thankfully remains open. I added a blog entry about the closing of the Hawaii cinema on my blog. There is a newer entry which talks about the up-coming midnight screening of “The Big Lebowski” at the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va.
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