Bell Forge 10 to become Islamic center

posted by CSWalczak on August 13, 2010 at 10:47 am

ANTIOCH, TN — The recently closed Carmike Bell Forge 10 has been purchased by the Islamic Center of Tennessee which plans to convert it into a a worship, education, and recreation center. The theater opened in 1985 near the Hickory Hollow Mall as part of the Martin chain with Carmike taking over in 1987.

The $1.5 million transaction was recorded Monday with the Davidson County Register of Deeds. The old Bell Forge Cinemas complex is 45,000-square-feet, and the appraised value of the property is $3.8 million. The Islamic Center has posted a rendering showing its plans for the property.

The full story is in the Nashville Business Journal.

Theaters in this post

Comments (16)

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on August 13, 2010 at 12:47 pm

Saw this on the local news the other night.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on August 13, 2010 at 6:55 pm

That just what we need a Islamic center.Surprized they would go into a Movie Theatre with all that was shown and what they are suppose to be dead set against.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on August 13, 2010 at 11:06 pm

Why not? How many hundreds of ex-porn theatres are Christian Churches today?

Ross Melnick
Ross Melnick on August 14, 2010 at 2:19 am

Point of fact: millions of Muslims go to the movies globally, as they have since the birth of cinema. Egypt, for instance, has a long and storied history of film production and exhibition (including MGM’s Metro Theatre in Cairo). One need only look at the many operating cinemas in Pakistan or Morocco or the CineStar circuit in the UAE to see that.

For a rather uplifting, recent story in Jenin, check out this recent Washington Post article. It discusses how religion and the movies can be balanced and how movie theaters are as central to global cultural engagement as ever.

larrygoldsmith
larrygoldsmith on August 14, 2010 at 10:46 am

Good……………..Let them stay in Pakistan and Morocco. No one is objecting to the Muslims going to the movies.But I agree with Mike Rogers post that deals with a theatre conversion to Islamic Center:“That’s just we need”.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on August 14, 2010 at 12:13 pm

News flash! Millions of Muslems already live in the United States along with so many other groups persecuted throughout world history- whether Quakers or Jews or Irish or blacks or native US Indians. Though the US has enemies, most Islamic nations are NOT at war with the United States. In WW2, the US locked up US citizens of Japanese ancestry. That wasn’t right.

Let’s celebrate movie theaters on this site. We don’t relish when movie theaters are converted to anything else- whether sneaker stores or drugstores, but let’s leave the political concerns to other blogs, please.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on August 14, 2010 at 1:19 pm

Many closed-up former movie theaters in England have been converted into Islamic centers/mosques. Quite common there.

Johnllon
Johnllon on August 14, 2010 at 3:41 pm

The main difference in converting an old movie house to a church compared to a mosque is that the church conversion normally restores the building to its former glory, even converting triple screen back to single screen auditorium. With a mosque conversion whilst they may make it one hall again the seats are all removed and cinema or theater decorating features are removed.
As the Tennessee cinema is a closed multiplex these issues are not so relevant.
Shame to it it become a mosque though.

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on August 14, 2010 at 8:26 pm

MikeRogers, larry goldsmith. Johnllon;

I spent 40 long years in the U.S. Navy defending your FREEDOM OF SPEECH so you could say your above comments.

I also spent those 40 years for FREEDOM OF RELIGION, not just certain religions some approve of, but ALL religions!

“Let them stay in Pakistan and Morocco.” I wonder if any NATIVE AMERICANS ever wish “LET THEM (all of us) STAY” out of THEIR LAND?

Muslims like most other people are wonderful folks. A very few are rotten apples yes, but that’s true of everyone, you don’t throw out the baby with the bath water!

The below was true when it was written 61 years ago and sadly is still true today!

“You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear
You’ve got to be taught from year to year
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes oddly made
And people whose SKIN IS A DIFFERNT SHADE
You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the prople your relatives hate
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be carefully taught."

Oscar Hammerstein II (1895=1960)
From the 1949 Musical SOUTH PACIFIC
by Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein II

Retired Navy Chief Bob Jensen & “Admiral” Sharon W. Jensen

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on August 14, 2010 at 8:26 pm

MikeRogers, larry goldsmith. Johnllon;

I spent 40 long years in the U.S. Navy defending your FREEDOM OF SPEECH so you could say your above comments.

I also spent those 40 years for FREEDOM OF RELIGION, not just certain religions some approve of, but ALL religions!

“Let them stay in Pakistan and Morocco.” I wonder if any NATIVE AMERICANS ever wish “LET THEM (all of us) STAY” out of THEIR LAND?

Muslims like most other people are wonderful folks. A very few are rotten apples yes, but that’s true of everyone, you don’t throw out the baby with the bath water!

The below was true when it was written 61 years ago and sadly is still true today!

“You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear
You’ve got to be taught from year to year
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes oddly made
And people whose SKIN IS A DIFFERNT SHADE
You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the prople your relatives hate
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be carefully taught."

Oscar Hammerstein II (1895=1960)
From the 1949 Musical SOUTH PACIFIC
by Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein II

Retired Navy Chief Bob Jensen & “Admiral” Sharon W. Jensen

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on August 14, 2010 at 9:09 pm

I noticed it somehow got posted twice, sorry. Come to think of it, it needed to be said twice!

I did forget to say more on topic, I thought the building was going to look much nicer as a Mosque then it ever did as a theater.

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on August 14, 2010 at 9:11 pm

I noticed it somehow got posted twice, sorry. Come to think of it, it needed to be said twice!

I did forget to say more on topic, I thought the building was going to look much nicer as a Mosque then it ever did as a theater.

Ron Newman
Ron Newman on August 14, 2010 at 10:03 pm

Old theatres are often converted to churches, or sometimes synagogues, but how often is a multiplex reused this way? I don’t even see how it is possible.

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on August 15, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Ron; See:

Cinemark Movies 10

Check out the photo on the Calvary Chapel Chico Wbesite in Joe Vogel’s Comment.

You might also want to check out other multi-screens turned to worship by going to THEATER GUIDE, FUNCTION, CHURCH, VIEW ALL, and scan down for theaters that have multi-screens.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on August 15, 2010 at 8:54 pm

I guess i have a hard time forgetting 9-11.I will try to keep my comments to myself. But you really need to read what their teachings teach!And I really think all houses of Worship do not belong in Movies theatres or the nearby jukejoint.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on October 22, 2010 at 7:50 pm

The Islamic center id now open,saw a clip about it on the local news last night, looks like the are useing one of the auditoriums for a meeting space the seats were still there with a small stage built in front of one of the screens.

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