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Theaters
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July 15, 2009
Lark Theater celebrates fifth anniverary of reopening
LARKSPUR, CA — Citizens of Larkspur, California recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Lark Theater’s reopening and refurbishment.
The once rundown and abandoned Lark Theater opened to much fanfare five years ago on July 9, 2004. That was after the community banded together to refurbish and remodel the beautiful Art Deco building which has been considered a town treasure ever since.
The Lark- which is the only certified green theater in Marin- hosts Oscar parties, Met opera broadcasts, annual film festivals and is a great place to just come down and see a movie.
Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Granite City to get new cinema
GRANITE CITY, IL — After several years without a local movie theater, Granite City, IL will soon be getting a new theater. The city will provide tax-increment financing and the theater will be operated by the management of a small chain of theaters headquartered across the river in Saint Louis.
The theater will be paid through tax increment financing funds that can only be used in the downtown area. No general funds will be used for the theater, Mayor Ed Hagnauer said.
“We want to keep the theater under $4 (million), and I believe we can do that,” Hagnauer said Friday.
Read the full story inSuburban Journals.
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July 13, 2009
Preservation Row: brighter future for Boyd
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Some positive developments announced last week for the Boyd Theatre.
Friends and fans of the Boyd Theatre, the faded Art Deco movie palace on Chestnut Street, gathered under the marquee this afternoon to celebrate a double bill of good news:
The developer who is planning to restore the theater and build an adjacent boutique hotel is “close to the final acquisition” of the property, announced Howard Haas, president of the Friends of the Boyd organization.
And Philadelphia City Council last month finally passed Councilman Bill Green’s measure that would authorize historic designation for building interiors, a bill motivated by the threat to the Boyd.
Read the full story at Plan Philly.
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July 6, 2009
The Wollaston Theater has been sold
QUINCY, MA — A nonprofit organization is trying to save the Wollaston Theater. The 83-year-old theater has been closed since 2003 and is in need of major repairs.
The single-screen movie theater, known to locals as “The Wolly,” has been closed since 2003, and is in need of major repairs.
Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch requested that Street-Works purchase the aging building so it could be preserved, according to the mayor’s office. Koch said the deal will give some time for a nonprofit organization to raise money and secure grants to restore the theater.
Here’s the full story in The Boston Globe.
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June 30, 2009
Drive-in in danger of closing
GLEN DALE, WV — The Glen Dale Drive-in might close due to poor business.
The Glendale Drive-In Theater, located in Marshall County, is in jeopardy of closing unless more movie goers start showing up, 7 News learned.
The owners say they’re doing all they can to keep the drive-in open. Friday night they’re bringing in a live band to begin at 7p.m. and play up until the movie starts and then the band will begin performing again during the intermission between the two movies.
Read the full story in the State Journal.
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June 24, 2009
Due to Boyd Theatre, Philadelphia passes law to protect public interiors
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The movement to save Philadelphia’s last premiere movie palace, the Boyd Theatrea has led Philadelphia to pass a law to protect landmark public interiors!
City Council yesterday approved two measures that could boldly affect the way the city looks, by establishing a vision for waterfront development and protecting historic buildings' interiors.
The bills, which would create a 100-foot setback along seven miles of Delaware River waterfront and allow interiors to be designated as historic, passed by overwhelming margins, and Mayor Nutter has indicated he would sign them into law.
Read the full story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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June 22, 2009
Historic Georgia Theatre burns down
ATHENS, GA — The Georgia Theatre in Athens, which has long served as one of the main large music venues in the renowned Athens music scene, was hit by a major fire around 6 a.m. Friday morning, knocking out power for much of the downtown.
According to reports, the building dates to the late 19th century, when it was built as the south’s first YMCA. It had been heavily remodeled to serve as a theatre, perhaps in the 1940s, judging from its Moderne facade and largely unremarkable interior. The theater had served as a crucial venue for notable Athens acts such as the B-52s, R.E.M, Widespread Panic, and countless others since the 1970s.
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June 17, 2009
Music Hall in Portsmouth
PORTSMOUTH, NH — This year, as part of their Summerfilms program, the Music Hall up in Portsmouth, NH recently screened the great, venerable golden-oldie-but-goody movie/musical classic, “West Side Story”.
Just a little over an hour north of Boston, Portsmouth, NH is a quaint, picturesque old city with many interresting-looking old buildings and many mom-and pop businesses. However, while the Music Hall doesn’t look like much from the outside, it’s clear from the moment that one enters inside, that it’s a beautiful, real old-fashioned-looking theatre.
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Lincoln Theatre added to National Register
LOS ANGELES, CA — Seven local sites have been added to the National Register of Historic Places including the Lincoln Theatre.
Seven Los Angeles buildings that experts say have played significant roles in the lives of local African Americans have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, authorities have announced.
The listing follows a yearlong study of some 4,000 parcels in South Los Angeles by consultants hired by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The survey is said to be the first “historical thematic study” ever undertaken in California of buildings that were integral to the African American community.
Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.
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June 16, 2009
New young owner to head up Westwood Plaza Theater
JOHNSTOWN, PA — Only 23 but a veteran of the industry, Blake Feegle is taking over the Westwood Plaza Theater & Cafe.
Blake Fleegle has held just about every job a movie theater has to offer: Usher, cashier, projectionist and concession worker.
Now, he can add a new title to his cinematic resume: Owner.
At the tender age of 23, the Somerset resident has purchased the Westwood Plaza Theatre & Cafe in Lower Yoder Township.
Read the full story in the Tribune Democrat.