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Theaters
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August 24, 2004
75th Anniversary - Mayan and Esquire Theatre
DENVER, CO — I am planning a 75th anniversary for two historic theatres in Denver for the Spring of 2005. More details to follow but I’m looking for photos, memories, clips, former employees, etc. It is surely to be a memorable event. If anyone has any information to share or a resource you think I should be directed to, please contact me at . Thanks for any assistance!
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August 20, 2004
“Faces of the Uptown Theatre” Celebrates Theater’s 80th Anniversary
CHICAGO, IL — To celebrate the Uptown Theater’s eightieth anniversary, the Friends of the Uptown have release a beautiful, four-color calendar for 2005.
Subtitled “Our history in terra cotta, plaster and people,” the calendar pays tribute to the architectural gargoyles of the Uptown’s elaborate Spanish Baroque-styled ornamentation and to the international constituency of people who have voiced support for renovating the Uptown Theatre. The calendar is free, volunteers said, so that it will be shared widely and will reward fans of Chicago’s history and architecture who have supported many city landmarks through memberships, donations, pledges, banquets and tours.
The free calendar can be downloaded from the Friends of the Uptown website.
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August 18, 2004
Blaze Destroys Historic Closed Texas Drive-In
WEATHERFORD, TX — Although the Jones Drive-In Theater hasn’t shown a movie in two decades, the huge screen tower has been a long-time landmark in the Weatherford area. The drive-in was destroyed by a fire on August 14th, leaving only the skeleton of the screen tower standing.
Fire department captain Chuck Beard said, “When I pulled up, I was remembering right off the bat. It made me feel a little sadness. I was about 18 when it closed, and remember it like it was yesterday.”
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CineArts at Sequoia Ceiling Collapses on Audience
MILL VALLEY, CA — On August 16th, a thirty square foot section of the ceiling of the CineArts at Sequoia theater collapsed onto the audience, injuring at least 27.
The CineArts at Sequoia opened in 1929, was twinned in the 1970s and underwent an $800,000 overhaul in 1999. For many years this theater was known at the Sequoia Twin.
Read more in this report from the Marin Independent Journal.
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August 17, 2004
Cascade Theatre Reopens to Public
REDDING, CA — The restored Cascade Theatre reopened to the public on August 14, 2004.
The $5.5 million restoration took five years and was helped by 1,500 donations, private and public, including a donation from Clint Eastwood who attended school in Redding.
These articles are from a special Record-Searchlight supplement about the reopening of the Cascade Theatre:
Community donors play starring role
Renovated theater puts fresh face on downtown
Now showing
Performance series, local acts fill Cascade playbill
Restored to glory, Cascade never looked so good
TOAST OF THE TOWN
THE SHOW MUST GO ON -
August 16, 2004
United Artists Theater Spawns Graffiti Debate
DETROIT, MI — For years now, there has been graffiti in the windows of the former United Artists Theater here in Detroit, and it has spawned a debate between historians, preservationists, and the art community. Is graffiti urban blight or is it art?
Now, the issue has spread to the media, as seen in this article from the Detroit Free Press.
The graffiti has been on the building since the late 1990s, when owner Mike Illitch left the building and theater open for months — an opportunity seized by vandals and graffiti artists.
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August 13, 2004
Monterey’s State Theatre Being Sold
MONTEREY, CA — The 1926 Golden State Theatre is in the process of being sold. The new owner, who is from the Los Angeles area where he has owned a recording studio, expects to own the theater sometime in mid-to late September 2004.
Immediate plans call for the balcony triplexing (added in 1976) to be removed, allowing the auditorium to return to one space. New seats on the main floor, and possible some in the balcony will take place as well.
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August 11, 2004
Village Could Decide DuPage Theatre’s Fate Next Month
LOMBARD, IL — The future of the long-shuttered DuPage Theatre could be decided as soon as next month by the Lombard Village Board, according to this report in the Daily Herald.
The Board needs to approve the release of $900,000 in tax-increment finance funds already pledged to the restoration of the former movie house. Work on the first phase of the restoration project, estimated at $1.4 to $2.4 million, is scheduled to begin this fall.
Around $5.3 million in contributions has been pledged already, according to the DuPage Theatre Foundation, of which $200,000 has been received. Lombard’s releasing the $900,000 towards the project is tied to a state grant that has been frozen for over a year due to the State of Illinois' financial troubles.
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August 10, 2004
Fire Breaks Out at Detroit Opera House
DETROIT, MI — A fire broke out on August 4th at the Detroit Opera House’s Cadillac Cafe.
The damage was confined to the cafe according to this report from Crain’s Detroit Business:
A small fire at the Detroit Opera House caused only minor damage this morning.
The fire began shortly before 5 a.m. in the Cadillac Cafe at the opera house when a food warmer caught fire, said Dave Blackburn, public-relations coordinator for Michigan Opera Theatre.
“This has never been a problem in the past; I don’t know if the food warmer malfunctioned or was left on,” he said.
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August 5, 2004
Curzon Cinemas Celebrate 70 Years of Independent Cinema
Curzon Cinemas are this year celebrating our 70th year of showcasing the best in Independent Cinema and to celebrate this we are screening a number of special seasons throughout the year at both Curzon Soho and Mayfair. Here is a brief history of both cinemas from our company director Roger Wingate: