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Theaters
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May 20, 2004
Church Sets Sights on Defunct Concord Cinema… Again
CONCORD, CA — The long-gone Capri Theatre, located in the city’s Park & Shop shopping area, is at the center of another debate between a local church that needs a home and city business leaders.
The church, which has unsuccessfully bid for the property in the past, is now making another push for the property. But city officials are fighting against this, citing a rejuvenation of the theater, and a commitment to supporting a retail-only environment.
Full details can be found in this report from the San Francisco Chronicle.
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May 19, 2004
Port St. Joe Allows Project to Proceed
PORT ST. JOE, FL — Yesterday, the City of Port St. Joe decided to recommend that a building permit for the “reconstruction project” next door to the Port Theatre be issued.
In spite of legal counsel and abrogation laws in our favor, it was determined that if we wish to continue fighting this, it will have to become a civil matter in a court of law.
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May 11, 2004
One Theater’s Experience with the National Register of Historic Places
PORT ST. JOE, FL — Recently, I clearly saw the value of Historic Registry status for our Port Theatre.
The process of application for National Historic Registry nomination is not a quick process. It could take 2 to 3 years to get through successfully. One needs to persevere and not get discouraged because in the long run it helps preserve one more theater, one more treasure.
Contacting your state’s historic department is probably the best first step in the process. You may also want to visit the National Register of Historic Places website.
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April 30, 2004
Garden Theater in Charleston in Danger
CHARLESTON, SC — A few dozen people gathered on Monday night, April 26, to discuss a strategy for saving the Garden Theater as a theater. It was recently sold to a group of investors who plan to lease it to a national clothing chain. Many said converting the theater to retail space would be a loss for the city.
Jonathan Poston of the Historic Charleston Foundation said that would be “a perfect example of the mall-ization of King Street. If Charleston wants a theater on King Street that is still a theater… the community has to come up with the money.”
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April 28, 2004
Hartford Drive-In May Become Townhouses
NEWINGTON, CT — The Hartford Drive-In on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington was one of only four remaining drive-ins in Connecticut when it screened its final movie in 1996.
Since then, the theater has sat and deteriorated, with occasional seasonal use as a flea market or Christmas tree lot. While efforts to purchase and reopen the drive-in theater failed long ago, efforts to redevelop the property with a large retailer (like Wal-Mart) weren’t successful either.
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Movie House Giveaway in Paducah
PADUCAH, KY — In an effort to lure artists to a formerly run-down area that’s currently in the midst of a revival as an artists colony, the neighboring Arcade and Columbia Theatres, closed for more than 20 years, are being given away by City of Paducah.
The city, according to this report in the Chicago Tribune, is hoping to donate either one or both of the theaters to the right party with the right plan. Carol Gault, executive director of the Main Street Paducah program says “the theaters would be perfect for a non-for-profit group that wanted to put on plays, or, for that matter, start showing films again. We’re willing to listen to any ideas.”
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April 27, 2004
Suffolk Theatre Sale Cancelled
RIVERHEAD, NY — The sad saga of the Suffolk Theatre continues as the most recent deal to purchase the beleaguered movie house has fallen through, according to Newsday. Closed since 1987, the theater has gone through a series of public and private efforts to secure its future to little avail. The battle continues …
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April 26, 2004
New Effort To Preserve The Dome
PLEASANT HILL, CA — A local high student is leading an effort to preserve the domed CineArts theater. Slated to be torn down to make way for a new retail and entertainment complex, the Dome remains open (and popular) and is still a local landmark.
According to the Contra Costa Times, the demolition of the domed theater, currently exhibiting art house films, has been pushed off while developers bring in two large retailers.
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April 22, 2004
Photos from the Art Theatre Fire
BINGHAMTON, NY — Thanks to Tim O'Neill from the IAFF 729 City of Binghamton Fire Fighters Union, we have some shots of the fire that ravaged the Art Theatre two weeks ago. (See previous story.)
These images were shot by Capt. Rick Allen as the Binghamton Fire Department put out the fire.
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April 20, 2004
Yeadon Theater Pics
YEADON, PA — As a followup to last week’s story about the Yeadon Theatre, George Quirk sent in some recent shots of the theater. ()