9-25-07 San Mateo County Times article:
MENLO PARK â€" An ambitious plan to restore the Park Theater hinges on a last-ditch effort by Andy Duncan, the main proponent, to coax Menlo Park city officials into giving him a loan or joining him in a public-private partnership.
Duncan submitted a formal proposal to City Manager Glen Rojas on Thursday. Because of escalating restoration costs and the fact that a market-based solution to revamping the theater isn’t workable, Duncan has offered the city two options: Lend him $500,000 at 5 percent for 25 years or buy the land and lease it to him for 55 years.
At $2.2 million, the second option is far more expensive for the taxpayer, but it would give the city ownership of an important historical resource, Duncan said.
“My goal is to save the theater,” Duncan said.
Duncan plans to take out the chairs temporarily and layer the sloped floor with a dance floor so he can move his mother’s dance company, the Menlo Park Dance Academy, into the theater. Under fire from some residents for seeking the subsidy, Duncan has repeatedly claimed that the dance academy is not trying to make more money.
Another facet of his plan is getting the theater on the state and national registries of historical landmarks, a designation that comes with a 20 percent federal tax break on construction costs. Duncan hired architect Mike Garavaglia, who specializes in historic buildings, to assess the theater’s historical merit. Garavaglia has repeatedly said the theater meets the state and federal criteria.
But Duncan took a blow two weeks ago when Gilbert Workman, who chairs the Menlo Park Historical Association, told him his board unanimously agreed the theater does not meet historical criteria.
Since he announced his plans in January, Duncan said the project’s cost has risen from $1.3 million to $2 million. The total cost, which includes purchase of the land from Atherton resident Howard Crittenden, amounts to roughly $4.2 million, he said.
Reaction from the City Council has been cautious and mixed. Councilman John Boyle had not read the new proposal, but has said in the past he would like a stronger market approach. Vice Mayor Andy Cohen and Councilman Heyward Robinson said they are digesting the proposal.
Mayor Kelly Fergusson is the strongest proponent of restoration, but was cautious about endorsing Duncan’s proposal right away.
“I think it’s innovative,” Fergusson said. “That’s why a public-private partnership like this merits consideration.”
All the members agree, however, that the single-screen theater, built in 1947, should be restored to its original state. But how to get there has been the major question.
“The details are a little fuzzy,” Robinson said, referring to the recent proposal. “We need staff to take a look at it.”
Under the lease agreement, Duncan would commit to restoring the theater and paying the city $800,000 in rent up front for the first 25 years. After that, Duncan, or whoever is operating the dance academy, would pay roughly $70,000 per year. The city would have numerous opportunities to buy him out, as well.
The Menlo Park City Council will discuss Duncan’s proposal at its Oct. 2 meeting, 7 p.m. in council chambers at 701 Laurel St.
Buy the Boyd and put in millions more to re-equip it so it can showcase Cinerama? Pigs will fly and cows will circle the Moon first. Cinerama hasn’t even returned to NYC.
In 1996, I saw Mission Impossible in the huge auditorium with the huge screen lowering in front of the proscenium. This was a showing when the movie was new, and in English. The place was packed. The French rushed in for seats. I ended up at the top of the balcony, but it didn’t matter. The auditorium is one of the best anywhere to see a movie.
I agree with the new post, except insofar as studios will release the films if the profit in some way rather than being nice to classic film fans.
And, since arthouses and commercial moviehouses nationwide do show classics, I’m sure arrangements will be made NOW even if they go digital. Indeed, Roadshow’s assertions as to costs sound so high that even new movies might not be able to go out nationwide on the formula he suggests.
Ed, the movies that studios send into movie theaters are what’s keeping movie theaters alive! If those classics could sell better, they’d be in the theaters. So few people went to see the nationally reissued The Godfather in 1997, that The Godfather Part II wasn’t reissued. People had seen The Godfather on TV & didn’t jump at the chance to see it again in the theaters. (I did, and saw it again at the Ziegfeld last year).
I’m not saying the classics can’t ever play, but I am saying that in general, movie theater distribution follows the market.
Also, don’t expect temporary huge screens to be constructed for Cinerama. I’m not sure how digital classic cost structures will be worked out, but the costs and other logistics of construction of huge screens would possibly be pretty high indeed.
Dreams are great. Reality is that nowhere in the USA is there a movie palace that was built to seat more than two thousand people and still open for daily movies ! There are many movie palaces hosting live performances and some have a film series. Clear Channel believed, and Friends of the Boyd agree, that the Boyd is a viable theater. New owner Live Nation is changing its focus on Rock N'Roll rather than Touring Broadway Musicals, so the Boyd project is stalled.
Advocacy as a daily movie palace, with one screen, would be useless. Bloggers kept suggesting such for New York City’s DeMille, /theaters/501/ and that space is being gutted! There just aren’t enough fans who would keep any theater built this big in the black, not in New York City, and not in Philadelphia.
Friends of the Boyd follow the path that has saved countless former movie palaces nationwide, which is mixed use. Live events will pay the bills and bring many people to the Boyd to enjoy first class entertainment there. A film series of classics, festivals, and premieres, will enable people to also experience the Boyd for film. Restored to its original Art Deco glamour, the Boyd will once again be a showplace and entertain future generations.
Is REndres projecting film in a residence or at a film studio?
Ed, There’s NO digital projector available yet to capture the high resolution of 70 mm. At most, a 4k projector might equal 35 mm. I’d much rather see 70 mm.
That beautiful photo is from Opening Day 1928 and belongs to the Irvin R. Glazer Collection of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. It shows the original Art Deco vertical sign, marquee, and ticket booth.
The restored Spartacus was in 1991 with Cineplex Odeon as operator. I’ve seen many great classics especially at the Uptown in DC, but I missed this one there & at Ziegfeld. I caught up with it at the Cineplex Odeon Worldwide, in one of the large auditoriums with 40 feet wide scope screen, and a perfect presentation of Spartacus in 70 mm restored version, with proper use of the curtain. Whereas C.O. opened the main curtain 1st at Ziegfeld, and on a featured movie’s title/opening, opened the see thru white curtain, current operators open both curtains together.
The website says:
The Hollywood Theatre became a mecca for film-goers in the early 1960s when it became the only Cinerama theater in Oregon. Portions of the building – especially the frame of the massive curved screen in the downstairs auditorium – are a testament to that time.
and also says:
The main floor auditorium seats 460 (35mm/16mm/DLP/live performance).
The upstairs west auditorium seats 171 (35mm/16mm/DLP/live performance).
The upstairs east auditorium seats 219 (35mm only)
The Mezzanine lobby can accommodate up to 125 comfortably for a reception(depending on table set-up)
9-25-07 San Mateo County Times article:
MENLO PARK â€" An ambitious plan to restore the Park Theater hinges on a last-ditch effort by Andy Duncan, the main proponent, to coax Menlo Park city officials into giving him a loan or joining him in a public-private partnership.
Duncan submitted a formal proposal to City Manager Glen Rojas on Thursday. Because of escalating restoration costs and the fact that a market-based solution to revamping the theater isn’t workable, Duncan has offered the city two options: Lend him $500,000 at 5 percent for 25 years or buy the land and lease it to him for 55 years.
At $2.2 million, the second option is far more expensive for the taxpayer, but it would give the city ownership of an important historical resource, Duncan said.
“My goal is to save the theater,” Duncan said.
Duncan plans to take out the chairs temporarily and layer the sloped floor with a dance floor so he can move his mother’s dance company, the Menlo Park Dance Academy, into the theater. Under fire from some residents for seeking the subsidy, Duncan has repeatedly claimed that the dance academy is not trying to make more money.
Another facet of his plan is getting the theater on the state and national registries of historical landmarks, a designation that comes with a 20 percent federal tax break on construction costs. Duncan hired architect Mike Garavaglia, who specializes in historic buildings, to assess the theater’s historical merit. Garavaglia has repeatedly said the theater meets the state and federal criteria.
But Duncan took a blow two weeks ago when Gilbert Workman, who chairs the Menlo Park Historical Association, told him his board unanimously agreed the theater does not meet historical criteria.
Since he announced his plans in January, Duncan said the project’s cost has risen from $1.3 million to $2 million. The total cost, which includes purchase of the land from Atherton resident Howard Crittenden, amounts to roughly $4.2 million, he said.
Reaction from the City Council has been cautious and mixed. Councilman John Boyle had not read the new proposal, but has said in the past he would like a stronger market approach. Vice Mayor Andy Cohen and Councilman Heyward Robinson said they are digesting the proposal.
Mayor Kelly Fergusson is the strongest proponent of restoration, but was cautious about endorsing Duncan’s proposal right away.
“I think it’s innovative,” Fergusson said. “That’s why a public-private partnership like this merits consideration.”
All the members agree, however, that the single-screen theater, built in 1947, should be restored to its original state. But how to get there has been the major question.
“The details are a little fuzzy,” Robinson said, referring to the recent proposal. “We need staff to take a look at it.”
Under the lease agreement, Duncan would commit to restoring the theater and paying the city $800,000 in rent up front for the first 25 years. After that, Duncan, or whoever is operating the dance academy, would pay roughly $70,000 per year. The city would have numerous opportunities to buy him out, as well.
The Menlo Park City Council will discuss Duncan’s proposal at its Oct. 2 meeting, 7 p.m. in council chambers at 701 Laurel St.
Sketch of exterior:
View link
scroll down for photo of Ceiling of auditorium:
http://lisbondailyphoto.blogspot.com/
Photo of modernist urinals in Cinema Sao Jorge
http://www.urinal.net/cinema_sao_jorge/
exterior photos here. Looks enormous!
View link
sketch here:
View link
Photo as Hard Rock Cafe:
View link
I saw Broken Arrow in 1996. Then: vertical curtain (goes up & down). 2 balconies.
2007 exterior photo:
View link
A friend of mine recently saw movie there, maybe as part of a film festival. In 1996, I saw a movie in the large upstairs auditorium.
Buy the Boyd and put in millions more to re-equip it so it can showcase Cinerama? Pigs will fly and cows will circle the Moon first. Cinerama hasn’t even returned to NYC.
In 1996, I saw Mission Impossible in the huge auditorium with the huge screen lowering in front of the proscenium. This was a showing when the movie was new, and in English. The place was packed. The French rushed in for seats. I ended up at the top of the balcony, but it didn’t matter. The auditorium is one of the best anywhere to see a movie.
Website about it!
http://www.silverscreens.com/rex_en.html
Official: http://www.legrandrex.com/
Exterior tower:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metropol2/117271012/
Auditorium- Now that’s a movie theater!
View link
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djou/518173200/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhino75/44435586/
Unfortunately the links no longer work to Ed’s fantastic interior photos.
Here are others,
Set of 2005 interior photos:
View link
2006 Grand Lobby:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohtoberich/183121235/
Sept 2007 exterior detail:
View link
I agree with the new post, except insofar as studios will release the films if the profit in some way rather than being nice to classic film fans.
And, since arthouses and commercial moviehouses nationwide do show classics, I’m sure arrangements will be made NOW even if they go digital. Indeed, Roadshow’s assertions as to costs sound so high that even new movies might not be able to go out nationwide on the formula he suggests.
Ed, the movies that studios send into movie theaters are what’s keeping movie theaters alive! If those classics could sell better, they’d be in the theaters. So few people went to see the nationally reissued The Godfather in 1997, that The Godfather Part II wasn’t reissued. People had seen The Godfather on TV & didn’t jump at the chance to see it again in the theaters. (I did, and saw it again at the Ziegfeld last year).
I’m not saying the classics can’t ever play, but I am saying that in general, movie theater distribution follows the market.
Also, don’t expect temporary huge screens to be constructed for Cinerama. I’m not sure how digital classic cost structures will be worked out, but the costs and other logistics of construction of huge screens would possibly be pretty high indeed.
The airplanes didn’t show movies in 35 mm. Did the Queen Mary?
Dreams are great. Reality is that nowhere in the USA is there a movie palace that was built to seat more than two thousand people and still open for daily movies ! There are many movie palaces hosting live performances and some have a film series. Clear Channel believed, and Friends of the Boyd agree, that the Boyd is a viable theater. New owner Live Nation is changing its focus on Rock N'Roll rather than Touring Broadway Musicals, so the Boyd project is stalled.
Advocacy as a daily movie palace, with one screen, would be useless. Bloggers kept suggesting such for New York City’s DeMille, /theaters/501/ and that space is being gutted! There just aren’t enough fans who would keep any theater built this big in the black, not in New York City, and not in Philadelphia.
Friends of the Boyd follow the path that has saved countless former movie palaces nationwide, which is mixed use. Live events will pay the bills and bring many people to the Boyd to enjoy first class entertainment there. A film series of classics, festivals, and premieres, will enable people to also experience the Boyd for film. Restored to its original Art Deco glamour, the Boyd will once again be a showplace and entertain future generations.
Regarding Bob’s post of September 13, I hope there’s photos somewhere of the 1930’s era ceiling light fixtures and the original colors of the column!
When I see Warner/Grand appear on Comments, I know that it is THIS theater and none other, so the current label is quite functional!
Is REndres projecting film in a residence or at a film studio?
Ed, There’s NO digital projector available yet to capture the high resolution of 70 mm. At most, a 4k projector might equal 35 mm. I’d much rather see 70 mm.
Exterior photos here:
View link
That beautiful photo is from Opening Day 1928 and belongs to the Irvin R. Glazer Collection of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. It shows the original Art Deco vertical sign, marquee, and ticket booth.
Photos of this theater:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2920.html
Photos
Entry from Shopping Mall:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flaneur/260299791/
HugeLobby of movie theater:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v63/255468910/
Mural in Lobby:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thejcgerm/276790439/
Ceiling Light Fixture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbcastro/371599251/
What time last night was it over?
Did they use the 4 track sound?
So, signed. Good luck, Michael.
The restored Spartacus was in 1991 with Cineplex Odeon as operator. I’ve seen many great classics especially at the Uptown in DC, but I missed this one there & at Ziegfeld. I caught up with it at the Cineplex Odeon Worldwide, in one of the large auditoriums with 40 feet wide scope screen, and a perfect presentation of Spartacus in 70 mm restored version, with proper use of the curtain. Whereas C.O. opened the main curtain 1st at Ziegfeld, and on a featured movie’s title/opening, opened the see thru white curtain, current operators open both curtains together.
It is easy to visit the Internet site from Philadelphia. I’ve never been to Oregon or Washington, but eventually….
Simon,
It would appear balcony was split up:
The website says:
The Hollywood Theatre became a mecca for film-goers in the early 1960s when it became the only Cinerama theater in Oregon. Portions of the building – especially the frame of the massive curved screen in the downstairs auditorium – are a testament to that time.
and also says:
The main floor auditorium seats 460 (35mm/16mm/DLP/live performance).
The upstairs west auditorium seats 171 (35mm/16mm/DLP/live performance).
The upstairs east auditorium seats 219 (35mm only)
The Mezzanine lobby can accommodate up to 125 comfortably for a reception(depending on table set-up)