Are they still planning on doing second run or repertory? When my wife and I were part of the project, it was going to be first run with the ability to do the occasional stage show, but then they changed their mind on what they wanted the theater to be. They’re targeting it more as a community center last I heard, concentrating on stage acts.
In photos of the Avalon, one can see some type of stylized box on the sidewalk next to the road. It has an “A” on it, and is aligned with the theatre box office. It appears in photos that were taken twenty years apart. Anyone know what this might have been?
Cinema City is now closed. The owners of the mall ran into trouble and closed the entire site sometime around September 14th, 2012, meaning that all of the tenants were closed down.
Actually, as it turned out, we weren’t able to restore the chairs that were here when we took over. They were loungers, not rockers. IE, fixed seat, reclining back.
The seats and backs could have been redone, but the standards and hinging had gone so long without maintenance, or cleaning, that a combination of rust (from roof leaks that were never reported to the land lady) and acid, from spilled soda, had eaten through much of the metal. In some cases, you could literally push hard with a thumb and dent the metal. Unfortunately, the seats and back required this particular standard, so without the metal, the upholstered parts were worthless.
The high school auditorium seats in the middle are in generally good shape, though there are a few “blah HEARTS blah"s scratched in the backs. The plan is to replace these sometime next year, with the same seats we’ve put in on the sides. When we do replace them, the center section will be completely removed and put back in on a radius. The new side seats are already angled toward the screen.
Unfortunately, the projection booth was removed during the renovation, so they can no longer play film there. I guess it was worth it to get the springy floor for the dancers.
Not sure on the style. We’ll be going with modern doors, but hopefully something either similar (3 pane) or stylized. Anyway we cut it, it’s a minimum of $7,000, so not a cheap fix. The existing doors don’t really go with anything in the interior, and we really need secure, energy efficient doors with panic hardware.
Heh. The “white” on the doors is primer, to slow the rotting as much as possible. Huge chunks of wood are falling off now. We’re planning on putting in new doors for better security and safety.
I just met the man who owned it for many years. He apparently purchased it 30 years ago, and was the person who “twinned” it, by closing in the balcony and building a wall down the middle of the auditorium. At the same time, the projection equipment was moved to the main floor.
We have the opening slated for Dec 4 — assuming there’s no problem with occupancy/food/liquor licenses. ;)
As someone noted earlier, we have done some one off events in the past couple of months. The Manhattan Short Film Festival in September, a 24-hour horror marathon in October, and will have have Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show Part 2 on November 22nd.
This has been a year-long process, but once we made the decision to make some major facility upgrades there was no way to avoid the delay.
As an aside, the landlady — who took some lumps when the theatre closed last year — has been gracious and generous. She’s helped with the cost of our renovations, is getting the roof replaced, etc. What we’ve done here couldn’t possibly have happened without her help.
“Cinematic horror show at former downtown Meadville theater”
https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/cinematic-horror-show-at-former-downtown-meadville-theater/article_d16fb31c-a97e-11ed-896d-b37839a44ee4.html
Purchased in 2022 by the Meadville Redevelopment Agency, the theatre is to be demolished in 2023.
Mina Ginnell (1871-1940) was the mother of American film director Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986).
According to documents at the Amherst Historical Society, the “new” Amherst Cinema was built in 1959.
For information about the original Amherst, see the listing for the Empire/Amherst at 253 Church Street, Amherst, OH 44001.
Are they still planning on doing second run or repertory? When my wife and I were part of the project, it was going to be first run with the ability to do the occasional stage show, but then they changed their mind on what they wanted the theater to be. They’re targeting it more as a community center last I heard, concentrating on stage acts.
This is a frame of film taken in 1939.
In photos of the Avalon, one can see some type of stylized box on the sidewalk next to the road. It has an “A” on it, and is aligned with the theatre box office. It appears in photos that were taken twenty years apart. Anyone know what this might have been?
Here’s a short clip of the Avalon in 1939.
https://youtu.be/9qBic2s1D0s
The main floor was converted to a dance club and re-opened in February, 2013, as the “Club Centrum”. It closed later that year in September.
As an aside, we have kept one 35mm projector in place, and mothballed the other in the booth. Just in case.
David Nedrow
Grandview Theatre
Cinema City is now closed. The owners of the mall ran into trouble and closed the entire site sometime around September 14th, 2012, meaning that all of the tenants were closed down.
More info at the following article:
http://www.theotherpaper.com/entertainment/movies/article_e8e41c98-027e-11e2-9dfa-0019bb2963f4.html
URL should be:
http://www.themurphytheatre.org/
Note the “the”.
Hey, a reply exactly one year later! ;)
Keith is right, something is “better than nothing”, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Lincoln no longer operates as a movie theatre.
Actually, as it turned out, we weren’t able to restore the chairs that were here when we took over. They were loungers, not rockers. IE, fixed seat, reclining back.
The seats and backs could have been redone, but the standards and hinging had gone so long without maintenance, or cleaning, that a combination of rust (from roof leaks that were never reported to the land lady) and acid, from spilled soda, had eaten through much of the metal. In some cases, you could literally push hard with a thumb and dent the metal. Unfortunately, the seats and back required this particular standard, so without the metal, the upholstered parts were worthless.
The high school auditorium seats in the middle are in generally good shape, though there are a few “blah HEARTS blah"s scratched in the backs. The plan is to replace these sometime next year, with the same seats we’ve put in on the sides. When we do replace them, the center section will be completely removed and put back in on a radius. The new side seats are already angled toward the screen.
“talent venue”?
As in the Newport (ugh!) or the Palace?
The projection booth was removed during the renovations, so they can no longer show film.
Unfortunately, the projection booth was removed during the renovation, so they can no longer play film there. I guess it was worth it to get the springy floor for the dancers.
Not sure on the style. We’ll be going with modern doors, but hopefully something either similar (3 pane) or stylized. Anyway we cut it, it’s a minimum of $7,000, so not a cheap fix. The existing doors don’t really go with anything in the interior, and we really need secure, energy efficient doors with panic hardware.
Heh. The “white” on the doors is primer, to slow the rotting as much as possible. Huge chunks of wood are falling off now. We’re planning on putting in new doors for better security and safety.
I just met the man who owned it for many years. He apparently purchased it 30 years ago, and was the person who “twinned” it, by closing in the balcony and building a wall down the middle of the auditorium. At the same time, the projection equipment was moved to the main floor.
We have the opening slated for Dec 4 — assuming there’s no problem with occupancy/food/liquor licenses. ;)
As someone noted earlier, we have done some one off events in the past couple of months. The Manhattan Short Film Festival in September, a 24-hour horror marathon in October, and will have have Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show Part 2 on November 22nd.
This has been a year-long process, but once we made the decision to make some major facility upgrades there was no way to avoid the delay.
As an aside, the landlady — who took some lumps when the theatre closed last year — has been gracious and generous. She’s helped with the cost of our renovations, is getting the roof replaced, etc. What we’ve done here couldn’t possibly have happened without her help.
-David
Sure, a visit is fine. Check your email.
MikeR,
Do you, or your friend, have any additional info re: the organ that may have been in the Grandview Theatre?
There’s a great article about the theatre in the June, 2009 issue of Columbus Monthly.