The Palace 9 was a Lowes, though I believe it began as an independent, originally, before being bought out. I may have that wrong, but it was definitely a Lowes for the majority of its existence.
When the Snowden cinema opened, the stadium seating and brand new facility was an instant and massive success in Columbia, which had grown considerably since its inception in the late 1960s. It spelled quick doom for the Columbia Cinema III downtown, the original theater and for more than a decade the only theater in town, as well as the Palace 9, which had been open for about a decade when Snowden opened. But the Cinema III was very old and had no room to expand, and Palace 9 was in pretty rough shape and also had no way to expand. With Snowden’s state of the art trappings plus the ability to play absolutely everything those other twelve combined screens could brought an end to both of Columbia’s original cinemas, with III closing in 2000 and Palace 9 in 2001. Both have been demolished.
The Columbia Palace 9 was across from Howard High School in Columbia. When it opened in 1986 it was a huge success, drawing potential patrons away from Columbia’s first theater, the General Cinema III downtown, which was already struggling. It reigned supreme until the United Artists sixteen-screener opened in Snowden Square across town. Its success basically killed off both of Columbia’s original theaters, with the General Cinema closing in 2000 and Palace 9 in 2001.
A Giant Supermarket sits on the lot where the Palace 9 once stood.
For anybody nostalgic or curious, the Westview can be seen on film in a scene from Barry Levinson’s TIN MEN (1987).
It comes at about the thirty-five minute mark, where the characters played by Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito exit the nightclub to take their fight outside. That exterior is the Westview, anyone who ever visited will recognize it instantly. You see them walk out the front door, under the overhang, past the addition (made up as a coffee shop) and into the parking lot. Once there you can see the Edmundson’s Drive-In screen in the background, playing a Western.
Saw so many movies there in the 1970s and early ‘80s when it was still inside the Mall. The nearby Westview Cinemas, not far as the crow flies, was a much nicer theater in just about every way, but Security wasn’t bad – especially before it was carved up from two to four screens – and it benefited by being in Security Square Mall.
When the outdoor cinema was built, it was one of the nicer in the Baltimore County area and was an instant hit. I remember going to see Tim Burton’s BATMAN there opening day and the line stretched all the way around the building. But the explosion of multiplexes in the 1990s really dragged off a lot of its business over the years.
Can’t say I have much of en emotional attachment to it the way I do for the Wsetview, which was truly a treasure.
Beautiful theatre, the first one I ever fell in love with. Saw hundreds and hundred of movies there from 1977 to 1997, from the ages of seven to twenty-seven.
There were amazing chandeliers in the lobby, and the faux Deco style really made it feel timeless.
The Edmondsun Drive-In was next to the Westview, at the bottom of a hill. The drive-in opened in 1954 and closed before the hardtop cinema, becoming a Home Depot after it closed in 1991. The beautiful Westview was completely demolished, and a Circuit City erected in it’s spot.
Don’t know where Chuck is getting his info from, but it definitely was NEVER a seven screen cinema. If you’d ever been there, you know it was barely big enough for three screens.
In early 2000 the cinema tried one last attempt to stay alive by turning into an arthouse, playing smaller indie and foreign flicks. It didn’t last, and the Columbia Cinema closed shortly thereafter. The last movie I ever saw there was Kenneth Branagh’s LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST in the summer of 2000.
When it opened in the 1970s, the General Cinema was the only movie theater in Columbia. The Columbia Palace 9 opened in 1986, sucking away what little business the downtown theater was still doing. In 1997, the United Artists Snowden Square 14 siphoned off the business from both the Columbia III and Palace 9, with the original Columbia movie theater closing in 2000 and Palace 9 in 2001.
Doh! And I misspelled Loews, of course.
It was Sony by the time it closed in 2001.
The Palace 9 was a Lowes, though I believe it began as an independent, originally, before being bought out. I may have that wrong, but it was definitely a Lowes for the majority of its existence.
When the Snowden cinema opened, the stadium seating and brand new facility was an instant and massive success in Columbia, which had grown considerably since its inception in the late 1960s. It spelled quick doom for the Columbia Cinema III downtown, the original theater and for more than a decade the only theater in town, as well as the Palace 9, which had been open for about a decade when Snowden opened. But the Cinema III was very old and had no room to expand, and Palace 9 was in pretty rough shape and also had no way to expand. With Snowden’s state of the art trappings plus the ability to play absolutely everything those other twelve combined screens could brought an end to both of Columbia’s original cinemas, with III closing in 2000 and Palace 9 in 2001. Both have been demolished.
The Columbia Palace 9 was across from Howard High School in Columbia. When it opened in 1986 it was a huge success, drawing potential patrons away from Columbia’s first theater, the General Cinema III downtown, which was already struggling. It reigned supreme until the United Artists sixteen-screener opened in Snowden Square across town. Its success basically killed off both of Columbia’s original theaters, with the General Cinema closing in 2000 and Palace 9 in 2001.
A Giant Supermarket sits on the lot where the Palace 9 once stood.
For anybody nostalgic or curious, the Westview can be seen on film in a scene from Barry Levinson’s TIN MEN (1987).
It comes at about the thirty-five minute mark, where the characters played by Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito exit the nightclub to take their fight outside. That exterior is the Westview, anyone who ever visited will recognize it instantly. You see them walk out the front door, under the overhang, past the addition (made up as a coffee shop) and into the parking lot. Once there you can see the Edmundson’s Drive-In screen in the background, playing a Western.
At least it was preserved in this small way!
Saw so many movies there in the 1970s and early ‘80s when it was still inside the Mall. The nearby Westview Cinemas, not far as the crow flies, was a much nicer theater in just about every way, but Security wasn’t bad – especially before it was carved up from two to four screens – and it benefited by being in Security Square Mall.
When the outdoor cinema was built, it was one of the nicer in the Baltimore County area and was an instant hit. I remember going to see Tim Burton’s BATMAN there opening day and the line stretched all the way around the building. But the explosion of multiplexes in the 1990s really dragged off a lot of its business over the years.
Can’t say I have much of en emotional attachment to it the way I do for the Wsetview, which was truly a treasure.
Beautiful theatre, the first one I ever fell in love with. Saw hundreds and hundred of movies there from 1977 to 1997, from the ages of seven to twenty-seven.
There were amazing chandeliers in the lobby, and the faux Deco style really made it feel timeless.
The Edmondsun Drive-In was next to the Westview, at the bottom of a hill. The drive-in opened in 1954 and closed before the hardtop cinema, becoming a Home Depot after it closed in 1991. The beautiful Westview was completely demolished, and a Circuit City erected in it’s spot.
Truly the end of an era.
Don’t know where Chuck is getting his info from, but it definitely was NEVER a seven screen cinema. If you’d ever been there, you know it was barely big enough for three screens.
In early 2000 the cinema tried one last attempt to stay alive by turning into an arthouse, playing smaller indie and foreign flicks. It didn’t last, and the Columbia Cinema closed shortly thereafter. The last movie I ever saw there was Kenneth Branagh’s LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST in the summer of 2000.
When it opened in the 1970s, the General Cinema was the only movie theater in Columbia. The Columbia Palace 9 opened in 1986, sucking away what little business the downtown theater was still doing. In 1997, the United Artists Snowden Square 14 siphoned off the business from both the Columbia III and Palace 9, with the original Columbia movie theater closing in 2000 and Palace 9 in 2001.