Once again Mr. Coles, I am a fan of your efforts. I attended your library meeting and also went down the same path you fellas did. Your book does speak of a space that was a reverse movie house that was occupied by Leon’s. It is for lease. What is the story on that theatre’s history? Also I spoke with Demetre Jewelers and they said they have some early photographs of The Wonderland. Check it out and maybe post some photos on this sight.
Does anyone know the significance of the women in the top corners of the facade? I was recently in the city and noticed that the facade is extremely similar to the Garden Theatre in Charleston, SC. They are obviously both Beaux arts/neo-classical style-but what’s the background on the women?
According to The Beach Company, The contract in question did not have the proper city forms and could not meet thier contract date. Their contract was bought out by an anonymous party through the dealings of Mr. Way, who was planning to put in a national chain. I have been following this very close for some time, even at one point the mayor was informed of our plan and we too met with civic leaders. The parties new of our intention to put a contract in on March 22nd, the monday following the midnight deadline. According to the agent, Mr. Way’s mind was made up, and he would not accept our contract. Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to see this theatre a theatre. It has been my dream for a long time. It would be a travesty, to let one inch of this theatre destroyed. Any ideas?
I have been working to save The Garden Theatre for over a year. Due to the cut-throat real estate game in Charleston, My group and I have been quietly communicating with the owners of this building to get it under contract. Without risking libel, I will just say that the first contract “condo” plan was a direct result of an over-ambitious architect we were working with trying to get a quick cash deal. But we over came this contract and were ready to rally for support. I will also add that LLat was being misinformed about a lease opportunity to keep his group off their back. They never even considered keeping The Garden as a theatre. But there was light at the end of the tunnel. We spoke with a fellow Cinema Treasure Real estate developer who new the real estate game and how to play it,and a new architect, who shared the vision of a restored Garden, and believe it or not, the condo contract was falling through. This contract was to end Friday, March 19th at midnight. We were ready to put our contract in first thing monday morning. Until the bottom dropped out. The owner of the real estate company, and a relative of the founder of The Garden Theatre, sold the contract to NEW developers who have a national tenant and are closing with no contingencies. They will not accept our contract. Especially from us non-profit folk without the kind of cash a national tenant brings to the table. I will spare the rest of the story- ya’ll have heard it before. It is a shame though- charleston wasn’t always a shopping mall. My hat is off to Mr. Coles. I own a copy of his book about The History Charleston’s Movie Theatres and it was a great resource and a wonderful read for a fellow cinema treasure hunter. I wish there was a happier ending. I do think, Mr. Coles, you should post the other theatres on this site.
It’s listed in the Whashington Post article you posted. It says they will be showing . . cartoons and mini-movies. Do you think that they will use brand new ones or show old ones? Turner does own cartoon network and thier library is huge (Warner Bros.)
Patrick,
Do you think since Regal signed a deal with Turner that it will give them exclusive rights to some of their library. I grew up in Atlanta and watched Turner Broadcasting when it was a dinky uhf channel 17, but the programming with its cartoons and slew of other programs allows for all kinds of untapped cinema pre-show entertainment that would fly in a single screen environment in the cinema treasure I am working diligently to save. Your thoughts? I know that Turner Classic Movies Channel helps the fox so it may not be exclusive …
It depends on where you are located. In the south east, there is a reputable company called Marquee Technical Services (google them)They have a great reputation in the industry. They work like building contractors, bringing in all the neccessary people to get you estimates on how to get you up and running. As far as going digital, these same companies have the know how to help us out. Most importantly how in the way of costs.
Part of my love for these theatres is that they all share a personality, a unique individual quality that seperates them from the others. Find that individual quality in the theatre you are persuing. Study its history and the people who shared it. Then do some thorough marketing research and find the niche you need to bring this theatre back to life. I agree, digital can open up horizons for the single screen theatre and open programming capabilities. People are downloading movies on their own computers all the time. The technology is here. Hell, if they can do cheaply in brazil (I read your article) they can do it here. Maybe it will even force the cost of the more beautiful celluloid to go down. I think digital technology is stalling because the distributor hasn’t found the exact way keep the strangle hold it has over the theater owners. Especially the ones trying to keep these beautiful theaters alive. Hopefully there are some experts on this fabulous site who can add to this highly relevant topic.
S-78,
I too am seeking information regarding digital cinema, a least on a alternative programming level. Are you refering to an this article www.moviemaker.com/issues/38/38_digital.htm ? titled digital killed the celluloid star. The article does seemed a little dated, perhaps some of the more experienced CinemaTreasure hunters might be able to add some insight. It seems that the technology is advancing. There are examples like The Senator in Baltimore, who got THX certified- a special program they were testing for historic movie palaces. Also, Christie seems to be developing interesting digital technology that is compatible with thier celluloid projectors. Any thoughts?
Once again Mr. Coles, I am a fan of your efforts. I attended your library meeting and also went down the same path you fellas did. Your book does speak of a space that was a reverse movie house that was occupied by Leon’s. It is for lease. What is the story on that theatre’s history? Also I spoke with Demetre Jewelers and they said they have some early photographs of The Wonderland. Check it out and maybe post some photos on this sight.
Is this the same Lyric Theater that Deniro’s character takes Cybil Sheppard into to see the porn film in the Movie ‘Taxi Driver’?
Does anyone know the significance of the women in the top corners of the facade? I was recently in the city and noticed that the facade is extremely similar to the Garden Theatre in Charleston, SC. They are obviously both Beaux arts/neo-classical style-but what’s the background on the women?
According to The Beach Company, The contract in question did not have the proper city forms and could not meet thier contract date. Their contract was bought out by an anonymous party through the dealings of Mr. Way, who was planning to put in a national chain. I have been following this very close for some time, even at one point the mayor was informed of our plan and we too met with civic leaders. The parties new of our intention to put a contract in on March 22nd, the monday following the midnight deadline. According to the agent, Mr. Way’s mind was made up, and he would not accept our contract. Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to see this theatre a theatre. It has been my dream for a long time. It would be a travesty, to let one inch of this theatre destroyed. Any ideas?
I have been working to save The Garden Theatre for over a year. Due to the cut-throat real estate game in Charleston, My group and I have been quietly communicating with the owners of this building to get it under contract. Without risking libel, I will just say that the first contract “condo” plan was a direct result of an over-ambitious architect we were working with trying to get a quick cash deal. But we over came this contract and were ready to rally for support. I will also add that LLat was being misinformed about a lease opportunity to keep his group off their back. They never even considered keeping The Garden as a theatre. But there was light at the end of the tunnel. We spoke with a fellow Cinema Treasure Real estate developer who new the real estate game and how to play it,and a new architect, who shared the vision of a restored Garden, and believe it or not, the condo contract was falling through. This contract was to end Friday, March 19th at midnight. We were ready to put our contract in first thing monday morning. Until the bottom dropped out. The owner of the real estate company, and a relative of the founder of The Garden Theatre, sold the contract to NEW developers who have a national tenant and are closing with no contingencies. They will not accept our contract. Especially from us non-profit folk without the kind of cash a national tenant brings to the table. I will spare the rest of the story- ya’ll have heard it before. It is a shame though- charleston wasn’t always a shopping mall. My hat is off to Mr. Coles. I own a copy of his book about The History Charleston’s Movie Theatres and it was a great resource and a wonderful read for a fellow cinema treasure hunter. I wish there was a happier ending. I do think, Mr. Coles, you should post the other theatres on this site.
It’s listed in the Whashington Post article you posted. It says they will be showing . . cartoons and mini-movies. Do you think that they will use brand new ones or show old ones? Turner does own cartoon network and thier library is huge (Warner Bros.)
Patrick,
Do you think since Regal signed a deal with Turner that it will give them exclusive rights to some of their library. I grew up in Atlanta and watched Turner Broadcasting when it was a dinky uhf channel 17, but the programming with its cartoons and slew of other programs allows for all kinds of untapped cinema pre-show entertainment that would fly in a single screen environment in the cinema treasure I am working diligently to save. Your thoughts? I know that Turner Classic Movies Channel helps the fox so it may not be exclusive …
Sentinel78,
It depends on where you are located. In the south east, there is a reputable company called Marquee Technical Services (google them)They have a great reputation in the industry. They work like building contractors, bringing in all the neccessary people to get you estimates on how to get you up and running. As far as going digital, these same companies have the know how to help us out. Most importantly how in the way of costs.
Part of my love for these theatres is that they all share a personality, a unique individual quality that seperates them from the others. Find that individual quality in the theatre you are persuing. Study its history and the people who shared it. Then do some thorough marketing research and find the niche you need to bring this theatre back to life. I agree, digital can open up horizons for the single screen theatre and open programming capabilities. People are downloading movies on their own computers all the time. The technology is here. Hell, if they can do cheaply in brazil (I read your article) they can do it here. Maybe it will even force the cost of the more beautiful celluloid to go down. I think digital technology is stalling because the distributor hasn’t found the exact way keep the strangle hold it has over the theater owners. Especially the ones trying to keep these beautiful theaters alive. Hopefully there are some experts on this fabulous site who can add to this highly relevant topic.
S-78,
I too am seeking information regarding digital cinema, a least on a alternative programming level. Are you refering to an this article www.moviemaker.com/issues/38/38_digital.htm ? titled digital killed the celluloid star. The article does seemed a little dated, perhaps some of the more experienced CinemaTreasure hunters might be able to add some insight. It seems that the technology is advancing. There are examples like The Senator in Baltimore, who got THX certified- a special program they were testing for historic movie palaces. Also, Christie seems to be developing interesting digital technology that is compatible with thier celluloid projectors. Any thoughts?
I believe, according to a recent article in the New Yorker, Quentin Tarintino worked at this theatre when it was The Pussycat.