Villa Plaza I-II-III
10501 Davisson Road SW,
Lakewood,
WA
98499
10501 Davisson Road SW,
Lakewood,
WA
98499
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: General Cinema Corp.
Previous Names: Villa Plaza I-II
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News About This Theater
- Jun 18, 2010 — "Jaws"... Happy 35th!
- May 14, 2010 — Please Post Today, May 14 --- "Jaws," Happy 35th
General Cinemas Corp. opened this twin on July 1, 1969 with Jack Lemmon in “The April Fools” & John Wayne in “True Grit”. Originally was a two-screen theater with 1,000-seats and 600-seats screens. On November 5, 1981, demand forced owners to convert the larger theater into two spaces. Small, shoebox-style theaters. It fell into decline as newer, bigger theaters sprung up in Tacoma and Pierce County. It was closed on May 20, 1988. Theater was demolished when the Villa Plaza shopping center became the Lakewood Mall (which is now Lakewood Towne Center).
Contributed by
Kate DeWeese
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Recent comments (view all 22 comments)
Some notable exclusive engagements late in its life were Return of the Jedi and Romancing the Stone. GCC played a lot of Fox and Universal films in the day.
I started there in 1982 when E.T. was playing to sold out crowds. I closed it in 1988 shortly after I was promoted to manager.
Does anyone know when the photo of the concession stand was taken? I worked there in the mid-80’s (including the ROTJ and Romancing the Stone runs) and it looked exactly the way it does in the photo. So sad it’s gone. Have a lot of very fond memories. It was my first-ever job. After it closed, I moved to Lincoln Plaza GCC for summer jobs when home from school.
I think those photos were taken between 86 & 88. Was sad closing it. We probably know each other. I am Carmen. I Went from Villa Plaza, on to Renton Village to close it before the rebuild then on to Kitsap Mall Cinemas.
I don’t know if the Brady Bunch were there for the opening, but there is a connection. There was a special screening (I think it was “Charlotte’s Web”) and two of the cast members (Pretty sure it was Barry Williams and Christopher Knight) were there and handing out records (45s) after the movie.
Wow that brings back memories. I worked there about 1975/1976ish to about 1977/1978ish. Started as a doorman & eventually chief of staff. Also popped popcorn & filled in for the janitors. Knew Johnny the projectionist (Drove a VW bug ) and spacing on the name of the other projectionist. Manager’s name was O'Neil and another might have been a younger brother to Linda Danisher. Was there for the King Kong remake launch. And no I NEVER ate the popcorn…:–)
Just uploaded some old newspaper ads
The Villa Plaza Cinema I & II was opened by General Cinema on July 1st, 1969. Grand opening ad with pictures posted.
Newspaper listings for this cinema ended on May 30th, 1988.
The Villa Plaza was announced in 1955 and - for a brief moment - became a lightning rod of controversy as the center was rethinking Tacoma’s and Pierce County’s retail landscape. Anchor tenants J. C. Penney’s, W.T. Grant and Woolworth’s saw the future as the venue opened theatre-lessly in August of 1957. In 1968, the Plaza was expanded and would include a twin-screen theater with a 1,000 seat auditorium and a 600 seat auditorium for a capacity of 1,600 patrons.
A July 1, 1969 benefit grand opening with “The April Fools” and “True Grit” launched the venue. The Lakewood Artists were the featured creators in the General Cinema art gallery - a staple of the 1960s and early 1970s GCC theaters. Another staple of many locations was the dreaded twinning of auditoriums where in late September, one auditorium was closed for remodeling. The result was a November 5, 1981 rebranding as the General Cinema Villa Plaza I-II-III.
The multiplex era made it challenging for aging single, twin and triple screen facilities to function. General Cinema opened the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas 8 on May 20, 1988 and decided to close the Villa 3. The Villa closed with Louie Anderson in the “Wrong Guys” and Joe Piscopo in “Dead Heat” on Screen I,“Biloxi Blues” and “Salsa” on Screen II, and “Jack’s Back” on Screen III.
Days later, a plan was unveiled that would knock down the cinema and its space would be part of the new $150 million Lakewood Mall at Villa Plaza which conceptualized a six-screen cinema for Cineplex Odeon targeting for a Thanksgiving 1989 launch. General Cinema would add the Gateway Center multiplex in February of 1989 and Cineplex Odeon’s Lakewood Mall 6 would debut on December 8, 1989.