Center Theatre 4
2000 Chapel Hill Road,
Durham,
NC
27707
2000 Chapel Hill Road,
Durham,
NC
27707
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: ABC Southeastern Theatres, Carmike Cinemas, Cineplex Odeon, Plitt Southern Theatres, Wilby-Kincey
Architects: William Bringhurst McGehee
Firms: Six Associates
Functions: Retail
Previous Names: Lakewood Center Theatre, Centre 1 & 2, Center Triple
Nearby Theaters
Located in the Lakewood Shopping Center, it opened on November 24, 1966 as the Lakewood Center Theatre. It was the Triangle’s first Ultravision theatre and the first modern design theatre that had rocking chair seating (with reserved sections), six-channel stereophonic sound and a 180-degree Ultravision widescreen that was capable of showing bigger presentations. The auditorium was huge and spacious with a seating capacity of 800. It was one of several designed by architectural firm Six Associates. By October 24, 1971, a second auditorium was built adjacent to the original, with a 180-degree Ultravision screen, and a seating capacity of 600. It was re-named Center 1 & 2 under ABC Southeastern Theatres. By 1983, the original auditorium was split down the middle into two sections creating two shoe-box auditoriums that had smaller screens and 400 seats each when it was under Plitt Southern Theatres.
By 1986, the second auditorium was split down the middle into two sections as well, that made the auditoriums seem quite long and narrow with 300 seats in each, making this a four screen quad 1991, when it still proved quite a draw for showing major blockbuster films. A screening of “Boyz In The Hood” drew record crowds.
All of that changed by the mid-1990’s when newer and bigger multiplxes that were being built, and the Center Theatre 4, and began to screen second-run films in order to stay afloat. The surrounding area around Lakewood was losing businesses, which didn’t help to draw in movie-goers. Carmike closed this on May 16, 1996. It was later converted into a surplus store run by Duke University.
Contributed by
Jimmy Storey, Raymond
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Recent comments (view all 48 comments)
Drewmike: I saw not only “Back to the Future 2” here but also “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” in 1989…but the Center’s showing of “Boyz In The Hood” and “New Jack City” brought in capacity crowds in 1991…. Nobody knows that a time capsule was placed there for 2016…. November 24,1966 was the year this theatre opened replacing the Downtown moviehouse that closed….
In it’s earlier days as a single screen movie house it was the reserved seat engagements of “Camelot” along with “The Sound of Music”, “My Fair Lady”, “2001” and the 70mm versions of “Gone With The Wind”, “Doctor Zhivago”,“Patton”,and “Ben Hur”(re-release)
BTW: did anyone opened that time capsule? I uploaded the grand opening ad.
October 24 and 29th, 1971 grand opening ads uploaded.
A chronology of Durham’s 70mm presentation history is mention here. Durham’s Center Theatre at Lakewood Shopping Center is mentioned numerous times. http://www.in70mm.com under 70mm presentation history of Raleigh and Durham.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was one of the 70mm presentations that played at the Center Theatre at Lakewood Shopping Center during its 1971 reissue second run that played for three weeks.
http://www.in70mm.com/library/cou../usa/r/raleigh/index.html The chronology of Raleigh’s 70mm presentation history is also mentioned for the Durham area. Durham’s Center Theatre at Lakewood Shopping Center is mentioned here numerous times.a
Once operated by ABC Southeastern Theatres.
closed November 24th, 1966
CORRECTION: Closed May 16th, 1996.