Plaza Theatre
2601 Cross Country Drive,
Columbus,
GA
31906
2601 Cross Country Drive,
Columbus,
GA
31906
5 people favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 30 comments
Closed on May 30th, 1997, by Carmike Cinemas.
Grand opening ad: ABC Plaza opening 03 Jul 1970, Fri Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia) Newspapers.com
I remember back in 1971 when I had visited my grandparents who now lived up there. I originally wanted to go to the downtown Rialto theater, which cinema treasurers and Georgia has forgotten a downtown theater very small that normally showed x rated movies were showing Die Frankenstine die, normally when I visited my Grandparents I and my dad would go to the Bradley up the street. I was curious about the Rialto cause it was showing x rated movies. By the time I came back, it was showing GP rated horror film. I wanted to see it, but, my cousin wanted to go to the plaza theater to see walt disney’s scandalous john. She won. Well, I was surprised that this theater was exactly like the Montgomery mall theater in Mont ala,alao an Ultravision theater . The same type of 146-degree screen, like Cinerama and stereophonic sound, in fact, the same movie that premiered in Georgia premiered at the one where I lived in august 70. The Brian Kieth film was projected onto the curved screen. My guess was a blown-up from 35mm Panavision and at the end of the film had auditorium audio effects, simulated stereo audio music.
I found out that the second auditorium at the Plaza opened on Christmas Day, 1975. I’ve added a “coming soon” and a “opening” photo to the photo section. I still think the main Ultra-Vision theater was split in 1978.
This opened on July 3rd, 1970. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
I erroneously reported that an auditorium was built from the ground up in 1977. It was built in 1975 or 1976, still researching when.
I remember seeing Robocop and missing in action 3 at the plaza it was a nice theatre the seats were great.
My Fair Lady was not a Cinerama film. It was filmed in the Super Panavision 70 process, and released in both 70mm and 35mm (anamorphic) formats. The Plaza was a 70mm house.
Beautiful architecture here and curved design is lovely. Some of the Dimension 150 theatres used this similar design. Did not know My Fair Lady was done in cinerama. Thought it was filmed in the 1960’s. Saw it in extreme 70mil. Music Box Theatre in Seattle. A small place with a huge wide screen. Torn down now. It was elaborate too.
I miss this theatre
ABC’s Ultravision Theatres were shaped like this theatre. If there are any of the Ultravision theatres still in operation or in existence they might be worth photographing.
Does anyone know of any theaters of the design still existing? I would love to get some photos of them. The Tara in Atlanta, GA. is a variation on this theme.
They tore it down to build a park said it was an eye sore. Now it’s just a empty lot should have been left alone
Thanks for the memories
Did this theater end up a Carmike like the Charleston, SC Ultravision Theatre (that one ended up a 4-screen)? Carmike pretty much owns all the theaters in Columbus (except the pornhouse), its (and predecessor Martin Theatres') headquarters city. It wouldn’t surprise me if Carmike ran this one into the ground as they did with many other ex-ABC/Plitt/Cineplex Odeon cinemas in the Southeast.
I wish they would have left it alone
The Plaza Theatre in Columbus was another of the theaters based on the prototype Ultra-Vison house (in Charleston, South Carolina) designed by William B. McGehee of the Asheville firm Six Associates. None of the early Ultra-Vision projects departed significantly from his original design.
It’s sucks it’s gone they are building a park there and it does make me feel good I’m not the only mad it’s gone lots of people are up set. R.i.p plaza theatre 1970-1997 tore down by idiots 2014
Sad news it was tore dawn this past February. Sucks so much of my childhood was spent there
I remember watching Robocop and missing in action 3 at this theater. I love old movie theaters and it’s sad it just sitting there boarded up
Ok dumb queston what was ultavision? was it a theater chain or a type of scope?
ABC had Several,rivest266.
I am willing to bet that this was an “UltraVision” theatre.
Francis Boucher is managing here in the summer of 1983.
Plitt Theatres,Knoxville District Admission price memo.1983.Left it out above.