Concord Cinemas 1 & 2

Carrols Concord Cinema Twin 1 & 2 was a suburban luxury era venue in Elkhart, Indiana. Like many luxury suburban movie theaters, it had comfortable seating, wider aisles than downtown cinemas, and lots of free parking. It opened in 1972 on a 25-year leasing agreement and completed its run in 1997 under its third operator. It is remembered for a high profile murder on its premises that ended local theatre magnate William P. Miller’s life.

The plans for Concord Mall were unveiled in February of 1970 to the plans of architects Steenwyk & Thrall. Anchors were Robertson’s Department Store and Montgomery Ward’s at opening. Carrol’s Development signed on to add a twin-screen, fully automated theater. It would be the Concord Cinema 1 & 2 at 3701 South Main Street. But the outparcel venue would miss the August 9, 1972 Grand Opening of the Concord Mall. The theater had identical 300 seat auditoriums for a capacity of 600. The twin opened on March 16, 1973 with “The World’s Greatest Athlete” and “The Train Robbers”. In October, controversy hit when Carroll’s booked the X-rated “Last Tango in Paris” there.

In 1974, the venue was under Carrol’s subsidiary, CinemaNational. In 1975, J.C. Penney’s anchor was added in an expansion. “Jaws” was the cinema’s biggest hit to date running through the summer of 1975. Miller Theatres Circuit took over the venue in September of 1975 - a move that may have proven fatal. On March 31, 1987, Concord Cinema manager Phillip E. Kelleher confessed to murdering Wiliam P. Miller, operator of Miller Theatres Circuit on the premises.

On July 14, 1990, Ruth Miller of Miller Theatres sold out its cinemas to GKC Circuit. In 1994, an 8-screen theatre was drawn up to replace the 22-year old facility. GKC Theatres announced a September 1994 demolition. But those plans languished and Kerasotes kept the twin going in the megaplex era. It downgraded the venue to a sub-run, $1.50 discount house status before closing it on November 20, 1997 with “Men in Black” and “George of the Jungle”. It was converted to a church likely to reduce the taxing burden on the property.

Concord Mall would stumble into greyfield status - a term associated with a majority empty retail space that is akin to a “dead mall”. Meanwhile, GKC would expand its Echo Park multiplex to 14 screens as the final major theater in Elkart’s history. The Concord Mall was closed on October 30, 2023 with all interior retailers told to exit. The property transitioned into the Concord Business Park, marking a successful pivot away from a traditional retail center.

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