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Cinemas
- Theaters
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|  The
Lorenzo Theater Foundation, a
non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the 1947 Lorenzo
Theatre in San Lorenzo, California, has been working for nearly
8 years now to prevent the demolition of this vintage cinema. The
present owner has tried to turn it into a veterinary clinic, a church,
and a restaurant, or even to tear it down. The 700-seat, $465,000
theatre opened with the film "Dark Mirror," starring Olivia
de Haviland. The Lorenzo Theatre was the first in Northern California
with fluorescent painted murals and black lights. Once a grand beacon
near the very center of Alameda County, this beautiful theatre has
been closed for more than 20 years. Yet its fabulous façade
harks back to simpler times, when glamorous theatres drew crowds
of moviegoers to the magic of the silver screen; many of the Lorenzo's
Art Deco features are still intact and the building itself is structurally
sound. Building on these landmark feature, the Foundation's vision
is for the Lorenzo to be reincarnated as a regional center, featuring
movie and live performances, local school productions, conferences
and meetings, and a venue for local artists to display their works.
 FRIENDS
of the Upper East Side Historic Districts is trying to
save Cinemas I II (see photographs below) and the Beekman Theater
and Blockfront, 1242-1258 Second Avenue (1952: Architects: Fellheimer
& Wagner et al, see photograph left) from disfigurment and demolition.
The exceptional design of Cinema I II combines international style
minimalism, with the fine arts. Cinema I II is the first duplex,
“piggy-back” movie theater built in the United States,
a significant milestone in the development of movie theater design.
The theater has recently undergone extensive alterations to its
façade, including the removal of exterior blue Venetian tiles and
replacement with a blank white stucco wall. In addition, important
artworks integrated into the interior design have been removed.
The request
to the Landmarks Commission to protect these buildings was the culmination
of a five-year study by FRIENDS of modern buildings on the Upper
East Side. Of the findings, FRIENDS selected 22 buildings to include
in our September 2001 exhibit, "Modern Architecture on the Upper
East Side: Landmarks of the Future" (catalogue available upon request).
Both Cinema I II and the Beekman Theater were highlighted in that
exhibit to raise awareness and encourage landmark designation.
See
more information on this issue here | See
the FRIENDS Virtual Modern Architecture Exhibit
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Before
Cinemas I II, 1001 3rd Avenue
(1962: Abraham W. Geller & Associates with Ben Schlanger,
consulting theater architect)
After
See
also Beekman Theater above
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Special
Listing:
Architect John Jacob Zink. Zink designed theaters from the
1920s into the 1950s, a major competitor to John Eberson. Among
his theaters are the National Register listed "The Senator" in Baltimore,
"The Uptown Theater" in Wash., D.C., on Conn. Ave., the 1924 Takoma
Theater, Takoma, D.C., very much in use today, and the Art Deco
Flower Theater, 1950, Silver Spring, Md., using zig-zag motifs.
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Photograph by Frank
Merwald
Closed September 2000
Demolished August 2001
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Indian
Hills Theater, Omaha, Nebraska, by Richard Crowther, 1962.
Designed by an
innovative Denver architect, the Indian Hills was the last of three
“hatbox” round Cinerama movie theaters built by the
Cooper Foundation. The base of the exterior of the building and other
masonry was made up of black Roman brick, which was rare and expensive
at the time. The upper portion of the exterior, formed of insulated
Monopanels, was of a burnt orange color called Swedish red. The final
cost to build The Indian Hills was a million dollars, making it the
most expensive movie theater built in Omaha at that time. See also
Cinema
Treasures Indian Hills page. |
DEMOLISHED
!
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The
Cinema Guild and Studio, 1961, Berkeley, California by Chang and Associates
Architects . From
the website: Founded
by Edward Landberg and ably assisted by Landberg’s wife, the noted
film critic, Pauline Kael, the Cinema Guild and Studio opened its
doors for business in 1951. The duo worked together for a number of
years, writing informative and inspired programming notes which they
distributed to some 50,000 subscribers. The programs are archived
in the rare books room at the Bancroft Library in Berkeley. The Cinema
at 2451 Shattuck at Haste, some six blocks from the first theatre,
was built in 1961 and may be the only commercial cinema in America
ever built specifically to showcase art film. An extensive remodel
of a much older building (c. 1900), the new theatre, the Cinema, was
visually stunning. Incorporating bold walls of glass, huge panels
of wrap-around mosaics and bronze work, atrium archways and spare,
asymmetrical massing, the new Cinema suggested in its bold design
nothing less than a “Cathedral of Film”: in its execution, the theatre
exemplified Mid-century architectural ideals of the marriage of aesthetics
and function, while at the same time mirroring similar ideals in the
aesthetics of cinema as fine art. This building features mosaics by
Alfredo Pardinas, also the artist for St. Mary's Cathedral in San
Francisco. |
View of the
original screen facade. Photo by Warren Reynolds, courtesy Toby
Rapson.
ENDANGERED!
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Guthrie
Theater, by Ralph Rapson, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1963
From
the website: "In
May of this year, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota placed the
Guthrie Theater on its list of Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties
in Minnesota for the year 2001. The Alliance's announcement stated
in part: 'Although the Guthrie Theater has been serving the people
of Minnesota and the worldwide theater community admirably, it is
slated for destruction. It is simply unconscionable not to ask, why?'"
A difficult preservation case. The original Rapson facade-screen was
removed in 1974; preservation of the structure hinges on arguments
regarding the significance of the interior, still intact, and its
historical association with patron Sir Tyrone Guthrie, stage designer
Tanya Moiseiwitch, and architect Ralph Rapson.
An Assessment
of the Significance of The Tyrone Guthrie Theatre Submitted
to The State Historic Preservation Office, Minnesota Historical
Society, by Jane King Hession, January 14, 2002. The Minnesota State
Historic Preservation Office determined the building eligible for
the National Register of Historic Places on March 11, 2002.
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RKO
Orpheum Theatre, Marshalltown, Iowa, 1949. A
Save Our Screens project. From the website: "The
Marshalltown RKO Orpheum Theatre was the first post WWII theatre constructed
by industry giant RKO Theatres. Modern for its time the theatre featured
Carrier Climate Control air conditioning and steam heat, Kroehler
Push-Back seating and spacious modern restrooms. Marshalltown is the
birthplace of screen icon Jean Seberg, who as a teenager was cast
by Otto Preminger, to be the leading lady in his acclaimed movie,
'St Joan'. Marshalltown's RKO Orpheum Theatre was the site for the
United States premier of this epic 1957 film. The Orpheum Centre Inc.
(TOC) is a proposed plan for a multi-purpose community facility to
be housed within the present Orpheum Theatre. The project will include
two movie/auditorium spaces, a 'retro' coffee shop and a museum honoring
Iowa films and personalities." |
TO
BE RESTORED |
Broadway
Theater, 1946, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. From
the website: Built in 1946, the 541-seat Broadway Theatre provided
the Nutana Community with popular movies of the day. In addition,
some live musical performances were organized on a stage in front
of the movie screen. The Theatre operated in this capacity for almost
forty years, eventually becoming an 'adult movie theatre.' In 1984,
the Theatre was given a new lease on life when it was turned into
a repertory movie house and live performance facility. The entire
community was shocked and saddened when the Theatre shut its doors
on August 2, 1993. After several public meetings, a planning committee
was struck and the Friends of the Broadway Theatre, Inc., was formed.
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| Autoscopic
Drive-In Movie Theaters |
The
autoscope was invented circa 1953 in Urbana, Missouri by Tom Smith
with the intent being to bring the drive-in movie experience to smaller
communities that could not afford a large screen. The autoscope design
featured a ring of individual screens and a central multi-lens projection
turret and concession stand. Circular in design, each car parked in
front of a small screen. Since it involved rear projection, screen
quality was low. The concept had a brief resurgence in the 1970s and
1980s when they were employed to show adult fare while maintaining
compliance with zoning that prohibited off-site visibility. The concept
was unable to compete with the rise of video and appears extinct.
An abbreviated list of autoscopic theaters: Albuquerque NM (opened
1963) Richland, WA (opened 1973) Sonora (proximity), AR Joplin (proximity),
MO Submitted by: James Harcourt, archaeologist, Missouri Department
of Transportation. If you have photographs or information on this
topic, please email submit@recentpast.org.
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Groups
- Organizations:
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 Cinema
Treasures Launched in December
2000, Cinema Treasures is a groundbreaking website devoted to movie
theater preservation and awareness. Utilizing the community-building
capabilities of the Internet, Cinema Treasures unites movie theater
owners and enthusiasts in a common cause—to save the last remaining
movie palaces across the country. Learn more about how Cinema Treasures
is reinventing historic preservation on the web...
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Links and Resources: |
Theater
Preservation: To Restore or Not To Restore, on
MuniNet Guide and Review. By providing guidelines, advice, or examples,
several web sites may help in the decision-making process over whether
or not to preserve and restore older theaters. It is under heated
debate in many communities all over the country: Should we tear
down this old (and possibly decrepit) theater to build new retail
space, hotel property, condominiums, etc. – or do we restore and
protect what could be a historic landmark? We took a sneak preview
of the web and came across some Oscar-quality web sites that can
help – and have helped – efforts to preserve historic theaters.
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A
reference list of recent past theaters, courtesy Cinema
Treasures (not
all links may be active, check Cinema Treasures main site for updates)
Indian
Hills Theater; Omaha, NE (Demolished)
See also Saving
the Indian Hills, a documentary produced by Jim Fields.
Villa
Theatre; Salt Lake City, UT (Closed/Sold Feb. 18, 2003 - New
owner's
plans undecided)
Visit www.villatheatre.com
for lots of info
Century
5; Pleasant Hill, CA (Still open - future uncertain)
The
Casa Linda Theatre; Dallas, TX (Closed; status unknown)
Chelsea
West Cinemas; New York, NY (Open)
Cinedome
70; Riverdale, UT (Closed; Status unknown)
Cinema
1,2,3; New York, NY (First twin built in the country)
The
Cinema 180 Dome; Niagara Falls, Ontario (Former Cinerama theater)
Cinerama
Dome at Arclight Cinemas; Los Angeles, CA (Open)
Visit www.arclightcinemas.com
for the newly renovated and added complex
Cooper
Theatre; Denver, CO (Demolished)
Edwards
Big Newport; Costa Mesa, CA (Open)
Glenwood
Theatre; Overland Park, KS (Demolished, 2000)
Hawaii
Cinerama; Honolulu, HI (Closed; Endangered)
Hopkins
4; Hopkins, MN (Demolished)
A little early (1941), but a true loss...
Lido
8 Cineplex; Singapore (Open, Redesigned...)
Not in the US, but hey, it's a great facade
MacArthur
Theater; Washington, DC (1945, Gutted)
Mann
National Theatre; Los Angeles, CA (1969, Due to be renovated
soon)
The
Mexico; San Jose, CA (1949, closed)
Naylor
Theatre; Washington, DC (gutted)
Park
Forest Theatre; Park Forest, IL (1950, Early shopping center
theater
recently closed...)
Quo
Vadis; Westland, MI (Recently closed)
Seattle
Cinerama; Seattle, WA (Open)
Both this theater and the Cinerama Dome are newly restored...
South
County Cinema; St. Louis, MO (Closed)
Skyway
6 Theatres; Minneapolis, MN (Closed)
Stadium
Theater; Torrance, CA (Demolished)
Tacoma
Mall Twin Theatre; Tacoma, WA (Closed)
The
UA Cinema 150; Little Rock, AR (Open)
Winchester
Twin Theatre; Lubbock, TX (Demolished)
Century
Plaza Cinemas; Century City, CA (Demolition upcoming...)
Gage
4; Topeka, KS (open)
Palace
1-2-3-4; West Springfield, MA (Closed, 2002)
Odeon
Marble Arch; London, England
(Not in the US obviously, but definitely ruined...)
George
Burns Theatre; Livonia, MI (Demolished)
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