Bruce Wayne
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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- 3,394
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Abandoned movie theatres
- Thread starter Bruce Wayne
- Start date
Atterbury Dodd
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,061
- Location
- The South
Wow, I'm going to have to find out where some of these are. I love to explore abandoned buildings.
RobFedoraField
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,052
Here in rochester..
I'd be more concerned about finding the homless in there and making my back out...
I'd be more concerned about finding the homless in there and making my back out...
- Messages
- 13,470
- Location
- Orange County, CA
BinkieBaumont
Rude Once Too Often
- Messages
- 3,324
"The Plaza" has been closed for about thirty years, although the shopping arcade below, has always been open. The owners are currently investigating the practicalities of restoring it as a functioning cinema,all the Deco features are still there!"
- Messages
- 10,562
- Location
- Bozeman, MT
Check out the book "Silent Screens" by Michael Putnam. Truly incredible photography.
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bettydarling
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 179
- Location
- Ireland
This place old movie theatre is now an RSL Club in Clovelly, Sydney. while down the road in Bondi this lovely 'Kings Theatre' with its lovely interior was demolished, such a shame. You can see more of photos here
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2785/4056319951_414c5d03d1.jpg
Ghostsoldier
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,410
- Location
- Starke, Florida, USA
I love old theaters, also. 
Our local theater was built in 1940, and is still in operation, 7 days a week. Some of the original deco has been removed or covered, but it still retains a bit of the flair (and the neon), if you look close enough.
If you do UE (Urban Exploration) like I do occasionally, you can get some really nice images...sometimes it's more like "dangerous trespassing", but it's fun, nevertheless.
Rob
Our local theater was built in 1940, and is still in operation, 7 days a week. Some of the original deco has been removed or covered, but it still retains a bit of the flair (and the neon), if you look close enough.If you do UE (Urban Exploration) like I do occasionally, you can get some really nice images...sometimes it's more like "dangerous trespassing", but it's fun, nevertheless.
Rob
DanielJones
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 4,042
- Location
- On the move again...
The Fox Theater in Paso Robles, CA. It was gutted by a fire back in the early 80's & efforts to retrofit the building have all been cursed. Seems like it never gets off the ground. Several local big money people have bought it with the aim to restore it & then the plans all seem to fall apart.
The open lot in the photo is now taken up by a very beautiful brick facade building. This old building is now the only eyesore on the block.
It's a shame as it would make a really neat lounge theater, showing classic films while in comfy chairs & such.
Cheers!
Dan
The open lot in the photo is now taken up by a very beautiful brick facade building. This old building is now the only eyesore on the block.
It's a shame as it would make a really neat lounge theater, showing classic films while in comfy chairs & such.
Cheers!
Dan
grundie
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 138
- Location
- Dublin, Ireland
I love looking around old theatres and cinemas too. In my home city of Derry in Northern Ireland there was an old theatre called the Rialto.
It was built way back in 1918 as a theatre/cinema. In 1959 it was partially demolished and rebuilt as a modern (for the time) cinema, with no stage.
In 1983 it closed as a cinema and converted, very sloppily, back in to a theatre. The stage was tiny, there was no fly tower or any typical theatre stage equipment and the dressing rooms were a couple of portakabins in the rear car park.
In 2001 a fancy new carbuncle of a theatre 'The Millennium Forum' opened next door and the Rialto finally closed.
This is where it gets interesting for me. The Rialto would have been demolished almost immediately, were it not for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry going on in the nearby Guildhall. This is a public inquiry that seems to have been going on since time began and related to an incident in Derry back in the 1970s. The Rialto was chosen to house those who wanted to see the inquiry but couldn't due to overcrowding in the Guildhall. I worked for an IT contractor back then and my job was set up screens for the CCTV link and the evidence displays.
I got to explore every part of the place! I was up on the roof setting up Microwave links and down in the basement making sure there were UPS power supplies. The basement was the original Rialto's basement and to my surprise was filled with lots of stuff from the original building. Things like light fittings, a chandelier, paintings and doors. Real fascinating stuff that the 1959 workmen must have decided was worth saving.
In 2006, after the inquiry stopped taking public evidence, the Rialto was finally demolished to make way for a another branch of Primark! That's a pity as the 1959 Rialto was still a very nice cinema, with nearly 1200 seats. It was built in an era when cinema operators started to care about the science of cinema. A lot of work went in to designing the auditorium and analysing issues such as acoustics and viewing angles.
I would have liked to have seen it kept open as a big cinema and maybe as a community theatre. But with a multiplex only 500 meters away and a high-tech theatre next doors I can see why that wasn't possible,
I only hope they saved all that wonderful old theatre miscellany in the basement.
It was built way back in 1918 as a theatre/cinema. In 1959 it was partially demolished and rebuilt as a modern (for the time) cinema, with no stage.
In 1983 it closed as a cinema and converted, very sloppily, back in to a theatre. The stage was tiny, there was no fly tower or any typical theatre stage equipment and the dressing rooms were a couple of portakabins in the rear car park.
In 2001 a fancy new carbuncle of a theatre 'The Millennium Forum' opened next door and the Rialto finally closed.
This is where it gets interesting for me. The Rialto would have been demolished almost immediately, were it not for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry going on in the nearby Guildhall. This is a public inquiry that seems to have been going on since time began and related to an incident in Derry back in the 1970s. The Rialto was chosen to house those who wanted to see the inquiry but couldn't due to overcrowding in the Guildhall. I worked for an IT contractor back then and my job was set up screens for the CCTV link and the evidence displays.
I got to explore every part of the place! I was up on the roof setting up Microwave links and down in the basement making sure there were UPS power supplies. The basement was the original Rialto's basement and to my surprise was filled with lots of stuff from the original building. Things like light fittings, a chandelier, paintings and doors. Real fascinating stuff that the 1959 workmen must have decided was worth saving.
In 2006, after the inquiry stopped taking public evidence, the Rialto was finally demolished to make way for a another branch of Primark! That's a pity as the 1959 Rialto was still a very nice cinema, with nearly 1200 seats. It was built in an era when cinema operators started to care about the science of cinema. A lot of work went in to designing the auditorium and analysing issues such as acoustics and viewing angles.
I would have liked to have seen it kept open as a big cinema and maybe as a community theatre. But with a multiplex only 500 meters away and a high-tech theatre next doors I can see why that wasn't possible,
I only hope they saved all that wonderful old theatre miscellany in the basement.
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