Golden Era Places Today

[Bluebird Marsha]

Recently the Franklin Theater reopened after an extensive renovation. I didn't go to the grand opening (it was a 30's theme), but I can't wait to take in a movie or a show there.

 

[Mae Croft]

The Conspiracy Room in the back at The Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri (will see if I can't get pics of the theater itself next time) - it's all Egyptian themed, my camera's awful and the photos don't do it justice.

Living in the Midwest, though, I notice a lot of places (like the theater in my town, which I'll get pics of at some point) that are more or less intact and sometimes even unchanged since the good old days. Unfortunately, a lot of these unchanged places are crumbling - such a waste. Small towns either let the buildings sit abandon until they fall into rubble or they slap up some ugly paneling on the front and giant glass doors and call it a new building.

EDIT: I forgot to add this link, here are the other Conspiracy Room photos - sorry, again, about the quality!

 

[Gregg Axley]

Wow!
I love that bar....

 

[george]

I'll add a Boston-area gem that I came across to this thread. The Coolidge Corner Theatre is an independent, non-profit cinema, built in 1906 as a church and converted to an "art deco movie palace" in 1933, the community's first movie theater, never closing its doors since. "...a non-profit foundation since 1988, it celebrates the experience of cinema by presenting the finest international, documentary, animated, and independent film selections and series."

They seem to me to show mainly "art house" or independent films, but they also show the occasional classic, about once per month I would assume by looking at their website's "big screen classics" page. That page currently lists La Strada for August 29, The French Connection for September 19, Judgment at Nuremburg for October 17, and West Side Story for November 14 (each on a Monday night at 7:00). They also occasionally show silent films and live performances, among other things, according to the website.

When you go there, you buy your ticket outside from a small booth, and the vintage feel doesn't stop there. The interior is just what you'd expect after seeing the outside, and these guys have the last genuine silver screen in Boston. Great place to take in a film--I saw Black Swan here last winter.

Some pictures for you guys to enjoy. Also, the website: http://www.coolidge.org/

http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/articles/741_Coolidge-Corner-Thea538324.jpg
http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Third_Party_Photo/2009/02/19/coolidgetheater__1235078866_4033.jpg
http://hollywoodeastconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/coolidge-interior.bmp