What’s going on with the movie theater? I know there has been a for sale sign on it forever, just wondering why they felt the need to paint it with hideous day-glo paint. Ahhh, if there were only parking, the possibilities....
Parking has almost always been an issue in town - at least back to 1974 when I moved here. Granted, there was a bit more then, but not much more. Too bad because you are right - there are plenty of things that the old theater could be used for.
If you called about buying it I’m sure you could get a tour of the inside. I have heard it’s not in good shape and would need more than a little structural work in order to make it safe for people.
I wish I had a $1 for every person who had some idea about what to do with it though. I’ve heard everything from restaurant, coffee shop, bed and breakfast, and internet cafe to re-opening it again as a local movie theater.
My opinion, and I may be way off base, is that the only thing it could possibly be is a private home. Would not any commercial business have to meet parking requirements of a commercially zoned property based on square footage? The place is huge, does it have any parking at all?
If anyone has watched the movie “The Majestic” with Jim Carrey, I would bet that the old movie theatre in Stewartstown was very much like this inside.
I’ve heard stories about the back drops, the red curtains and tin ceilings etc…
At this point my personal opinion is it should be bulldozed down and build something nice or provide parking.
I just thought that I would point out that parking does not have to be that big of an issue. Across the street from the theater is a bank that has parking for about 15 cars.....about a block away is Penn Station which has parking as well. Stewartstown’s Main Street also has sidewalks. Even if you go to Queensgate or West Manchester mall, you are going to walk this far to get to the building. If the bank and restaurant would be willing to donate some parking, I do not see why the theater could host a movie...it would have to be small of course, but it could be done. Also, I think that area contractors might be willing to donate their time to fix the building, if we could come up with the money.....Oh, yeah: the paint has GOT TO GO!
IDEA: If the movie theater cannot be used as a theater, maybe someone could turn it into an arcade so that the kids that walk through town have something to do and a place to hang out. Many adults have forgotten what it is like to be a teenager, especially in a small town like ours...I bet with a little bit of help, the theater could soon become a place for kids to go so they have something to do, other than smash mailboxes. :idea:
I think the old theater in town would be a great place for plays to be put on by local church groups or school groups.
I would not like to see it torn down as it is part of Stewartown’s history.
If plays cannot be performed here than perhaps someone could use it to show cheap movies as is done in Dallastown. Movies wouldn’t be the latest or box office flops but would be movies that drew audiences at the box office.
Dallastown and Glen Rock both have their old theaters open and showing movies, I think the difference for us would be that they both have off-street parking.
I don’t have a great desire to see a part of Stewartstown history leveled, but I just don’t see how you get around the parking issue if you open it for any type of business.
PSUCHICK mentioned sharing parking with the Bank or Penn Station, seems like a great idea, and if you could get them to agree, you still have a large safety issue with groups of people crossing the street in the main square where there currently is no crosswalk.
if you’ve ever met the owner of the theater, you wouldnt wanna buy it. ive worked construction for many years, and of all the dirtbags ive come across, he was by far the worst. Bulldoze it and make it into something useful.
Depends on how they plan to remodel it. Do you think a theatre could survive there this day and age? Would it be better off razed and a new business built there? Perhaps just shoring up the walls, floor and ceiling and let the perspective buyer decide would be the way to go. I have no idea what it is worth as it is, nor what its worth would be if it was fixed.
Is it even worth fixing up? If there is no interest in it to date, do you think its a worthwhile risk to sink more money into it with hopes that it becomes a value? Hard to say too…
the last time i was in the theater was back in the late 80’s. the stage was in tact...the curtain and backdrop were reminiscent of an old vaudeville theater with local businesses being adverised on them. the auditorium itself was built ‘stadium style’ where the floor is higher at the rear. the old thetaer seats were still there. i would not be in favor of tearing it down (no matter what kind of person owns it). it is a piece of stewartstown history. for those of you who remember mrs. bell, she told be stories about when she played piano for the silent movies that played there. the parking requirement is an obstacle...but i think of the possibilities of movies...a children’s center to hold plays and musicals...a music hall where local groups could play. true, it is really run down and would require a substantial investment. last i heard the owner wanted $100,000 for it...but i also noticed it was in the paper for a sheriff’s sale in lieu of about $15,000 in back taxes.
Mrs. Bell… there is a name I had not heard in a long time… I used to live in town (74-78). I lived at 7 High St (back when it was a beautiful old home). I knew Mrs. Bell and Hazel Blosser very well. Mrs. Blosser used to tell me about the German POWs marching through town each day on their way to the cannery and such. She also used to tell me about the theater, the old high school (where she taught) and many other great pieces of Stewartstown history.
Thanks for the flashback… I say keep the theater if possible. I realize we can’t hang on to everything, but there isn’t much of old town left.
I’m all for keeping a piece of stewartstown history but I’m not for having a brightly painted eyesore in the middle of town. Until it is fixed up, bought or whatever, that is exactly what it is to me, an eyesore. Sadly, the center square, which was once the pride and focal point of our town, is simply disgusting with peeling paint and neglected buildings. In a historic town such as ours, the nicest looking place in the center of town should not be the tattoo parlor
I’d love to see something done with the theater, but doubt it is possible and parking will be a huge obstacle, no matter what the use of the building. Selling it for a price of “what it would be worth” will never happen, too many obstacles for someone to drop $100K to buy a building that has no parking and intensive structural damage.
