Update: It’s Now Open – Click Here for Movie Times.
CORONADO VILLAGE THEATRE RESTORATION EVER SO CLOSE!
Ten years and over $3 million later the Coronado Village Theatre is set to re-open to an eager public. The theatre will swing open its doors on Friday, June 24 after being dark for ten years. The post-World War II movie house had been a major part of our lifestyle since it first opened in 1947.
On Thursday, June 23, a special Grand Opening program will be presented to VIPs, supporters and backers, and those fortunate enough to obtain tickets. Conditional complimentary tickets will be available at the box office on a first come, first served basis June 20 from 5-8 p.m. with a two-ticket limit per patron. Ticket holders must arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of each show to gain admission.
For the past decade Coronado residents helplessly watched as the old theatre fell into disrepair. The doors closed suddenly in 2000 with popcorn still in the hopper and the final film still posted on the marquee “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Unbeknownst to most of the 25,000 island residents, behind the scenes work was being done to secure a new lease on the property. Lance Alspaugh and his company, Vintage Cinemas, had been quietly building a relationship with the property owners since 2000. Alspaugh operates classic restored movie theatres in the Los Angeles area.
With the generous support and backing from Coronado’s Community Redevelopment Agency and the encouragement of an entire community, the entrepreneurial Alspaugh is on the threshold of returning the Village Theatre to a very eager audience on both sides of the Coronado Bridge.
“We’ve certainly had our challenges,” said Alspaugh. “It’s a very special feeling to be this close to re-opening the Village Theatre. We could not have done it without the support of Coronado’s Community Redevelopment Agency and the encouragement from this wonderful community.”
The Village Theatre was built as a single screen cinema in the Art Deco flavor of the era. Today, while keeping the front of the theatre largely as it looked in 1947, inside, two more screens have been added. All auditoriums are equipped with state-of-the-art Sony Digital Cinema and Dolby Digital Sound and two of the three theatres will offer 3-D utilizing RealD.
The interior Art Deco theme, under initial guidance from distinguished theatre designer Joseph Musil (who restored the historic El Capitan Theatre), is staggering to behold. Musil died last year before seeing his final project completed, but he was able to lay down a very creative direction for his talented replacement team to follow.
The main theatre will seat 215 people (the original sat about 600). The two smaller screening rooms will seat 45 each. All of the auditoriums have specific design themes.
Two large murals were created for each of the three theatres. They were hand-painted by legendary Disney muralist Bill Anderson and depict much of the early architecture from that period.
At 12:01 a.m., June 24, the Village Theater will open for business with the Disney/Pixar film “Cars 2,” and a long and varied selection of films to follow in the months to come.
“Our hearts and our imaginations are back in business and the children of our community have their movie theatre back,” said Mayor Casey Tanaka. “Our old memory lanes now have new streets to travel down.”
The Village Theatre is located at 820 Orange Avenue. For more information call (619) 437-6161 or visit www.vintagecinemas.com.
The Village Theatre is so close to opening you can almost smell the popcorn. The first film will be the Disney/Pixar film “Cars 2.” It will premier one minute past midnight, June 24. Photo by Jack Ditler.
You’ve come a long way baby. The Village Theatre opened in 1947, closed in 2000, and now, in 2011 is open again, and this time hopefully for good. Prediction: The Art Deco interior will be as entertaining as the films.
Photo courtesy Coronado Public Library.
This panoramic photo of the interior was taken in the middle of restoration, just after the old materials had been removed. Now exotic murals decorate the walls of not only the main screening room, but the two smaller ones as well. No photos are being released of the murals until opening night to preserve the “ahhh” moment.
Photo by Steve Johnson.
This rendering by the late Joseph Musil dates back to 2009. The finished entrance of the Village Theatre will look very much like this. Musil died last year but his genius lives on in this project – a celebration of Art Deco.
This release prepared by Joe Ditler and “Part-Time PR”,
serving all of Coronado’s publicity needs.
