The loss of historic buildings and the dwindling of cultural spaces are distinct problems. But there is a permutation of outcomes here where the Patagonia is in an ideal place while the community got a modern PAC facility nearby that couldn’t have been feasible in the old theater building.
But often you just get a CVS or an organic grocer in the theater building, if it is allowed to remain. The vast majority of monumental theaters have been razed. (They were built in heady times and not economical to upkeep in any era, which kinda stinks)
I love old theatres in downtown areas, they offered a different vibe if going to see something. You could wander out to a bar or restaurant. Rather than driving out to the multiplex where the dining options are a Red Robin on the other side of the freeway if you’re lucky.
I wonder how the Patagonia store is doing. Given the evidence of your photos the place isn't humming. Preservation and reuse are based on so many incalculable factors. Is this a historic neighborhood in which facades are protected?
The loss of historic buildings and the dwindling of cultural spaces are distinct problems. But there is a permutation of outcomes here where the Patagonia is in an ideal place while the community got a modern PAC facility nearby that couldn’t have been feasible in the old theater building.
But often you just get a CVS or an organic grocer in the theater building, if it is allowed to remain. The vast majority of monumental theaters have been razed. (They were built in heady times and not economical to upkeep in any era, which kinda stinks)
I love old theatres in downtown areas, they offered a different vibe if going to see something. You could wander out to a bar or restaurant. Rather than driving out to the multiplex where the dining options are a Red Robin on the other side of the freeway if you’re lucky.
I wonder how the Patagonia store is doing. Given the evidence of your photos the place isn't humming. Preservation and reuse are based on so many incalculable factors. Is this a historic neighborhood in which facades are protected?
Yes Old Town Alexandria has an Architectural Review Board.
Movie theater conversions are pretty common. The one I remember the most isn't far from you, in Georgetown:
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6898
On the flip side, when I lived in DC, there was a movie theater called the Biograph, which was built inside an old car dealership:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Biograph
Now, of course, it's a CVS.
My favorite converted movie theater now serves dim sum in downtown Boston: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/empire-or-emperors-garden-restaurant