This is a nice theater that could be a great asset to this small town. I recently attended the film series to see inside. The interior is worn but looks to be mostly original. The outside has the potential to be one of the best buildings in town but it needs some attention and its marquee returned. The style is Spanish both inside and out. The balcony has good sight lines but the lobby is very small. I think the city is looking to use the vacant building next door to help make theater operations better – both for an expanded lobby and back of house needs. The Parks and Rec department puts on the film series and it was nice. It was done on 16mm which is better than video projection but it would be nice to see 35mm projectors at some point in the future.
I recently attended a movie at the Carolina and it was a fairly good experience. The sound was good and the screen is big but unfortunatley it wasn’t pulled tight on its strecher and it made for a distractingly wavy picture. A common problem in this and many historic theaters today is the house lights are way too bright. It takes away some of the mystery and allure of the decor. The theater looked its most exotic when the lights were dimmed for the movie.
This is a funky movie theater that is a great asset for a tiny little mountain town. The auditorium is completely plain with no decoration at all beyond the water stains on the plaster ceiling and walls. The exterior has a nice deco look that helps give this charming community a vibrant feeling. Movies still play daily with great art house programming mixed with mainstream Hollywood fare. The auditorium has a balcony whose only entrance is outside right by the ticket window. This is the only theater I’ve encountered that still allows cigarette smoking in the balcony. Even though it’s 2006 this is North Carolina.
The Capri has closed again after a multi month run of ‘Menopause: The Musical’. No other presentations are planned at this time. At least the building got a modest rehab and awaits the next person with some ideas for the space.
On Monday, April 10, 2006 the Charlotte City Council approved the contract to sell the Carolina Theatre to the Atlanta developer Camden Management Partners. They will buy the theater from the city for $1 million which is about $1.5 million below fair market value. Camden will get annual grants from the city and county for arts programs at the theater that will equal 90% of the local property taxes generated by the new condos to be develop in front of and above the theater. The grants could total up to $4.5 million which would help reopen the long shuttered theater.
This theater sits in the middle of one of Charlotte’s poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods. It’s a shame because the exterior is very nice in a simple sort of way. I know of no talks about reuse or preservation of this building. In fact, I’ve never seen any mention of this building in the local media.
A photo of the Alhambra is in a new book entitled ‘Charlotte: then and Now’. The picture is actually of the Efird’s department store which was right next door but you can see the theater marquee and exterior wedged right up against it. Another picture in the book shows a vintage art deco Woolworths on the theater site. That building too has since been demolished to make way for the B of A skyscraper.
The Charlotte Film Society had been in partnership with the Manor for many years to show alternative films that wouldn’t otherwise play the Charlotte market. It’s always been a great match – a funky old cinema showing movies even edgier than the regular art house offerings normally booked by the theater. The new owners of the Manor – Regal Entertainment – have moved the film society screenings way out to the suburbs to another of their properties – Stonecrest 22. It’s a soulless megaplex that is miles away from the membership base of the film society. The main reason is to directly compete with the new Ballantyne Village Cinema, an upscale five screen art house which is a Stonecrest neighbor. I think the situation is going to wreck the film society but in the meantime the local audience is experiencing an embarrassment of riches in art house screens. Charlotte is generally considered a C market for films but currently the number of commercial screens dedicated to art house product stands at eight. I’m not sure their is enough support for that many screens in this conservative market.
This is a great place to see a movie and the programming looks terrific so far. I wonder how long the art programming will last though. I visited four times during opening week and it was almost empty each time. One of the auditoriums holds almost 300 and I was the only one there for a screening of ‘Tsotsi’. The concessions are great – better than the offerings at any other local theater – but I don’t like the no matinee pricing policy which is a first for Charlotte. Admission is $8.50 or $12 for reserved seating but I don’t know if anyone has taken them up on that yet.
I love this theater and I think it’s the best movie going experience in the Carolinas. I like that it’s independently owned and operated with a great selection of art films. They sell beer and wine along with the regular concession fare and it has a great urban setting. Although it’s not ornate or large it is architecturally charming and well maintained. The staff is hip and it looks like they actually enjoy working there. I like lining up on the city sidewalks beforehand and spilling out onto a vibrant street scene afterwards.
If you are a film buff in Charlotte the Manor is the best thing going. It’s also the longest continuously operating cinema in the city. The theater recently changed hands when locally owned Eastern Federal was bought out by Regal Entertainment. The country’s largest exhibitor has maintained the art house programming format though. Brokeback Mountain is currently showing on both screens to packed houses and it’s got an exclusive run in the city at the moment.
I see just about everything they screen at this theater and it’s nicely run. Architecturally it’s nothing remarkable inside or out but it does have its own old cinema charm. The theater auditorium was twinned in the mid 80’s and everything is well maintained. With the exception of one discount house in the suburbs it’s the only non-stadium seating theater left in the city.
You can check out some of the theaters early art deco charm if you use the exits that are underneath the screens. Hidden behind those draped walls you can see the elaborate plaster work that framed the original screen with its deco/ moderne styling.
The beautiful facade of the Carolina has recently been dismantled and stored inside the shuttered auditorium by order of the City of Charlotte. Liability concerns apparently lead to this action. The local paper keeps hinting at a pending condo development on the site that would incorporate the theater and provide some amount of TIF money towards the restoration of the auditorium. No formal announcement has been released yet – nor have any renderings, budget or reuse strategy been disclosed. Meanwhile the local Arts & Science Council seems to have dropped any reuse of the Carolina off its radar but they continue with plans to build a new mid sized performance theater a few blocks away.
The wonderful art deco facade of this building remains on Front Street with the vacant lot where the theater once stood behind it.
This is a nice theater that could be a great asset to this small town. I recently attended the film series to see inside. The interior is worn but looks to be mostly original. The outside has the potential to be one of the best buildings in town but it needs some attention and its marquee returned. The style is Spanish both inside and out. The balcony has good sight lines but the lobby is very small. I think the city is looking to use the vacant building next door to help make theater operations better – both for an expanded lobby and back of house needs. The Parks and Rec department puts on the film series and it was nice. It was done on 16mm which is better than video projection but it would be nice to see 35mm projectors at some point in the future.
I recently attended a movie at the Carolina and it was a fairly good experience. The sound was good and the screen is big but unfortunatley it wasn’t pulled tight on its strecher and it made for a distractingly wavy picture. A common problem in this and many historic theaters today is the house lights are way too bright. It takes away some of the mystery and allure of the decor. The theater looked its most exotic when the lights were dimmed for the movie.
This is a funky movie theater that is a great asset for a tiny little mountain town. The auditorium is completely plain with no decoration at all beyond the water stains on the plaster ceiling and walls. The exterior has a nice deco look that helps give this charming community a vibrant feeling. Movies still play daily with great art house programming mixed with mainstream Hollywood fare. The auditorium has a balcony whose only entrance is outside right by the ticket window. This is the only theater I’ve encountered that still allows cigarette smoking in the balcony. Even though it’s 2006 this is North Carolina.
The Capri has closed again after a multi month run of ‘Menopause: The Musical’. No other presentations are planned at this time. At least the building got a modest rehab and awaits the next person with some ideas for the space.
On Monday, April 10, 2006 the Charlotte City Council approved the contract to sell the Carolina Theatre to the Atlanta developer Camden Management Partners. They will buy the theater from the city for $1 million which is about $1.5 million below fair market value. Camden will get annual grants from the city and county for arts programs at the theater that will equal 90% of the local property taxes generated by the new condos to be develop in front of and above the theater. The grants could total up to $4.5 million which would help reopen the long shuttered theater.
This theater sits in the middle of one of Charlotte’s poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods. It’s a shame because the exterior is very nice in a simple sort of way. I know of no talks about reuse or preservation of this building. In fact, I’ve never seen any mention of this building in the local media.
A photo of the Alhambra is in a new book entitled ‘Charlotte: then and Now’. The picture is actually of the Efird’s department store which was right next door but you can see the theater marquee and exterior wedged right up against it. Another picture in the book shows a vintage art deco Woolworths on the theater site. That building too has since been demolished to make way for the B of A skyscraper.
The Charlotte Film Society had been in partnership with the Manor for many years to show alternative films that wouldn’t otherwise play the Charlotte market. It’s always been a great match – a funky old cinema showing movies even edgier than the regular art house offerings normally booked by the theater. The new owners of the Manor – Regal Entertainment – have moved the film society screenings way out to the suburbs to another of their properties – Stonecrest 22. It’s a soulless megaplex that is miles away from the membership base of the film society. The main reason is to directly compete with the new Ballantyne Village Cinema, an upscale five screen art house which is a Stonecrest neighbor. I think the situation is going to wreck the film society but in the meantime the local audience is experiencing an embarrassment of riches in art house screens. Charlotte is generally considered a C market for films but currently the number of commercial screens dedicated to art house product stands at eight. I’m not sure their is enough support for that many screens in this conservative market.
This is a great place to see a movie and the programming looks terrific so far. I wonder how long the art programming will last though. I visited four times during opening week and it was almost empty each time. One of the auditoriums holds almost 300 and I was the only one there for a screening of ‘Tsotsi’. The concessions are great – better than the offerings at any other local theater – but I don’t like the no matinee pricing policy which is a first for Charlotte. Admission is $8.50 or $12 for reserved seating but I don’t know if anyone has taken them up on that yet.
I love this theater and I think it’s the best movie going experience in the Carolinas. I like that it’s independently owned and operated with a great selection of art films. They sell beer and wine along with the regular concession fare and it has a great urban setting. Although it’s not ornate or large it is architecturally charming and well maintained. The staff is hip and it looks like they actually enjoy working there. I like lining up on the city sidewalks beforehand and spilling out onto a vibrant street scene afterwards.
If you are a film buff in Charlotte the Manor is the best thing going. It’s also the longest continuously operating cinema in the city. The theater recently changed hands when locally owned Eastern Federal was bought out by Regal Entertainment. The country’s largest exhibitor has maintained the art house programming format though. Brokeback Mountain is currently showing on both screens to packed houses and it’s got an exclusive run in the city at the moment.
I see just about everything they screen at this theater and it’s nicely run. Architecturally it’s nothing remarkable inside or out but it does have its own old cinema charm. The theater auditorium was twinned in the mid 80’s and everything is well maintained. With the exception of one discount house in the suburbs it’s the only non-stadium seating theater left in the city.
You can check out some of the theaters early art deco charm if you use the exits that are underneath the screens. Hidden behind those draped walls you can see the elaborate plaster work that framed the original screen with its deco/ moderne styling.
The beautiful facade of the Carolina has recently been dismantled and stored inside the shuttered auditorium by order of the City of Charlotte. Liability concerns apparently lead to this action. The local paper keeps hinting at a pending condo development on the site that would incorporate the theater and provide some amount of TIF money towards the restoration of the auditorium. No formal announcement has been released yet – nor have any renderings, budget or reuse strategy been disclosed. Meanwhile the local Arts & Science Council seems to have dropped any reuse of the Carolina off its radar but they continue with plans to build a new mid sized performance theater a few blocks away.
The Charlottetown has been demolished over the last few days.