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North Carolina's Carolina theaters


cityboi

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The first Carolina Theatre was completed in Greensboro in 1927. Durham and Charlotte built its Carolina Theater the same year. The Charlotte theater is not intact today but civic leaders in Charlotte are planning to restore it. These structures truely were elaborate movie palaces.

The Carolina Theatre Greensboro

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The Carolina Theatre Durham

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The Carolina Theatre Charlotte (unfortunately not much is left but that could all change)

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The Carolina theaters were like local "chinese theater" in the communities that had them. There was alot of attention to architectural detail and it create a unique movie experience that you don't get in today's multiplex theaters. The future of the multiplex theater may indeed go back to it roots. You may start to see "retro theaters"

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I love these old theatres. Toronto has lost several grand old theatres in the last 10 years. Just recently, probably the most impressive of all, "The Uptown", was closed permanently. It will be torn down for a condo tower, which is disappointing considering all the parking lots in downtown Toronto that could still be developed.

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The Carolina Theatre Charlotte (unfortunately not much is left but that could all change)

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Actually, most of the theatre is still intact. The empty lot in the picture is where the entry to the theatre was, in addition to several retail shops. If you were to walk into the theatre today, you would still see the stage and the 2nd level balcony. However, you wouldn't see any seats and most of the decoration on the walls is badly damaged.

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That will certainly be a loss to Toronto. No doubt in all of these cases, the business model does not support single screen movie houses.

Though I mentioned that there are a lot of parking lots in downtown Toronto, there is actually very little at the north end of downtown, where the Uptown is. It was not just any theatre though, it was the "big" theatre for the film festival, generally regarded as one of the top two film festivals in the world.

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