Belk Place: Carolina Theater and Hotel Intercontinental

[QCxpat]

Today's Charlotte Observer,  "Uptown's newest (old) theater back on track after renovations" by Gordon Rago

Excerpt:   "If it could go wrong, it did go wrong."  ...  "There was asbestos and lead-paint abatement.  Crews hit unexpected water as they drove foundation elements down into the earth to support a future hotel.  Plans for that hotel were put on pause as the pandemic impacted the supply chain, labor market and travel."  ...  "But now, the roughly $60 Million project led by Foundation for the Carolinas appears back on track.   The theater will likely be complete and open to the public next spring after lengthy renovations to the exterior and interior, said Laura Smith, the foundation's executive vice president who's been overseeing the theater work."   "The 250-room Intercontinental Hotel will restart construction, likely in the fall, foundation president and CEO Michael Marsicano said during a Thursday afternoon Charlotte Center City Partners board meeting." ...  "Workers are in the middle of restoring the inside of the 10,000 square foot theater to look like it once did.  The foundation teamed up with a New York firm to best match paint colors to the original hues.  People can expect to see a lot of gold, silver, blues and creams, Smith said.  It will be a Mediterranean flair, with six murals inside."  ...  "They wanted you to come in and feel like you were being transferred to another part of the world," Smith said.  ...   "The theater can seat 950 people.  That's actually smaller than the original 1,400.   Smith attributed this change to people being, on average, taller than they were in the 1920's, so current-day seats require more legroom and space.  There will be some traditional theater seating, but the foundation is also bringing in couches as well as diner-like seating where larger groups can sit together with a drink and watch a performance."  ...  "The Carolina Theatre will serve Charlotte more as a civic theater, according to Smith."  ...  "People can expect anything from comedians, lectures and holiday films."   "Marsicano used other examples like a jazz trio, Saturday morning cartoons for kids, and even livestreaming a Duke -vs- North Carolina basketball game like the big one played in the 2022 Final Four."

Image of Carolina Theatre restoration  -  Axios Charlotte 11/20/2020

Edited August 29, 2022 by QCxpat

[DMann]

I sure hope they do not cut the trees in front of the building!

[Blue_Devil]

Hotel is back on the menu boys!!!

 

and that is a brand new render!!!!

Also I really hope the have the occasional blockbuster film. Something that would truly be an experience

Edited August 29, 2022 by Blue_Devil

[Windsurfer]

11 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

Plaza was a solid theater and owned by the Schrader family, along with the Visulite on Elizabeth. I saw a strange and compelling movie there called Fantastic Planet, also known as Oms En Serie. Animated and without spoken language, and to a mildly herbed viewer it was an astounding conceptual achievement. I saw it later, somewhere, sober and it still had a punch. Animation is less formed by the time of its creation. I should check to see if it is available anywhere.

A few years later Plaza went blue and they played a grand double bill of Devil in Ms Jones and DeepThroat. These are classics of the genre, if I may be allowed to say.  A female friend wanted to have the blue experience and I agreed to accompany her for the performance. It was educational, as she said.*

Visulite remained the art house in Charlotte into the 80's. The Schraders employed a friend of mine, Hal Hinson, to run the place and he booked amazing films there. I saw Kagemusha-Shadow Warrior and Seven Samurai (the origin of The Magnificent Seven) by Kurosawa, Mean Streets by Scorsese, Kentucky Fried Movie, and a few others now lost to memory. Hal Hinson went on to be a well regarded film critic for newspapers in D. C., S.t Louis and maybe elsewhere as I lost connections with him when he departed Charlotte and followed him from afar.

*yes, I had some interesting friends.

Edit movie title. It was Devil IN Ms Jones, not AND Ms Jones.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-devil-in-miss-jones-1973  The star of the movie was Georgina Spelvin. George Spelvin is the name commonly and traditionally used by actors who, for whatever reason, prefer to be acknowledged anonymously. Thus "Georgina" Spelvin. 

You'll appreciate this one: My dad used to work at a theater down the street from The Carolina when he was 11 (during The Depression). He met his best, life-long buddy there, also 11.  They sold popcorn, dressed up as mascots and walked up and down the sidewalk, and swept after the "Saturday afternoon farmers spit their tabacco in the isles".  This was the early 30's.  His best buddy continued into his old age selling concessions to theaters through out The South and did well for himself. (Last name 'Wayne' if that should ring any bells)  His business was on "Film Row". I know you know where that was.  Eventually, he was forced to move out so he relocated to Mint Street where they later condemned his property for the stadium. That last move killed him and he died while in his 70s.  Both he and my dad had a ton of stories about the old movies. Mostly Western shoot em up things.  Do you remember the name of the old theater where they might have worked? It was apparently a little lower on the scale than The Carolina.

[videtur quam contuor]

There was a theater named Imperial on South Tryon. There are websites to find information about lost theaters and drive ins. Recall that in those days movie houses were often owned by individuals or families and run as personal businesses. The Schrader family I mentioned above, for example. This was before the major chains swept up the business. Stewart Everett was an important chain of theaters in the Carolinas into the early 80's. A friend was a booker for their locations. She would screen a movie and suggest a bid for the company to make to the distributor for S-E to hold rights for a certain period of the run.  She obtained tickets for me for a few top shows, usually preview night or first night of run where they wanted to fill the house and create buzz for the movie. Gandhi I recall especially as it had a MAJOR advertising budget. Film row was on Church Street if I remember.

I was not in the business so have no other information.

[Reverie39]

Livestreaming of Duke UNC games is awesome lol

[QCxpat]

Today 9:45 a.m.

Edited September 1, 2022 by QCxpat

[videtur quam contuor]

Family in town for Chili Peppers show at stadium. They stayed at Dunhill penthouse 10th floor. Two balconies and during our time with them had photos on Carolina Theater roof work.

[QCxpat]

Today 10:40 a.m.

Edited September 29, 2022 by QCxpat

[carolinaboy]

^^^^^^^^

Is the exterior of the old theatre going to be renovated? Seems like they've not touched it.

[Guest]

They are doing something to it and if anything aesthetic it’d come last after they finish lugging things in and out of the theater 

[QCxpat]

Today 10:30 a.m.

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by QCxpat

[15895]

15 minutes ago, QCxpat said:

Today 10:30 a.m.

Finally Charlotte saved and rehabilitated an old structure and historical facade. 
 

(I don’t know how to do the blue font, but that’s my blue font comment) lol. I find it sort of funny it seems like Charlotte doesn’t save any historical structures and the one they did is *inside* one of the most modern looking structures in Charlotte like a snowglobe lol.

Edited October 11, 2022 by AirNostrumMAD

[tozmervo]

I was privileged to get a peak of what's going on in the theater not so long ago. Couldn't take photos, but y'all, it's going to be magnificent. 

[Reverie39]

Some of the other smaller buildings around this site are very pleasant and old. I hope they stick around. Like those white brick buildings shown here.

20 hours ago, QCxpat said:

 

 

[CLT Development]

18 hours ago, tozmervo said:

I was privileged to get a peak of what's going on in the theater not so long ago. Couldn't take photos, but y'all, it's going to be magnificent. 

Last time I was in there maybe a month ago they were restoring all the gold leaf in the ceiling and wall trompe l'oeil.

[j-man]

Throwback......sigh

[go_vertical]

That looks like a tall hospital bed tower.  The bottom third is mildly interesting but the rest is pretty atrocious. 

[Mid South NC]

1 hour ago, j-man said:

Throwback......sigh

Ahh yes, throwback to the one with the autovator :') that actually lifted your car up to park in your condo lol

[DMann]

Glad some projects never get built!

[DownEast]

I actually wanted this real bad. More than ONE Charlotte. I like weird.

[NCMike1990]

2 hours ago, Mid South NC said:

Ahh yes, throwback to the one with the autovator :') that actually lifted your car up to park in your condo lol

 Boy, they were dreaming big back then. 

[KJHburg]

drive by today.   

[QCxpat]

Today 12:45 p.m.

Edited November 3, 2022 by QCxpat

[turbocraig]

So with rising interest rates, what are the odds this hotel misses the boat a second time?   Wait long enough and some economic calamity will derail you every time… if it even was back on the table, which I honestly have no idea.  This project is so opaque.