Originally published on www.idrankwhat.org, May 16, 2001
A New Hope? The Carolina Theatre and the Decade of Progress
By Kat Finger
The Carolina Theatre is most likely the most beautiful and fascinating part of Charlotte that you've never heard of. Located across 6th Street from the Main Library, and across Tryon Street from the Dunhill Hotel, adjoining what used to be Cityfair, she was once the grand dame of Charlotte nightlife. If you've seen the building recently, in its current humble state, you should realize that it used to be much larger, with a tall, stately marquee, and lush Mediterranean decor in and out. Part of the original front of the theatre, on Tryon, is still there, and the all-brick structure that you can also still see is the auditorium. The empty space in between the facade and the brick building was once the exquisite lobby but, tragically, was demolished in 1988. Once upon a time, the Carolina was a movie palace, the crown jewel of a three-state area. Planners wanted it to be the largest and fanciest in the region, so they installed 900 orchestra seats and 550 balcony seats. She was spacious and glamorous, with lots of unique and unusual decorations in a Spanish style, like the wrought-iron box office at the entrance, which enticed passersby with its exotic design. Her lobby featured lots of wrought iron, wood, leather, terra cotta jars, torches, lush drapes, paintings, and mirrors. There was literally nothing to compare her to within a large area, from her inception in 1927 to well into the early 40s.
But time marched along, and the needs, expectations, and tastes of the public changed as the country moved into the 50s and 60s. The design was altered, as fads like Cinerama and Cinemascope came and went, and the multiplex appeared on the horizon. By the 70s, the facade bore little resemblance to that splendor of the 20s and 30s; the type of movies shown had changed, to mostly kung fu movies; and attendance had declined along with the popularity of uptown Charlotte. When a 1980 fire gutted her stage and scarred much of the rest of her, our grand diva had been closed for 2 years.
Nevertheless, a number of dedicated individuals and organizations have kept trying to cook up a plan to fix her up, and show a jaded and newness-obsessed city what they've been missing all this time. The first to champion her was the Metrolina Theatre Organ Society (MTOS), formed by John Apple in 1989 to encourage the preservation and restoration of both theatre organs and the remaining movie palaces in which they were once played. Then in 1997, the Carolina Theatre Preservation Society (CTPS) was formed as a grassroots organization that tried to raise awareness and money to get the Carolina restored. Neither organization has been able to have a formal role in ownership or maintenance of the theatre. Of course, it was owned for a disastrous period of time by Carley Corporation (the ones who destroyed the lobby) and later the Keith Corporation, in attempts to revitalize or at least make her profitable, but now it is city-owned. The CTPS has petitioned the Historic Landmarks Commission to again designate the Theatre as an historic landmark; the whole thing used to be on the National Register of Historic Places, but by destroying the lobby, and the office and retail space, the Carley Corporation effectively took her off the Register. Thankfully, the facade, at least, was designated as historic property in 1983. Dr. Dan Morrill asked the City, as the owners, for their position of historic designation, and Curt Walton said on behalf of the City that they don't want to consider it for historic designation yet. Although the City agrees it's historic, they want to avoid the potential situation of the rules of historic property nixing any usage that may turn out to be the theatre's best long-term option.
Now the Carolina Theatre is one of seven projects that could receive life-giving funds if the much-hawked "Decade of Progress" plan passes the vote on June 5th. $13.8 million of the package is designated for Carolina Theatre (although in a recent Creative Loafing article, Tara Servatius stated that the $13.8 million, plus an additional $1 million from Bank of America, wouldn't be enough to totally restore her: it would take more like $32 million). The Arts & Science Council currently holds the rights to purchase the theatre from the city, and they are reconvening a task force to assess the feasibility of reopening the theatre and develop their cases to make for various scenarios, working within the framework of the amendments up for vote. Bill Halbert, speaking for the ASC, assured me that they are "very optimistic" about the Carolina Theatre's chances if this referendum passes, "because of the tremendous growth of the city, and the demand for a facility of this size". He stressed that it would be used for multiple purposes, and speculated that the space would be perfect for a host of musical and social events and galas, but especially for showing movies. However, when I talked to Walton, he reminded me that, even if the referendum does pass, the decision to restore it for use will have to wait for an assessment of structural and liability issues, and a feasibility study as to its ability to "earn its keep". (Apple, meanwhile, says this liability study has been done, but not yet written up.) "It will have to fit into a niche", Walton explained, "and it won't be restored if it isn't going to be economically viable." He pointed out that all seven of the projects would have to raise their share of private contributions before they could move ahead. But he admitted that, of the seven projects, the theatre is number seven in priority. So the passage of the referendum isn't an automatic guarantee of a happily-ever-after ending for the theatre and her fans. Still, Halbert declares his confidence in the theatre's ability to find her niche, and thrive in it.
Indeed, there is proof that the Carolina Theatre can attract a modest crowd, with only moderate publicity. For one thing, the Afro-American Children's Theatre, the Moving Poets, and Chickspeare are three theatre groups that have occasionally used the Carolina for performances, in 1997 onwards. More recently, in June through August 2000, CTPS held a film festival of silent movie classics, for seven nights in each month, with authentic theatre organ accompaniment and fresh-popped popcorn. The attendance each night was never less than 100, and I can tell you from personal experience that it was truly magical. The half-restored look of the theatre was eerily beautiful - walls held faint traces of earlier decor, and lights had been strung up to give her a dimly lit effect that was reminiscent of the original days of the theatre. Seeing those movies in that space, I DID feel like I was stepping back in time, and it was then that I lost my heart to this grand old space. So popular was the series that the old Wurlitzer and the popcorn machine were again called into service for the Take Two film festival , beginning in September 2000, and showing classics originally run in the theatre, like Casablanca, Shane, and Citizen Kane. Meanwhile, the Moving Poets were still performing there, and on Halloween night there was a showing of that masterful Dracula film, Nosferatu. More film festivals and other events were planned for future months, and it was really gaining steam. But in October or November, a combination of overbooking and CTPS board changes seemed to make the City nervous, and by January 2001 it deemed the Carolina Theatre closed for any more events, for the time being at least. Regarding this topic, Walton maintained that the theatre had technically been closed all the while, and that the City has indeed decided that it must reassess liability and safety issues.
The Carolina Theatre's presence on this sports/cultural package has been pivotal in my considerations of the upcoming referendum. Initially, I was strongly against the arena, because I was afraid that the land allotted for its creation (a parcel bounded by 2nd and 4th and Mint and Graham) would stomp on some of my favorite treasures uptown. And as it turns out, I have noticed that it would wipe out Dutch's Auto Shop, which my grandmother remembers taking her car to; also, I just really like the unpretentious look of that little area, with its brick warehouses and its oddly angled one-way streets. But the second I realized the theatre was in the mix, my feelings became a lot more mixed. On the one hand, I am desperate to have the Carolina restored, and it doesn't seem to make any sense to vote to refuse or turn away money that could restore her to her former glory. On the other hand, as I said, her future would not be automatically assured by the referendum's passage. Then again, some other really deserving and historic or at least really cool things, like Theatre Charlotte (also a historic treasure) and Discovery Place, are included in the package. So, really, in light of all that, I guess I can't help voting yes. I just hate to see another big monstrosity take the place of a quirky, unassuming patch of uptown that is familiar and special to me. And I hate to feel pressured into voting the go-ahead on a project that I'm not totally for, but will probably be in the minority in resenting, in order to support for something so dear to me that is as yet not a wildly popular venture in the minds of most Charlotteans.
Naturally, if the referendum doesn't pass, it may be back to the drawing board, and the theatre's future would again be a toss-up. But there are possibilities - of course, the best option is probably the historic status that CTPS wants. And CTPS is still hopeful about getting financial support to renovate her, install an authentic theatre organ, and open her for events like the film festivals. After board changes, Apple and others are trying to get redirected back to getting lots of people involved. But other possible options would not necessarily keep the look and design of the theatre true to the original. The Carolina Task Force had at one time expressed a desire to renovate it - meaning not restore but alter it - adding a coffee shop, multiple screens, state-of-the-art lighting and sound, a banquet hall, and more. To me, and to many other devotees of this theatre, this option would be as bad as tearing it down and putting up a parking lot. Says Apple, "We're trying to emphasize the word 'restore' and there are those who feel that's not the primary word to be used." Another possibility involves the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. An article by Servatius, in the Creative Loafing April 25-May 1, 2001, issue, explained that the ASC's option expires in 2002. It is expected it would return the option-to-buy back to the city council, and the library system has been said to be interested in leasing or otherwise making use of the theatre. Bob Cannon, the head of the library system, has expressed a desire to turn the theatre into an old film library where vintage movies would be shown. Under this plan, it would also be available to be rented out by groups for performances, and some portion of it would be leased as office space, to help provide revenue. At any rate, there is a little time to explore options, because, as Walton divulged, the theatre would not be actively considered for renovation until 2005.
All in all, I've heard a lot of negative and discouraging words about the odds against not only restoring the theatre but of getting enough people to actually attend events there. Past disappointments with places like the tragically underutilized Spirit Square have jaded many an arts group and would-be crusader. Many fear that there might be initial enthusiasm about a newly-refurbished Carolina, but costs would become a problem and, as complacency set in, audiences would trickle. Apple stated that some real legwork and personal involvement are involved to talk it up and keep it thriving. And Michael Johnston, another member of CTPS who's contributed lots of wonderful information to their website, admitted that the monetary obstacles are certainly daunting: property taxes are high in such a plum location. A big foundation is needed, with lots of money to spend on the theatre, the ability to raise needed funds, and name recognition. As Johnston pointed out, buying it in the first place is not so hard, but over time it can become a drain if the public doesn't respond well. Also working against the theatre are the fact that she has only a single screen, and her uptown location. Even now, it's a challenge to get people downtown for arts events other than Miss Saigon, and the parking situation could be better.
But I also see the dedication of people like Apple, Johnston and Morrill, and I know that there are people I know personally who, if properly motivated and reminded, would be eager to attend events in the Carolina Theatre. As I said before, substantial numbers of people attended the recent film festivals - not swelling crowds a la Blumenthal, no, but enough people - and enough different types of people - to convince me that this theatre really does have a chance to survive and thrive in this present day. We just need to overcome our natural human apathy and inertia, and band together to make the most of our strengths, keeping communication strong between each other and spreading the word to others. And part of the problem is that people aren't looking beyond the monetary aspect - when something so special and irreplaceable is at stake, we must look at the big picture and realize that it's worth a sacrifice on our part. Most of all, we must NEVER give up the ship: remember that giving into hopelessness can make failure a self-fulfilling prophecy! As Carolina Theatre Preservation Society President Melanie Skinner said, "Anything is possible if you have a dream and a vision and you believe in it."
Again, the referendum date is June 5th, and if you care as much about the Carolina Theatre as I do, or at least more than you hate the arena, than you should really vote yes. Because, hell, some big monstrosity will probably go up on the arena-land either way, and this sounds like a good chance for the Carolina Theatre. She is a one-of-a-kind piece of uptown Charlotte's glorious past, which definitely doesn't HAVE to remain a thing of the past! Do check out the links below, and get acquainted with the magic of our past.
Some Fun Facts About the Carolina Theatre:
The story of the Carolina Theatre is one of unrivaled glamour and of ruin, of history and promise and cynicism, of waste and of value. To learn more about its tumultuous history, click here.