The Charlotte Observer, May 9, 1995, Page A1
Old Carolina Theater Gets New Attention
Groups work together to try to save building
By David Perlmutt, Staff Writer
It used to be one of America's grand movie palaces, in its day the Carolinas' grandest, standing distinguished yet opulent at North Tryon and 6th Streets.
On its screen played the Carolinas premiere of "Gone With the Wind" and thousands of other movies. On its stage performed Hope, Lombardo, Armstrong.
And Elvis.
Many longtime Charlotteans thought it was long-gone.
But the Carolina Theater still stands, a glimpse of its former opulence, its innards gutted, the ornamentation stripped, its seats and lobby gone, the soundboard murals — once bright and mood-altering — fading and rain-stained.
That could change. After thousands went through what's left of the 68-year-old building next to CityFair during SpringFest two weekends ago, a sentiment has surfaced to save it from the fate of most of uptown's older buildings — the bulldozer.
Grand old movie palace gutted but still standing
"It's irreplaceable architecture," said Charlotte native Mark Huffstetler, who worked on his own time to bring the theater up to building code (1) so the city would allow people inside. "It is the one building in Charlotte that has the greatest shared history. Most anybody who lived here from the 1920s to the '70s had a relationship with it. There are beautiful homes in Charlotte and beautiful buildings. But this one is different.
"We intend to do anything we can to save and restore it."
Until about a year ago, Huffstetler, the Mint Museum's assistant special events coordinator, had worked alone for four years to try to save the theater. Lately, other groups have joined him, including a theater organ group and one called Save the Carolina Theater, headed by Michael Vance of Vance Theatrical Organization (2).
Huffstetler and Vance want to bring more life to uptown.
At SpringFest, they opened to theater to visitors to spread the word that the building is still standing and to gather support. More than 7,000 people signed petitions to save the building.
The two independently are try to find someone with the financial backing to rescue the building and restore it.
It was designed in Spanish Colonial Revival style by C. C. Hook, the Charlotte architect who designed many of the region's most distinctive buildings, and New York City theater architect Robert Hall. It was an atmospheric theater with floating clouds and twinkling stars projected on the ceiling.(3) The walls were supported by large columns.(4) There were colonnades of graceful arches and balconies that made the Carolina seem like an outdoor theater. Much of the detail — now gone — was gold-leafed.
In its heyday, the theater showed blockbuster movies, and staged vaudeville shows and concerts. It was one of the first buildings in Charlotte with "manufactured weather" — air-conditioning.
By the time the Carolina closed in 1978, uptown life was declining as shoppers fled for the malls and suburban theaters.
But once city-living in Charlotte was more confined. A great Saturday was to go uptown early to shop, then eat at one of the many restaurants — perhaps an orange drink and hotdog at Tanner's across Tryon from the theater — and afterward take in a movie at the Carolina, or the Imperial on Tryon or The Center on Morehead.
The efforts by Huffstetler and Vance are bolstered by what other Carolinas cities have done.
Once there were a number of Carolina theaters, owned or leased by the Hollywood-based Paramount Studios, and incorporated as Paramount Publix Theaters. Charlotte's theater, built in 1927 by John Cutter of Charlotte the year sound came to movies, was the chain's flagship.
Now it is the only one of the Carolina theaters that hasn't been refurbished, or torn down.
Several have been restored
Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Durham all restored their Carolina theaters into performing arts centers. The Chapel Hill Carolina shows movies and hosts concerts and conventions.
Vance estimates the restoration at $12 million, about what Winston-Salem and Greensboro paid.
"What people discovered across the country in cities where there were wonderful old theaters that could be saved, the restorations have literally brought new life into downtown,"" said Pepper Fluke, who helped spearhead the Durham project. "We see it happening in Durham.
"We had a huge number of volunteers for our project. An old theater can get people to do things that no other building could."
Because of its location, the Charlotte theater has two major problems that have kept it under constant threat of demolition.
Its seating capacity (1,450 seats) is between Spirit Square (750) and the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (2,100), and some officials don't want competition. Vance and Huffstetler say it could be used for activities that wouldn't compete, such as bringing movies back uptown.
"If I want to reserve Ovens Auditorium now, it has to be a year and a half in advance," said Vance.
The theater also sits on valuable uptown turf, its greatest threat. It is owned by the city, but CityFair's owner, The Keith Corp., has an option to buy the property.
Chairman Graeme Keith, who saw movies at the Carolina as a Davidson College student in the 1950s, said there are no plans for the theater — either for using it or tearing it down.
"We've had some preliminary conversations with some possible future tenants," Keith said. "We have not considered tearing it down and we have explored the best possible use of tying it into CityFair as we look at the long-term future of that block."
Fond memories
During SpringFest, Vance and Huffstetler asked visitors to write comments. They got pages. One included this comment from a teenager: "This place is soooo smooth! Please, please, please keep it open. I'm only 14 and I'd like to bring my children here."
Many visitors wrote that they saw their first movies at the Carolina, had their first date there or met their spouses there. Some sat and gazed at the gutted structure, and remembered. Some smiled and told stories. Some cried.
One man who walked through was Harold Quinn. He was an usher in 1950.
From Central High School on Elizabeth Avenue, he'd walk to the theater and change into his uniform: a black waist coat, white shirt and black bow tie.
Part of the time, he worked the balcony, where he could keep a watch on the lovebirds necking in the back-row corners. There are still signs of those corners, with scribblings on walls proclaiming undying love.
"There's a lot of history in that old building," Quinn said. "I'd like to see it saved. I think they ought to save all the old buildings. But I'd really hate to see this one torn down for a parking lot.
"It's too special to an awful lot of people."
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Carolina Theater [box]
Exterior.Marquee.Keaton.1931.jpg [photo]
In its heyday, the Carolina Theater showed blockbuster movies and staged vaudeville shows and concerts.
- Opened: March 7, 1927.
- First movie: "A Kiss in a Taxi" starring Bebe Daniels.
- Location: 224-232 N. Tryon St.
- Architects: Architects Robert Hall of New York City and C. C. Hook of Charlotte.
- Details: Wrought-iron chandeliers, terra cotta roof tiles, draperies from France, floor tiles from Italy. Spanish and Italian furniture, pottery, terra cotta jars and brass and copper jugs furnished the lobbies.
- Biggest blockbuster: From March 31, 1965, to Oct. 4, 1966, "The Sound of Music" played to 398,201 people, making the Carolina the country's only theater to show the movie to more people than lived in the community.
- Last movie: "The Fist" starring Bruce Lee.
- Closed: Nov. 27, 1978.
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Footnotes by Michael Johnston
(1) Barring a multi-million dollar project, it was not possible to meet or even approach any current local building codes. Mark just made it safe to walk around, and that was enough.
(2) The theatre organ group is called Metrolina Theatre Organ Society, and it was founded in 1989 by John Apple. The group called Save the Carolina was started in 1992 by members of Metrolina Theatre Organ Society; Michael Vance was never a member. In 1998, Michael Vance began his own company called The Phoenix Group.
(3) Well, technically the Carolina was not an atmospheric theatre. It, like some other theatres this author may have seen, never had moving clouds or twinkling stars. An atmospheric theatre is one that simulates the outside atmosphere; it is commonly known as "stars and clouds."
(4) These are decorative and not in any way structural.