Albany Twin Steps Into the Future, But Holds On to the Past

Albany's has an interesting history. It was built in the 1920s as a meeting hall, and for a while it was a dance hall with live music. In 1935 it was converted to a single-screen movie theater. There is a little room upstairs across from the projection room where the projectionist could relax for a few minutes between reel changes. Someone thought to file away some flyers listing Coming Attractions for February 1937 (tickets cost 25¢ for adults and 10¢ for children "at all times") and now they are framed and hang on the walls of the upstairs lobby. Finally, in 1979, the balcony was converted to a second auditorium and was born.

The theater is converting to digital projection, a change that will be transparent to most of us in the audience. The projection room will look different, but the theater will retain its old-fashioned charm. 

Assistant Manager Thor Klippert is a movie buff who recommends the theater experience. He believes there is great value in spending a few hours watching a movie in a dark room full of strangers. When you hear people you don't know laugh when you laugh, you share a moment even if you never really meet. When you watch a foreign film together, you can tell who knows the language (they react first) and who reads and comprehends faster or slower than you. It adds a layer to the event that you just don't get watching a DVD at home.

And there is nostalgia at a movie house. The hushed voices, the smell of popcorn, those classic candy options that seem more right here than just about anywhere else. They take me back to the Saturday matinees of my youth. 

So the 80-pound film canisters will be a thing of the past, but they'll still change the marquee one letter at a time.

I like that. How about you?