Old Town Theater Interior to be Gutted for Possible Retail, Restaurant

Although owners through the years have tried to make the Old Town Theater work as both a movie theater and as a venue for live entertainment, it’s apparently not to be.

Members of the Alexandria Planning Commission on Tuesday reluctantly gave their stamp of approval for the owners of the building to go ahead with renovating the century-old theater in order to lease it out, most likely, to retailers and/or restaurants.

“It’s disappointing that we’ll lose this as a theater,” planning commission member Nathan Macek noted, but added that he applauds the efforts of those who have tried to make it work as a theater through the years including the current owners.

Commission Member Stewart Dunn echoed those remarks — but also noted that he doesn’t get the sense that the effort to retain the building as a theater is completely dead — and said “but that’s not what is before us now.”

It’s uncertain whether the iconic signage on the building will be retained; there seems to be some wiggle room due to the possible inability by the owner to salvage it, but agreements were made for the owners to consult with both City planning and the City’s historic preservation office on the signage as well as other historic building material that could be retained. The owner has apparently sold some entertainment equipment, sound boards, lighting and kitchen equipment in October, according to Rasmus Auctions.

The Planning Commission staff in its analysis agreed with the renovation idea, noting that while the building has operated as a theater or amusement enterprise for the past 100 years, in recent years, the theater use has been “fraught with financial difficulty.”

“While the applicant has made a valiant effort to maintain the building as a theater, he has found that, much like many small, single auditorium theaters, operation is nearly impossible,” the commission staff noted in their analysis.

“The proposed renovations would allow the building to be adaptively reused in a more viable function,” the commission said.

The Commission noted that it’s not an ideal situation: “...but this project, and the potential change of use, is a result of the current state of single-auditorium theaters throughout America that have great difficulty remaining viable,” they noted.

“The loss of theaters along America’s Main Streets is prevalent in towns and cities across the country resulting from changes in movie projection methods and consumer behaviors as well as the limited resources available for performing arts projects,” the commission analysis noted. “Staff commends the previous and existing owner on their attempts to maintain the theater use, but staff is also aware that adaptive reuse of the theater may be the most viable option at this time and recommends approval.”

The proposal is up before the City Council on Feb. 21.