After the Final Curtain

October 4, 2011 4:40 PM

After the Final Curtain: Photographically documenting neglected and abandoned theaters throughout the United States. [via]
posted by brundlefly (6 comments total)

These photos strike major league aeshetic and sentimental chords for me. I spent two of my teenage years sneaking girlfriends into a theatre that looked a lot like this. I still remember that what I felt, more than a sense of adventure, was a kind of religious feeling, a sense of being in touch with the passage of time. It drew me back frequently, long after the novelty of seeing lurid murals canted by flashlights and pills had worn off. I don`t know why decaying pomp and kitsch radiate mortality so potently. My very simplistic initial suspicion is that it`s about the lurking knowledge that someday, we and our environments will be just like this -- a scenic ruin of the naive a little while ago.
posted by liminalrampaste at 5:21 PM on October 4, 2011 [2 favorites]

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posted by Ufez Jones at 5:32 PM on October 4, 2011

I can't help but look at this as an extremely dramatic result of Netflix and the popularity of torrents over the years.

Also, I used to watch movies at an old theatre here in Vancouver where as a young girl my grandmother saw Gone with the Wind. And now it too, has closed down.

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posted by Bron-Y-Aur at 6:12 PM on October 4, 2011

Wanted to post this earlier, but its a bit of a double, I believe.
posted by snapped at 6:14 PM on October 4, 2011

Makes me feel glad that Champaign still has it's Virginia Theater (sorry, can't find many interior pictures). I'm sure that the popularity of Ebert Fest has something to do with it.
posted by sbutler at 9:55 PM on October 4, 2011

It's sad to see these great old palaces in such decay. Great post!

If you are ever in the Anderson, IN area, I highly recommend taking a look at the 1929 Paramount Theater in Downtown Anderson. The community really came-together and restored the theater in 1995 to its palatial glory. It's currently the home of the Anderson Symphony, and it hosts all sorts of musical and stage shows. It's a vital center of the community.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:19 PM on October 5, 2011