With Uptown Theater Closed, Some Residents Are Trying To Make It A Historic Landmark
The Uptown Theater closed its doors for good in March. mirsasha / Flickr
From DCList: For generations of Washingtonians, Cleveland Park’s Uptown Theater was already a D.C. landmark. But now, there is an effort underway to make that status official.
The D.C. Preservation League has officially taken up the effort to secure a landmark designation for the theater. Executive Director Rebecca Miller says they began discussing the project after the theater closed in mid-March. They have been working on the nomination for the past couple of weeks, and it is nearly finished, per Miller.
The building is currently a protected as a “contributing building” within the Cleveland Park Historic District, but Miller says landmark status from the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board brings a higher level of scrutiny to the property, and ensures that the defining characteristics of the building’s exterior, like its iconic red Art Deco sign, are kept intact. (A 2017 kerfuffle over operator AMC’s plan to replace the sign illustrates how strongly many local residents feel about it.)
Astoria diner transforms its parking lot to a drive-in movie theater to stay afloat during pandemic
Photo via Instagram/belairediner.
From QNS: To deal with the demands of social distancing amid the COIVD-19 pandemic, an Astoria diner is looking to the 1950s for inspiration.
Bel Aire Diner, located at 31-91 21st St., used its vacant parking lot to start a drive-in movie theater earlier this month and shows two features a day. The diner’s owner said the reception has been great.
“We didn’t imagine it would be this big,” said Kal Dellaportas, who’s family began running the diner in 1996. “Tickets sell out in a minute. Ninety tickets in one minute. It’s crazy.”
10 Texas roadside attractions you just have to stop for
Prada art installation in Marfa, Texas visitmarfa.com
From Click2Houston: After getting through this list you may feel the urge to start packing your car for a long Memorial Day weekend Texas road trip.
Abilene’s historic Paramount Theatre celebrates 90 years
From Big Country Homepage.com: ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene’s historic Paramount Theatre is celebrating 90 years of being a part of the local community.
The theatre has been a mainstay on Cypress Street in downtown Abilene since 1930 and now screens classic and favorite movies for the whole family to enjoy!
Due to COVID-19, a big celebration will have to wait, but the 100 year anniversary is just around the corner.
The Vanished Neon Billboards of Gowanus
What does that giant red “R” stand for?
From Splice Today: There’s a building in Red Hook with a gigantic neon billboard framework on it, and one “R” with a period next to it. What did the R stand for? What did it help to advertise? Why are the other letters missing? It’s among the “last Mohicans” of a group of huge neon billboard signs that sprung up in the year following both the construction of the 90-foot-high IND subway viaduct crossing the Gowanus Canal in the 1930s, and the equally high Brooklyn-Queens Expressway viaduct a decade later. Such signs advertised local wares to commuters using these sky bridges.