|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
October 31, 2004Theaters are 'Treasures'Opera House is among classicsByRecord-Eagle staff writer Traverse City has long known it has a treasure in the City Opera House. Now the rest of the country knows it, too. The 1892 Opera House is one of 30 theaters profiled in a new book called "Cinema Treasures: A New Look at Classic Movie Theaters" (MBI Publishing Co., $40). Written by film historian Ross Melnic and third-generation cinema operator Andreas Fuchs, the book is a history of moviegoing in the United States, from early nickelodeons to grand theaters to state-of-the-art megaplexes. While the Opera House has shown few movies in its time, it was included in the book because of its beauty, interesting history and potential following restoration, said Fuchs, an independent exhibition consultant. Fuchs said he and Melnic learned about the downtown theater at a 2003 conference of the League of Historic American Theatres, where the Opera House restoration architect gave a talk. They became intrigued by the fact that it never presented an opera and was once leased by a film company that shut it down for years in order to make sure its theaters farther down Front Street were the only venues in town showing movies. "That qualified it for me as an interesting story," he said. Gerie Greenspan, executive director of the City Opera House Heritage Association, said she worked with the authors for more than a year to be in the book. During the course of his research, Fuchs also visited the Opera House. Besides nostalgic and contemporary photographs, the book is illustrated by vintage ads and promotional materials from the authors' own collections, theaters and various archives. The two-page Opera House profile includes photos of the theater's facade, auditorium and balcony rafters. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Opera House is the oldest of three period theaters that survive historically intact from what was once a network of 128 theaters across the state. In its early days it hosted everything from plays and lectures to balls, parties, meetings, banquets, conventions, and even a wrestling match and a traveling equine show. Greenspan said the theater is scheduled to reopen in early November after the latest phase in an $8.5 million restoration project that is expected to be completed in December 2006. After that, she said, "the sky's the limit" as to the kinds of events it could hold. "Our hope is that we will do all those things that we weren't able to do before - film, opera," she said, adding that some local residents and the Smithsonian Institution have already expressed interest in working with the theater to present chamber operas. According to the book's authors, some noted directors also are envisioning the City Opera House to host a major regional film festival, a plan Greenspan wouldn't confirm. "That's under wraps," she said. But Fuchs said he hopes the book "will further the theater's goal of showing movies." "Cinema Treasures" is available in bookstores and from MBI Publishing Company. For more information, call (800) 826-6600 or visit www.motorbooks.com.
|
|
