Uptown Theater (Washington, D.C.)
| The Uptown Theater | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Washington, D.C. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Theater |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | Northwest, Washington, D.C.,United States |
| Coordinates | 38°56′06″N77°03′31″W/ 38.9349°N 77.0585°W |
| Completed | 1936 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 171 feet (52 m) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Jacob Zink |
TheUptown Theater,known asThe Uptown(formerly Cineplex Odeon Uptown or AMC Loews Uptown 1), was a single-screenmovie theaterin theCleveland Parkneighborhood ofWashington, D.C.Opened in 1936, it hosted the world premieres of such movies as2001: A Space OdysseyandJurassic Park.It closed in March 2020.[1][2]
Its screen was the largest commercial movie theater screen in the DC Metro area outside of theSmithsonian Institution.[1]The building was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 2022.[3]
History[edit]
Opened on October 29, 1936,[4]the theater was designed byarchitectJohn Jacob Zink,whose firm designed over 200 theaters across theUnited States,and the 14th built byWarner Brothersin Washington, D.C.[5]The exterior is constructed of yellow and red brick and the facade is partially faced in limestone fluted panels. The limestone features typicalArt Decomotifs, including zigzag patterns and floral reliefs. The marquee includes streamlined aluminum bands. The main entrance to the theater is below this marquee. Two one-story storefronts flank the theater entrances.[6]
The Uptown has a curved screen, 70 by 40 feet (21 by 12 m), one of the largest in the area. The theater originally seated 1,120, but a $500,000 renovation in 1996 decreased capacity to 850. Nothing remains of the original decor.
In December 2010, the theater's Norelco 35mm/70mm projector was dismantled and replaced with a Christie Dual-Projector 3D system for the opening ofTron: Legacy.
In March 2020,AMC Theatresannounced the closing of the 84-year-old theater, as AMC's lease on the space was about to expire.[7]Unlike many temporary closures that hit the D.C. region in 2020, the closure of the Uptown Theater is permanent and does not seem connected to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[8]
In October 2021, officials withLandmark Theatersconfirmed reports that they were in negotiations to lease and reopen the theater.[9]
In May 2022, theD.C. government'sHistoric Preservation Review Board voted 7-0 to add the theater to the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites and to nominate it for addition to theNational Register of Historic Places.[10]In December 2022, the NRHP listed it among the week's additions.[3]
Film premieres[edit]
- World premiere of2001: A Space Odysseyon April 2, 1968. The release was presented in a 70mm projection format with a six-track stereo magnetic soundtrack. Following this screening, directorStanley Kubrickcut almost 20 minutes from the film's running time.[11]
- One of the first 32 houses to playStar Warson its opening day (Wednesday, May 25, 1977) in 35 mm with a 4-track stereo soundtrack. The theater also started playing the film in the 70 mm projection format with a 6-track Dolby Stereo magnetic soundtrack on December 16 of the same year.[citation needed]
- Mississippi Burningheld its world premiere at the Uptown on December 2, 1988,[12]with various politicians, ambassadors and political reporters in attendance.
- Madonnaattended the world premiere ofDick Tracyon June 10, 1990.[13]
- World premiere ofJurassic Parkon June 9, 1993.[14]
- On October 3, 1979, one of only three theaters to screen directorFrancis Ford Coppola'sApocalypse Nowin Six-Track Dolby Stereo, which showcased a then-new quintaphonic split-surround audio mix. The film was shown without opening or closing credits or any studio logos; instead, a program was handed out to moviegoers.[citation needed]
- World premiere ofDances with Wolveson October 19, 1990.[15]During the screening, the projector broke down twice.[16]
- The Guardian,starringKevin CostnerandAshton Kutcher,on September 7, 2006.[17]
- Lions for Lambs,starringRobert Redford,Tom Cruise,andMeryl Streepand directed by Redford, on November 7, 2007.[18]
- On June 26, 1973,Jesus Christ Superstar (film)had its world premiere.
References[edit]
- ^abAlim, Karim; Zagri, Justin; Haas, Howard B."AMC Uptown 1".Cinema Treasures.RetrievedMarch 13,2020.
- ^Fraley, Jason (March 13, 2020)."Uptown Theater, historic host of '2001,' 'Jurassic Park' premieres, closes in DC".WTOP.RetrievedMarch 13,2020.
- ^ab"Weekly List 2022 12 16 - National Register of Historic Places (U.S. National Park Service)".www.nps.gov.RetrievedDecember 27,2022.
- ^"Cineplex Odeon Uptown".The Washington Post.RetrievedOctober 16,2005.
- ^van der Tak, Jean (Spring 1994)."The Uptown Theater"(PDF).Cleveland Park Historical Society.8(1): 7.RetrievedDecember 18,2015.
- ^Wood, Kathleen Sinclair (February 13, 1987)."National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Cleveland Park Historic District, Washington, DC"(PDF).National Park Service.RetrievedFebruary 25,2017.
- ^"Uptown Theater, an iconic D.C. movie palace, shuts down".The Washington Post.RetrievedMay 28,2020.
- ^"The Historic Uptown Theater Just Closed".DCist.Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2020.RetrievedMay 28,2020.
- ^"Is the Uptown Theater returning to DC? Here's what we know so far".WTOP News.October 14, 2021.RetrievedDecember 14,2021.
- ^"HPRB ACTIONS / May 26 and June 2, 2022"(PDF).Office of Planning, Government of Washington, D.C.June 2022.RetrievedDecember 27,2022.
- ^"Why you'll never see the missing 17 minutes from '2001: A Space Odyssey'".www.yahoo.com.RetrievedDecember 27,2022.
- ^Pagano, Penny (December 5, 1988)."Civil Rights Star in D.C. Film Opening".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2016.RetrievedApril 29,2016.
- ^Sherrill, Martha; Thomas, Dana (June 11, 1990)."THE FILM, THE FLASH THE SMILE".The Washington Post.RetrievedApril 4,2018.
- ^Roberts, Roxanne (June 10, 1993)."NIGHT OF THE LIVING DINOSAURS".The Washington Post.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
- ^Weinraub, Judith (October 20, 1990)."COSTNER'S SIOUX CEREMONY".The Washington Post.RetrievedDecember 28,2019.
- ^Martin, Karen (November 23, 2018)."Dances With Wolves (1990)".Flashback.Northwest Arkansas Gazette.RetrievedMarch 13,2020.
- ^"'The Guardian' Has Premiere in D.C. "MSN Movies.MSN.Archived fromthe originalon October 19, 2006.RetrievedSeptember 17,2007.
- ^Klimek, Chris (August 2, 2018)."An Oral History of the Uptown Theater".Washington City Paper.RetrievedSeptember 9,2018.
External links[edit]
- "Three Big Movies at the Uptown".Ghosts of DC.August 14, 2012.RetrievedOctober 27,2012.