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The Academy Theater – Anchoring Again

Once in a while I find myself looking at real estate listings... No reason in particular, just a part of my strange quest to find my gothic manor with which I can scare small children with as they walk by. Anyway, as I look I shake my head whenever I read a selling point that includes, "walk to Starbucks". The head shaking occurs for two reasons: 1 - Where in this great Union of ours can you not walk to a Starbucks? 2 - Who really cares? Trust me, this is going somewhere. See, there was a time that overpriced (and often burned) coffee was not a draw or anchor to a neighborhood. There was a time, not too long ago on a cosmic scale, that the local movie house was a neighborhood’s anchor. Few such places exist anymore. As families left the city and the multiplexes rose up in the suburbs, the local Grindhouse took a turn for the worse. However, in recent years people with a vision and an appreciation for these grand old ladies are starting to change the way your watch movies...

People like folks at the Academy Theater.

To great fanfare, the Academy Theater opened originally in 1948 in the Montavilla neighborhood under the Eastern shadow of Mt. Tabor, in Portland, Oregon. She served the Montavilla neighborhood well for over 20 years, until her closure in the 1970s. Sadly, the grand Academy Theater fell into disrepair and the building's potential was never fully realized as various companies used her as little more than storage space. The Academy Theater, like any great Hollywood story, still had her happy ending to look forward to. For close to two years Ty Dupuis and local husband and wife team Heyward and Julie Stewart toiled to bring the Academy Theater back to her full glory. With a mind of her past and an eye towards her future; the Academy Theater is the perfect mix of 1940s styling with modern theatrical technologies.

The Academy Theater features three screens, each one updated with Dolby Sound and extra comfy reclining seating. There are very few places where you can go on a date, buy a couple of tickets, some popcorn, two sodas, and two slices of fantastic pizza… Only to spend $20... The Academy Theater features a good mix of Hollywood blockbusters and art house / independent features. In addition, the fine folks at the Academy Theater understand that parents need to watch movies and yet know that sometimes they can’t find a sitter. To help, the Academy Theater has an adult supervised babysitting room, check their website for more details.

I've said this many times and I shall say it again. You need to remember what it felt like to really enjoy a night at the movies. You need to recapture the moment of thematic glee that can only come from a perfect night at the cinema. The Academy Theater will help your capture that feeling... Remember to tell them Geek in the City* sent yea!

*Someday that will get me something…maybe not. Still, say it!