I have to say that I am extremely disappointed not only with the marquis, but with the overall cheesy look of the new theatre. Instead of building something that would fit in with the older downtown architecture (and might be suitable for another use if/when the theatre fails), they built something that looks like it belongs at Turkey Creek instead. Or maybe Pigeon Forge.

The final straw of cheesiness came with the fake brick facade on the little alleyway opening and the painted-over concrete blocks that make up the facade of the adjacent retail space. Couldn't they have done something that would have matched up with the old S&W a little more? Couldn't they have at least stuccoed the blocks before painting them?

On the positive side, it does match up well with the former plywood fake windows and other improvements that the county had made to the properties.

Yes, a definite Turkey Creek feel. I was a little surprised by that.

Here's a link about this very topic we had on the Blab recently. Bill Lyons adds some very insightful comments.

(link...)

Well...at least its better than the surreal "Our Town" set that Victor had placed over all of the boarded-up windows along Gay; maybe that's what the US Embassy in Poland has now?

Except that this is supposed to be a permanent structure. "Our Town" was indeed bizarre, but the new theatre seems to try to turn this surreal townscape into some kind of reality.

To me, this is a troublesome trend in downtown. The horrible new facade they put on the Home Federal building (stand below that one and look up, and the bricks aren't even straight. If you're going to screw something up, at least do a good job of it.) looks like some kind of computer-generated Hollywood prop. Batman in Knoxville.

The new theatre looks more like some kind of pre-computer-generated prop. Maybe more like the comic book version of Batman instead of the hi-tech movie version.

OK, we've had "Rocket Boys" and other films done downtown, but the "Ennesse" looked a heck of a lot more real than what Regal has done. Seems like the city would have had a bit more input into Regal's design built into the contract somewhere. Or maybe the contract for "Our Town" was merely extended for the new theatre.

Seems like the city would have had a bit more input into Regal's design built into the contract somewhere.

Sure does.

As long as it doesn't have a giant glow-at-night cross on top of it, it's OK with me.

Or any orange-and-white checkerboard patterns.

It looks low budget, but when a good movie is on, I'll still drive 15 miles to enjoy historic downtown. As far as the city controlling the design of buildings, are there any city codes to enforce building design?
As downtown continues to grow, someone will want to build a cheep looking business with flashing signs, bright glaring lights, and all the usual Pigeon Forge decorations. Does Knoxville have a downtown zone, with codes to enforce and maintain the historic look?

So, since the downtown design guidelines were not in place, we should not have expected a theater that better fits between the surrounding buildings and that is more representative of downtown Knoxville. As Bizgirl mentions, since it is a city built and owned building you would have thought the city would have had a little more input into the exterior design. Apparently, the city's facade improvement program, which was in place before the theater was designed, does not apply to city built buildings.

It would have been nice if they had done something more compatible with the S&W next door. (But I'm sure most everyone would agree that it was great they were at least able to save it).

I just hope they aren't planning to "upgrade" the S&W to be "compatible" with the theater.

What's the latest on the S&W, anyway?

Thanks for the update, Bill.

I remember about John Craig now. Was he the one who came in at the last minute with some design and financing ideas that made it possible to save the S&W?

(Yes sorry about the "they" which is sloppy writing, but I've had a busy week and I'm tired and lazy!)

I haven't seen the theater since the outside was finished, but it's beginning to sound as if the term Knoxvegas may become a suitable name for downtown.

Adrift in the Sea of Humility

The design of the sign wasn't that bad. Only a little skimpy with the lights. At least it was echoing the big one on the Tennessee Theater. I much prefer what's there to a classic shopping center marquee.

Raise your hands, how many folks here ever went to a movie at the original Riviera?

Or went down to look at the ruins when it burned?

Or had a meal at the S&W?

Or were members of the Chipmunk Club, where kids got into the Tennessee Theater for free on Sat. mornings with an empty Tom's Potato Chips bag (I believe it was)?

I think the theatre adds some excitement and I like it. As for cheesiness, I'm still amazed at the Cumberland House Hotel. With all the variances they got along with Peyton Manning's investment, the best they could do was a giant house trailer.

Raise your hands, how many folks here ever went to a movie at the original Riviera? Hand Up

Or went down to look at the ruins when it burned? Hand up

Or had a meal at the S&W? Hand up -- many, many meals.

Or, who remember The Garden where you got a meat and three plus a toss salad for $1.07 before tax.

Or were members of the Chipmunk Club, where kids got into the Tennessee Theater for free on Sat. mornings with an empty Tom's Potato Chips bag (I believe it was)?

They probably would not have allowed me in with you young'ns.

Seen several movies at the Riviera and was downtown with my parents, on the Sunday the Rivera burned. I remember Ray Oglesby (local politician), who was in the theater when the fire started, being interviewed by the media. Made it to the Tennessee several times, but only once or twice for the Chipmunk Club.
Had a few meals at the S&W, and several at the Garden. There also was a Charbroiled Steak restaurant just west of the Tennessee Theater, I think on Clinch Ave, it was good place to eat.

"It looks kind of cheesy if you ask me. The red neon letters seemed to clash with the color of the building. It might look better at night."

Carole,
Thanks for posting the picture, but, you are too kind! Cheesy??? Hideous is what comes to mind to me. Looks like Disneyland on crack. Seems it would be a better fit in Pigeon Forge and not around buildings built during the turn of the century.

"I used to love to watch one of the Mall Men (as Jim Dykes called them) who would sit at the Union Avenue end of Market Square and heckle the street preachers."

Betty,
I always felt that corner Preachers were pretty scary fellows. I'm not certain but I believe they have to do this to become ordained. I always felt teaching was a much better way to get a point across than preaching. But then you would have to know what you were teaching!

Jack

Adrift in the Sea of Humility

I too remember the Riviera and going to see the remains when it burned...with the exception of the Family Drive-in and the Twin Aire Drive-in (Broadway & Clinton Hwy respectively), every movie I had seen before my teenage years was a Tennessee or Riviera experience...with the exception of "Patton" which I saw at "The Park" on Magnolia. Like others, my only interior recollection was of "The Tennessee". My father always liked to tell the story of my first glimpse of the interior of the Tennessee...having only been to drive-in movies and upon entering the large Tennessee lobby, I asked if it (The Tennessee) had seats.

I could be wrong, but I would quess that movie theaters are not built to last for generations anywhere. Remember the Capri in Bearden? Wasn't it sort of a prefab corrogated metal clad structure? Although, something else did take it over after it was sold (Bennett's?).

I bet they figure the lifespan of a movie theater in 5 or ten year increments depending on whether it is paying for itself or not.

Remember the last 'first run' movie you saw at the Tennessee? Mine was The Godfather, first row center of the balcony.

I also remember their screenings of locally-shot movies such as The Fool Killer and All the Way Home.

Our pastor's brother, John Cullum, an Island Home boy, was in All the Way Home and he was so proud of his relatively small part.

Wearybottom Associates

The Capri was built about fourty years ago, unsure what kind of condition the building is in today. I have noticed that buildings ten to fifteen years old are being demolished and replaced.

Well, its not that they couldn't build it like a pyramid, but a movie theater is sort of risky.

The Mayan pyramids were built centuries ago and they still look pretty darn good.

I guarantee you there were no shortage of people in downtown Teotihuacan who complained that they didn't aesthetically mesh with the venerable and beloved Iguana-On-A-Stick building facade next door.

The Capri (Knoxville's Rocking Chair Theater) is now Bennett Galleries.

The Downtown Cinema looks ok. It's accross from my office, so I've seen it daily from a hole to finshed. It's not a theater building built for the ages or archetectural accolades. It's modern building, built for movies. It looks a lot better than the one in downtown Chattanooga. We have the Tennessee and Bijou. The Downtown Cinema is a great addition. I hope it's successful.

I scored 3 of 4 on the quiz. I watched many a movie at the Tennessee (and the Park, River Breeze, Twin Aire and Westown, the original round one, and the Fox). We lived pretty far out, so Saturday matinees downtown would have been a bit of a trip. I'm not even sure they had the Chipmunk Club when I would have been the right age.

The Capri was where I first saw 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Oh, and I wish I still had that pea-green Nehru Jacket although there would be no way I could ever get into it again.

Wearybottom Associates

I don't know if my family really went along with the idea that we shouldn't see movies in theaters or if the reality of having seven children caused my parents not to take us. I grew up fundamentalist Baptist, so it could have been either one.

The first time I ever set foot in a theater I was probably seventeen and was on a date. My younger brother was with us. I drove an older brother's Grand Am. We saw Men at Work, Sheen and Estevez, not especially memorable. And I don't even remember what theater it was, but it was near Southlake Mall in Morrow, GA. It was probably the first time in my life I'd seen a movie while it could still be considered new.

Eh...it is a little weird looking but I am willing to overlook the style for the substance. I walked past it on my way to the brew pub and think it looks better in person. I personally am going to patronize it almost exclusively over other theaters.

"The Capri was built about forty years ago, unsure what kind of condition the building is in today."

The Capri building is still in good shape but it is no longer a movie theater. It's now Bennett Gallery. I saw a few movies towards the end of its run as a theater. The large auditorium (with the vast, curved screen for 70mm presentations) had been divided in half (with half a screen for each room) and the small auditorium was intact.

In 1991 my UT architecture students designed innovative cinemas for both the Capri and Riviera sites. I have these documented on slides and, given an invite from the local AIA, would be happy to show these and other student projects designed between 1984-1995.