Abandoned Movie! United Artists Theater - Greenwood Village, CO
This will be a fairly short post today, but I wanted to get this out quickly. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, in this story, this is a part of town I'm rarely in. For this reason, I hadn't paid the former United Artists Cinema in Greenwood Village any mind for years. So I didn't even know this theater was closed until last week.
Set behind a series of chain and non-chain restaurants on Arapahoe Road, just before Interstate 25 crosses over on it's way in and out of Denver. The only reason I was driving east on Arapahoe was to get to my drivers license renewed.
Even though I'm moving out of the state in two months, my license expired on my birfday. Just two months before we move. I could risk driving illegally, but would likely run into problems with renting a truck to get our stuff out of here.
The nearest DMV to me stopped taking walk-ins last year, the next nearest has a wait time just shy of a decade. The DMV way far away from where I live has a 1pm appointment slot open...
A situation like this would demand further investigation the following weekend. Early Sunday morning, when there was little traffic around...
Indeed, the United Artists Cinema had been closed. There were 12 theaters inside, but I don't remember much else about it. I was only at this theater a couple of times, the latest coming in the fall of 1997.
That day, there was a technology convention renting the theater. Our school used it as a field trip that day. Each of the theaters had speakers discussing technological advances in our industry. We all drove separately and we told to mingle and ask questions.
While the subjects were interesting, they didn't pertain a whole lot to what we were studying. After about an hour and a half, I ducked out and went home. I remember just wandering around the entire theater complex, standing on the fringes of cluster conversation and not participating at all.
The entrance to the theater seemed a little different from the theaters I was used to. People corralling ramps leading to the box office, set behind garage doors that could be opened or closed due to the weather. Stuff like this is common today, was pretty unique for it's day.
In addition to blocking the door with loose plywood, there is plastic sheeting behind the doors that open into the theater lobby. There are no signs of any asbestos removal going, so I'm not sure why this entrance is sealed off.
An official notice from the city of Greenwood Village regarding the broken doors, dated July 17, 2017, is taped to the window. The city was giving the property owners three whole days to remedy the situation.
Hopefully someone (the "Whom-It-May-Concern") in charge of watching the abandoned theater, on behalf of the owners, drove by to notice this notice. After all, they were doing such a bang up job watching to ensure that no one was breaking the glass doors...
Next to some more legal papers taped to the other set of doors, was this note. If it had once been filled out by a city official, the sun had faded the ink clear away. Well, they did sweep the broken glass into a neater pile and placed a sheet of plywood in front of the door. I'm sure that's an acceptable solution!
Let's go back in time, almost 21 years ago now, to my only other appearance inside the United Artists Theater in Greenwood Village, Colorado...
My friend Matt was in town from Minnesota, and was spending a few days hanging out at Kenyon. Over the past few years, we had developed of a tradition of going to theaters to see a really bad movie. So we needed an appropriately bad film to watch while he was visiting.
Back to March 25, 2018. The morning I took these pictures! Much to my surprise, the front windows were not covered up, allowing a great look inside to the lobby.
The nearly intact snack bar still has everything besides menu boards and food. The fountains are still there, the pizza slice warming shelf is still up, and the candy bins are ready for stocking overpriced Gummy Worms and Milk Dudes...
And all that's missing here is some ticket takers and a buncha people. Looks like a ceiling tile has fallen in on the ugly carpet below, but I couldn't tell for sure.
The white screen in the middle of the lobby would show previews for movies either at, or coming to this theater. The projector can still be seen hanging from the ceiling.
This theater seemed to encourage loitering, with the extended loitering section outside the restrooms. And those illuminated poster boards are really bright...
According to old pictures I found online, there was a line of video arcade games sitting just to the right of the restrooms. Don't forget Skill Crane!
It really surprised me at how intact the theater still is. Granted it's only been closed for just over a year, but it looks ready to reopen on a moment's notice...
I would have loved to have gotten more pictures of the rest of the theater. But even on an early Sunday morning, there was a lot of traffic in the area. So I took my pictures quickly and got away from the place before some nosy blue blood decides they are saving society by reporting a guy taking pictures of an abandoned theater...
To wrap my photography session up, I went with a close up of the building front, from north to south. The choice of colors and accents on this building scream late 1980's-early 1990's. As if this theater fell right out of Saved By The Bell or something...
From what I've been able to figure out from online Yelp reviews (there is a reason I signed up for Yelp, but am never going to review a business), the theater was rapidly sliding downhill in comparison to the other newer theaters in the area.
Before closing, the reviews got very negative. Apparently with the end near, neither employees nor management cared at all about the theater or it's customers. Of course, these are Yelp reviews, so take them and their views with a grain of salt. You know what they say about reviews, they tell you more about the reviewer than they do about the product/service...
Another common Yelp gripe was the theater's reputation to feature very overpriced concessions, in comparison to other theaters in the immediate area, all with more updated guest amenities. Again, these are whiny entitled Yelpers...
Overall, it was a nice enough theater. But it's early 1990's construction didn't allow for the rapid technological advances that would come over the next couple of decades. People in this area simply chose the vast supply of other options with more updated features.
With this large of a building and parking lot, I can't image the structure staying intact for another tenant. This land has a far greater value with nothing on it, than with this theater sticking around vacant for a few more years.
Set behind a series of chain and non-chain restaurants on Arapahoe Road, just before Interstate 25 crosses over on it's way in and out of Denver. The only reason I was driving east on Arapahoe was to get to my drivers license renewed.
Even though I'm moving out of the state in two months, my license expired on my birfday. Just two months before we move. I could risk driving illegally, but would likely run into problems with renting a truck to get our stuff out of here.
The nearest DMV to me stopped taking walk-ins last year, the next nearest has a wait time just shy of a decade. The DMV way far away from where I live has a 1pm appointment slot open...
Sold!
Traffic was steady that day when I drove out here, but I noticed this as I passed by...
The United Artists Theaters sign I remember was advertising "All Stadium Seating" for no movies...
At no theater...
Indeed, the United Artists Cinema had been closed. There were 12 theaters inside, but I don't remember much else about it. I was only at this theater a couple of times, the latest coming in the fall of 1997.
That day, there was a technology convention renting the theater. Our school used it as a field trip that day. Each of the theaters had speakers discussing technological advances in our industry. We all drove separately and we told to mingle and ask questions.
While the subjects were interesting, they didn't pertain a whole lot to what we were studying. After about an hour and a half, I ducked out and went home. I remember just wandering around the entire theater complex, standing on the fringes of cluster conversation and not participating at all.
Pretty much how I always deal with all of those things.
Lousy introvert...
The entrance to the theater seemed a little different from the theaters I was used to. People corralling ramps leading to the box office, set behind garage doors that could be opened or closed due to the weather. Stuff like this is common today, was pretty unique for it's day.
The door to the south had been smashed in, as was the door immediately to the left of this picture...
In addition to blocking the door with loose plywood, there is plastic sheeting behind the doors that open into the theater lobby. There are no signs of any asbestos removal going, so I'm not sure why this entrance is sealed off.
An official notice from the city of Greenwood Village regarding the broken doors, dated July 17, 2017, is taped to the window. The city was giving the property owners three whole days to remedy the situation.
Hopefully someone (the "Whom-It-May-Concern") in charge of watching the abandoned theater, on behalf of the owners, drove by to notice this notice. After all, they were doing such a bang up job watching to ensure that no one was breaking the glass doors...
This property may even be abated!
At least the north entrance was still intact.
*****
My friend Matt was in town from Minnesota, and was spending a few days hanging out at Kenyon. Over the past few years, we had developed of a tradition of going to theaters to see a really bad movie. So we needed an appropriately bad film to watch while he was visiting.
And on this particular weekend, he chose...
Double Team!
With Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mickey Rourke and Dennis Freakin Rodman!
How could this movie not suck?
Come on, they don't play by the rules!
We bought our tickets and then had an hour to kill...
So we had some food at this very Greenwood Village McDonalds...
While making inappropriate jokes about Michael Jordan's talking Space Jam Action Figure...
*****
And I'd like to thank the last person to leave the theater for NOT turning out the lights!
And all that's missing here is some ticket takers and a buncha people. Looks like a ceiling tile has fallen in on the ugly carpet below, but I couldn't tell for sure.
The white screen in the middle of the lobby would show previews for movies either at, or coming to this theater. The projector can still be seen hanging from the ceiling.
This theater seemed to encourage loitering, with the extended loitering section outside the restrooms. And those illuminated poster boards are really bright...
According to old pictures I found online, there was a line of video arcade games sitting just to the right of the restrooms. Don't forget Skill Crane!
It really surprised me at how intact the theater still is. Granted it's only been closed for just over a year, but it looks ready to reopen on a moment's notice...
And a vacuuming...
The exit that cannot be used as an entrance...
I would have loved to have gotten more pictures of the rest of the theater. But even on an early Sunday morning, there was a lot of traffic in the area. So I took my pictures quickly and got away from the place before some nosy blue blood decides they are saving society by reporting a guy taking pictures of an abandoned theater...
Stupid brunch goers...
Quick research revealed this theater opened in May, 1992.
Pretty nice United Artists logo shaped label scar!
The United Artists Theater closed with a public announcement on January 30, 2017.
From what I've been able to figure out from online Yelp reviews (there is a reason I signed up for Yelp, but am never going to review a business), the theater was rapidly sliding downhill in comparison to the other newer theaters in the area.
One complaint was the theater never opened, even after posted show times.
Before closing, the reviews got very negative. Apparently with the end near, neither employees nor management cared at all about the theater or it's customers. Of course, these are Yelp reviews, so take them and their views with a grain of salt. You know what they say about reviews, they tell you more about the reviewer than they do about the product/service...
Another common Yelp gripe was the theater's reputation to feature very overpriced concessions, in comparison to other theaters in the immediate area, all with more updated guest amenities. Again, these are whiny entitled Yelpers...
Overall, it was a nice enough theater. But it's early 1990's construction didn't allow for the rapid technological advances that would come over the next couple of decades. People in this area simply chose the vast supply of other options with more updated features.
With this large of a building and parking lot, I can't image the structure staying intact for another tenant. This land has a far greater value with nothing on it, than with this theater sticking around vacant for a few more years.
Unfortunately, this place was obsolete barely before it even had it's day...
"You look like Christmas tree head man!"
I loved this one! Awesome!
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ReplyDeleteHere's an update for you on this property--late last year it was reopened as a Regal Cinebarre theater... that has now been shut since March thanks to coronavirus. While I saw a few movies at the place in 1999 with working down in the region, haven't tried to see any at its new business. If I'm in the area, it's usually to eat at the Chuy's that opened the same month you moved north. The Macaroni Grill finally gave up the ghost at the end of last year and is now the empty place I'm watching to see how long it sits vacant as this neighborhood has a curious propensity for being slow to refill empty business spaces for all the traffic it still gets.
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