Fact Friday 129 - Historic Park Terrace Closes

Fact Friday 129 - Historic Park Terrace Closes

Happy Friday, 

 

You may have heard via the Charlotte Observer or the Charlotte Business Journal that Park Terrace Theater in historic Park Road Shopping Center screened its last films this past Sunday, December 17. The historic Park Terrace, known for showing independent and foreign films, is Charlotte’s second oldest movie theater, after the Manor on Providence Road. Park Terrace opened in 1964 and underwent a $2 million renovation in 1996 that included an expansion from three screens to six.

I grew up going to Park Terrace theater with one of by best friends when I would spend the weekends and holiday breaks at his home in South Charlotte. So I'm saddened to see it close. On the plus side, the 20,000+ square-foot building won't be torn down, but instead will be renovated again for an entertainment option from a yet-to-be-named tenant. Edens, the firm that manages Park Road Shopping Center, is based in Columbia, South Carolina and says it wishes to preserve the legacy of not only the theater, but the overall shopping center, reportedly investing approximately $25 million into the shopping center since its acquisition in 2011. Park Road Shopping Center itself was built in 1956 and was Charlotte's first open-air retail center. 


The historic Park Road Shopping Center sign has been preserved and is still installed. 


Park Terrace was previously run by Consolidated Theatres until Regal Entertainment Group bought the Charlotte-based movie company in 2008. Locally, Regal also owns the Manor, Phillips Place and Stonecrest, among other theaters.

This month, the British company Cineworld Group PLC confirmed its plans to buy Tennessee-based Regal for $3.6 billion. The deal is expected to close in early 2018.

To read more about the historic theater, including a time capsule that was buried there in its inaugural year and opened 50 years later in 2014, read our Fact Friday 37 - Charlotte "Goings-Ons" on May 11, 1964.

 

Park Terrace time capsule.

 

Until next week!

 

Chris. 

Email me at chris@704shop.com if you have interesting Charlotte facts you’d like to share or just to provide feedback!

Information taken from:

Charlotte Observer - "Beloved movie theater at Park Road Shopping Center closing soon." - Katherine Peralta and Ely Portillo, December 8 & 11, 2017

Charlotte Observer - "Details emerge for Park Terrace plan after theater closes." - Katherine Peralta , December 13, 2017

Charlotte Business Journal - "Edens shares plans for future of Park Terrace movie theater." - Jennifer Thomas, December 13, 2017

Minor adjustments made.  

“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.” – Frederick Douglass

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