Old Vienna Movie Theater: Why Not Rekindle It?

Can't believe my eyes on this one. You're bashing a successful, well run business and proposing that it be replaced with one that would almost certainly fail.

1. Spokes is in an ideal location. A town that has such great access to the bike trail certainly needs a large shop, with an excellent maintenance dept. That's part of the reason I bought two bikes there myself.

2. The film exhibition business is VERY challenging. The only way to run a theater in that location would be to follow the model of either Cinema Arts in Fairfax, or the Arlington Cinema Draft House. Not impossible, but much less likely to succeed than a bike shop. The Old Town Theater in Alexandria failed late last year, and that would be comparable.

3. Vienna has an excellent small music venue - Jammin' Java. They're getting national attention, and using innovative marketing and scheduling (and good coffee) to stay in business. Just ten minutes away is the larger State Theater in Falls Church that attracts more well known acts, and has very good sound and atmosphere. Oh yeah - there's this place called Wolftrap too, that's completely unique in the country.

How about focusing on what's really wrong - the Wolftrap hotel, the ugly office "huts" on West Maple for starters. People might really get behind that kind of redevelopment.

i was born and raised in vienna. i'm only in college. but i'll tell you one thing... i love this town. and despite what any of you think, so do the children. and that's what counts. you all are so horrible. you break people down and you define the ugly side of politics. the people who will bash anyone, just to make yourselves look better. so pick on me. do it. i dare you. pick on the teenager who stumbled upon this website and is disgusted at what she saw.

no one at my highschool ever had anything negative to say about vienna. they think this place has the most entertainment northern virginia has to offer. not only that, but if you go anywhere in vienna you are bound to see kids with oakton shirts... or a name of another town. people come here because it in a sense, it is a "social" town.

it would be INCREDIBLE if the movie theatre came back, i know my brother used to tell me all the time about how he used to go see movies there. but the "old-fashioned" movie theatre would simply be a luxury, it is not incredibly urgent. there is just a movie theatre down the street [tyson's corner] where the seating is much more convenient and comfortable. stadium seating allows EVERYONE to have a good view of the movie. ALSO, there is a concert hall right across the street [jammin' java] that has been honored by many magazines and organizations as one of the top venues of northern virginia.

also... keep in mind, vienna is getting revamped. eventually, it will happen. don't be so impatient. right now, the vienna town green is coming and that's going to have a LOT of entertainment... especially with that small venue.

maybe instead of the town sitting inside, watching the movie they can be OUTSIDE. americans are known to being overweight... perhaps an outside venue like the one dear mayor jane seeman has helped with will encourage families to attend these shows, toss a frisbee around, actually INTERACT with other people.

how dare you say town council is not creative. they are. vienna is looking the best it ever has. there is so much unity here and so much community interaction. don't you remember it was voted #4 best town 2 years ago?

this is the place to be. this is where everyone goes after school to hang out with their friends. this is where families want to raise their children.

You lose a little credibilty, when you attack absolutely EVERYTHING. Movie theatres do n ot make money unless they are multiplexes today - see Herndon, Reston, Tysons Fair Oaks, Govt Ctr etc.

I think it is great to have a bike shop in town easy access to the W&OD. They are a great assett to Vienna. Do we need some changes in Vienna, SURE. But not everything that has happened in the last 20 years is bad.

Does anyone know why the theater originally closed? Was it due to the multi-plexes in Fairoaks and Tysons?

I certainly remember the Vienna Theater.

I don't however, think it can ever go back to that. The movie business has changed such that single screen theaters are no longer viable. McLean had a theater too for a while in the 70's and early 80's and it went dark about the same time as the Vienna Theater. It has since been redeveloped - it is the back part of the Dean & DeLuca store now.

A music venue might work. How they rebuilt the floor when they converted it to retail might have some bearing on how easy it would be to turn it back into an auditorium though.

The Vienna TC does absolutely no partnerships with business. They don't have a proactive creative bone in their body toward business redevelopment. Their plan is "whoever shows up is fine by us." If the Scientologists put their headquarters in Vienna, taking up prime real estate, Maud supporters would simply say, "that's capitalism." Wrong.

In general, the business community views Vienna as anti-business. That's not this little ole web site, that's the business owners. So harping that Vienna is great, #4, etc. misses the point.

In terms of attacking everything and losing credibility...that is nonsense. The Maple Avenue Vision Committee met for 3 years discussing these types of inefficiencies and problems.

Movie theater, bar, restaurant, whatever, there is no way that space, that building, is best served with its present tenant. That's the point. To postulate that we were attacking the bike shop is equally looney.

Whether the old movie theater or some other property is being discussed, there needs to be "thought" as to how Vienna unfolds. That was the point of the post.

Yes, the single screen movie theaters all collapsed about the same time in the late 70s. A few, like The State held on as dollar theaters, but by the mid 80s most were gone.

BTW, although I agree that it is not the best use of the space, I don't want to see Spokes, Etc. leave town. I have been a customer of theirs since they opened their first store which was long before they moved into the theater space.

Beats a giant optical shop!

"Beats a giant optical shop!"

While we agree with you, it is a sad state of affairs to see that view as Town Council opinion and policy. We can all do better. There are too many smart people in Town to let one 85 year old woman and an army of other seniors dominate and control every decision made in Vienna. It's like Vienna is being run by the legendary Del Boca Vista condo board from Seinfeld. In a TV show it is funny. Real life it is not. And to not mention this demographic that controls Vienna ("age haters you historicvienna.com people") is crazy. A mixed demographic community should not be dominated by one demographic. What does this have to do with old movie theaters? Plenty.

A bike store has to be better use of that space than the eye glass shop that was there before, but you're right, don't see a whole lot of "vision" as is evident by the banks, gas stations, etc.

Along the anti-business line, I heard a rumor that the Vienna McDonalds wanted to rebuild on it's present site and the owner decided against it because it would take too long to get the required "approvals" in Vienna (maybe for a big RED & yellow sign?) and he'd lose too much money if he stayed closed that long...

"they think this place has the most entertainment northern virginia has to offer."

Wow, if you're in high school or college and going to Vienna for a good time, I kind of wonder about you. You must be the ones that hang-out in the comic book store & EB games all day, right?

"How about focusing on what's really wrong - the Wolftrap hotel, the ugly office "huts" on West Maple for starters."

Come on now - we are the ONLY ones talking about the Wolftrap dive. Use the search box and check out the prior posts and comments about that here.

In terms of the "huts" those were all sold to one builder for over $10 million. He wants to tear all of them down, but has no guidance from Vienna TC.

The quip was meant to point out the silly uses that the theater building has served since it was a theater and that the bike shop is only an incremental improvement. The Vienna Motors space on the corner of Beaulah would have been perfect for Spokes, Etc. (although maybe too far from the bike path.)

Personally, I think the building should have been razed and redeveloped. The rub is that with a master plan lacking, it would have ended up as a mini-strip ala Knossos or a bank.

BTW, I have been thinking about downtown McLean (where I grew up) and Vienna (where I have lived for the last 15 years) and how they have gone in opposite directions over the years. I have some practical thoughts on why (that don't necessarily have to do with the junta in power) and I will share as soon as I have worked them out completely.

Do you realize that in the 1/2 mile circle that is downtown McLean there were at one time 15-16 gas stations? Look at it now. Not perfect, but a better mix than we have in Vienna.

"Vienna has an excellent small music venue - Jammin' Java"

That is a strawman. Their success has nothing to do with this post. And please don't go on to say Vienna TC is responsoible for Jammin Java. They had nothing to do with it. Fell into their laps.

I have talked with a lot of High Schoolers who want a skate board park and have to go elsewhere to do so. They are not so happy with the way they have been treated. If your in sports great it is perfect, if your not then you are left out. I'm glad you stumbled on to this site.

Careful that frisbee doesn't go on 123.

Leelee:

i was born and raised in vienna. i'm only in college. but i'll tell you one thing... i love this town.

I was born and raised in Vienna, too.. So, we're equal here.

you all are so horrible. you break people down and you define the ugly side of politics. the people who will bash anyone, just to make yourselves look better. so pick on me. do it. i dare you. pick on the teenager who stumbled upon this website and is disgusted at what she saw.

OK, I'll pick on you! ;0

Please tell me exactly which parts infuriate you. Tone? Ideas? Criticism?

I saw Sean Penn on Bill Maher's show the other night. Penn was talking about criticizing the Bush administration and how anyone who does is labeled "anti-democratic." When, in actuality, criticism is what makes our democracy work.

no one at my highschool ever had anything negative to say about vienna.

Whoa, Nelly! I graduated Madison, too. I can't think of anyone who didn't complain about Vienna - the cops, no where to hang, parents, teachers - blah, blah, blah. If you aren't angst-ridden, you are not a proper teen.

As a matter of fact, I graduated with about 450 kids and only a handful still live here. I have friends who would sooner cut off their big toe than ever move back here.

they think this place has the most entertainment northern virginia has to offer.

OK, I have no response for this because I really don't understand the statement. Jammin Java? Say, do kids still gather in that party court off Lawyers? You guys still drive around with cases of the Beast and run from cops?

it would be INCREDIBLE if the movie theatre came back, i know my brother used to tell me all the time about how he used to go see movies there. but the "old-fashioned" movie theatre would simply be a luxury, it is not incredibly urgent.

OK, outside of a supermarket and drugstore, aren't they all luxuries?

there is just a movie theatre down the street [tyson's corner] where the seating is much more convenient and comfortable.

What seating are you comparing to Tyson's? The seating that was thrown out nearly 20 years ago when Vienna theater left town?

ALSO, there is a concert hall right across the street [jammin' java] that has been honored by many magazines and organizations as one of the top venues of northern virginia.

Well, Jammin Java is more like a coffee house with bands at night. But, what do I know, us moms just go there at 10am for Mr. Banjo. But, we're talking movie theaters - not quite the same.

right now, the vienna town green is coming and that's going to have a LOT of entertainment... especially with that small venue.

Well, this mom won't be there since I don't need my kids running into traffic on Maple. A fence is erected, and you might get my business.

maybe instead of the town sitting inside, watching the movie they can be OUTSIDE. americans are known to being overweight

I want to see movies sitting down indoors and I weigh 129 lbs. Where do I fit in with this whole "movie theater/obesity debate"?

dear mayor jane seeman

Ah, yes, your agenda is now clear. It only took 5 paragraphs.

this is where families want to raise their children.

Please let me know in 10 years if you are still here to raise your kids. If my stats are right, most Madison alum move on to other places. Keep in touch!

"i was born and raised in vienna. i'm only in college. but i'll tell you one thing... i love this town. and despite what any of you think, so do the children. and that's what counts. you all are so horrible."

You don't speak for me or anyone I know who grew up in Vienna, who've witnessed in ten years this place become so congested, crowded and disgusting that there is little reason to stay here. Could you afford to live in this 'town' if your parents weren't slaving away across the Potomac for 10 hours a day?

This is a great example of the intellectual and civic laziness that allowed so-called 'adults' to run this town into the ground while we hung out at Wendy's.

Nice work, ViennaMommy, way to alienate our youth and future. Do you have anything positive to offer the town? If you (and C.M. Nagans, among others) can't see anything positive about this community, why aren't you among the statistical masses who are leaving?

Their success has nothing to do with this post. And please don't go on to say Vienna TC is responsoible for Jammin Java. They had nothing to do with it. Fell into their laps.

Historic Vienna - did I say anything about the Vienna TC? Why would you assume that connection? Have you seen vigorous defense of the TC from any of my posts over the last week? Your original post proposed removing a viable business and replacing it with one that would directly compete for customers (and musical talent or movies to exhibit) with existing successful businesses close by. My response made a point about competition and the state of the theater business. Do you make it a habit of belittling everyone? That's not smart politics.

Alienating the future? Hardly. It's a political blog and she said made some very volatile statements without any substance to back up her assertions.

I'd love to see more young people on here talking. I feel like at 34, I'm one of the "youngins." And, isn't youth about questioning the establishment? Pushing them to defend their decisions? Wondering why the old have all the power? Gosh, I'm back in Mr. Ward's government class.

I do not have to defend why I live here. Perhaps, there are many reasons why we all live here. My dream location? Probably not. Will I be here when we retire? Hard to say. Will my three children stay here when they raise families? Even harder to say.

The issue at hand is not why we live here but how can we make Vienna better. Please don't give me another mushy answer that everything is perfect. Do I need to bring up the Town Council appointed corrupt voting officials profiled by the Washington Post?

Your original post proposed removing a viable business and replacing it with one that would directly compete for customers (and musical talent or movies to exhibit) with existing successful businesses close by.

Missed the point.

I loved the theater. I dont think HV is bashing Spokes but simpley stating there are better uses and places for shops like that. I shop at spokes and in my younger years I rode my bike to that theather. (I Dont think it would be a great venue now, who would let there child walk up Maple Ave to get there) Like other towns and areas in Va. tax incentives and a open minded zoning would help Maple Ave become something other then a GREAT BIG DRIVE THROUGH. Come on people we have 19 banks on Maple Ave alone. 5 Dry cleaners. 7 Gas stations. We make it convient for people to use are town as a drive in. HV keep up the charge people are starting to listen...MAUD AND HER GOON SQUAD CANT LIVE FOREVER/

Following your link to the Maple Ave. Vision Committee and realizing that those efforts and hard work went to waste is terribly frustrating. Who'd want to to waste their time with the current TC and their habit of shelving any/all (sidewalk) surveys, studies, etc. Unfortunately, think we're destined to rely on ad-hoc development/re-development of existing structures which means more Commerce Banks and the like...really sad.

hey, it's me, that 19 year old again.

you all are seeking PERFECTION in your town. no town is perfect, but when it comes down to it... i think vienna is the closest you'll ever get. and if you don't agree with me, then MOVE.

i don't care to write in perfect grammar for all of you because i know no matter what i say, you will break it down and make my statements seem like i am stupid. ok, that's a risk i'll take because you have your freedom of speech. so go ahead.

people who say vienna has "nothing to do" ... those "madison kids"... are just complaining for the hell of it. there are THINGS TO DO. people are ALWAYS going to complain.

a person can go to a friends house, hang out in front of chipotle/starbucks/noodles area that it still the "hip spot" to be, go to tyson's corner which is incredibly close (and one of the best malls in the nation), see a show at jammin' java, walk on the bike path, check out stores... THERE ARE THINGS TO DO IN VIENNA.

the cops in vienna can be [...]. yeah they do give tickets out for speeders a lot. but um. that's the government. you want your town to be safe so that your children... this goes out for YOU ALL WITH CHILDREN WHO ARE AFRAID YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO GET RUN OVER IF THEY GO TO THE TOWN GREEN! and if you think the police are not nice, as people... then you are entirely wrong. each one of the police officers are incredibly kind. they are only serious
when they have to be, when people are breaking the law. cops are cops. you can't go to a town just because they have 'really nice cops'. then nothing would get done & the city would be out of order.

Leelee doesn't even have to vote. The old people will keep her favorite TC members in power. No time to vote, have to go to Starbuck's and hang out.

leelee, glad you are participating and speaking your mind, but think you're missing some of the points here and you tend to ramble...

- No one said the Vienna cops aren't nice.
- No one's seeking perfection, they think current Town reps. can do better.
- Sure, there are things to do in Vienna, many of them are far from exciting. Hanging out at the Noodle Co. & Mall might be "hip" for a 12 year old, but you're 19!
- Walking on the bike path is good exercise but wouldn't expect that to be the social highlight of a 19 year old, college student either.
- How many towns have you lived in in all your years to be able to state that Vienna is as close to perfection as you'll get?

Leelee, please stop telling me to move. Ask your parents about secure, well-paying jobs, houses, good schools - everything is easier said than done. People aren't just going to throw away 15 years at a job or 30 year friendships because they don't like Maud Robinson. That is just a silly argument. Let's move beyond this.