The future of Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park takes shape
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The Uptown Theater back in 2011. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images
The revival of the Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park — a hot topic with neighbors, nostalgic Washingtonians, and cinephiles — may finally be underway after a series of false starts.
Why it matters: People are passionate about the fate of the Art Deco theater, a historic landmark that's sat dark since March 2020 — especially Cleveland Park-ers, who're anxious about a big neighborhood attraction to re-anchor their main street.
Driving the news: Miller Walker co-founder and principal Bill Miller tells Axios the retail real estate firm has "a deal we're excited about and are sure will be a great addition to the neighborhood."
- "All aspects of it are confidential," says Walker, including the timeline for an announcement. Or an opening. The firm declined to comment on whether a previously reported "arts/theater group" is taking over the lease.
Catch up quick: It's been a plot-twister for fans of the Uptown, which opened in 1936 and hosted blockbuster premieres like "Jurassic Park" on its huge single screen. AMC Theaters operated it for decades until the pandemic hit and the lease wasn't renewed.
- A historic landmark designation in 2022 promised to preserve the facade of the nearly 19,000-square-foot building, but the future function of the property is still a mystery.
Between the lines: The former MacArthur Theater in The Palisades — built by the same Uptown architect and also a historic landmark — is now a CVS. "Save the Uptown"-ers have fretted over a similar fate.
- Meanwhile, theater advocates point to The Avalon in Chevy Chase, a 1920s venue run by a nonprofit, as a success story.
Zoom in: A group of neighbors and hospitality veterans recently campaigned to reopen Uptown as a multi-venue nonprofit with a theater, screening room, events space, and bar/restaurant.
- Their proposal garnered a lot of local support — and the group raised a staggering half a million dollars in just three days — but it ultimately wasn't accepted by the Pedas family, which owns the property, according to a letter sent to supporters last year.
The intrigue: Brothers Ted and Jim Pedas were dubbed "the new movie moguls" by the Post in 1980 for operating one of the biggest collections of movie theaters in the District through their company, Circle Theaters.
- Sister company Circle Films produced early Coen Brothers movies.
What they're saying: Cleveland Park neighbors don't know the Pedas' intentions — they're historically quiet in the media — but they've been vocal about keeping the venue true to its roots.
- "What I hear most from my neighbors is that they want it reopened as a movie theater," Advisory Neighborhood Commission member Tammy Gordon tells Axios. She says she's "frustrated with the lack of communication about what's happening there."
- "Whether you're new to D.C. or here for your whole life, there's such nostalgia associated with the Uptown."
Editor's note: This story has been revised to reflect the correct last name of Miller Walker co-founder Bill Miller.