No plans yet for former theater lot
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on January 11, 2013 1:46 PM
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More than five years after its final showing as a movie theater, the building which previously housed the Carmike Berkeley Cinema Four is no more.
Construction crews tore down the Cashwell Street structure Monday.
The theater operated from 1976 until its final presentation on Nov. 30, 2007.
About two years prior, in response to the 12-screen Premiere Theater which opened off of Wayne Memorial Drive, the smaller theater began showing older features for $1.50 admission.
The theater was eventually closed as Carmike Cinemas began consolidating in an effort to stave of losses.
Dean Thompson, broker-in-charge of Southern Living Realty, said that after five years on the market, the company felt there wasn't much that could be done with the structure.
The Southern Living website advertised the commercial building as an opportunity for a potential buyer to develop the old theater into a small convention center, but Thompson said load-bearing walls made it difficult to envision any developer being able to customize the building for use.
"They decided it would be better to sell it without it there," he said.
The property, now a vacant lot across from the U.S. Post Office, is still listed for sale by Southern Living Realty.