Letter: State Theatre is a treasure not found in Any Town USA
This letter was sent to Skip Davies and Martie Dote, city council members on the selection committee for the downtown multiplex, and copied to the Woodland Record.
Please breathe some life into downtown with the State Theater renovation project and reject the Petrovich proposal. Petrovich has bled downtown for long enough.
A new State theater will bring back to life a beautiful classic old theater that is a rarity in these times. Go inside and look at the ceiling and when your eyes adjust to the dim light you can see the beautiful original ceiling painting peeking out from behind a ill advised attempt to cover it up. It is reminiscent of a similar painting in the Opera House. This old movie house is a real treasure and should be brought back to its original grandeur. I seriously doubt that in 50 years anyone will be saying the same thing about the Petrovich theaters if they are built. Petrovich will build a typical cookie cutter multiplex that can be found in Any Town USA. The State Theater is a true treasure that is waiting to be rediscovered.
Read the rest at WoodlandRecord.com
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10 comments:
Thank you Dino for printing these letters in favor of the State Renovation. Is there any way we might find out if the selection body is getting any letters in favor of the Petrovich project?
Because of a Public Record Request the city is forwarding to us all letters it receives regarding the downtown multiplex. We have not received any in support of the Third and Main proposal. As late as a couple of weeks ago the city had confirmed they have not received any for Petrovich. I will check again to make sure, but they have been great about forwarding the letters. We still haven't published all of them.
Surely Dottie Huber or Matt Rexroad will write a letter of of support for Paul Petrovich
The state theatre is a dump that people don't even visit anymore. Woodland can have only so much history for being such a small town. Towns can't grow and prosper if you keep restoring old buildings that only the baby boomer generation of Woodland can appreciate. A new multiplex built by the great Paul Petrovich will bring in people from all around yolo county. And much to your dismay I am not a Petrovich lackey, I am just a 19 year old Woodlander who is passionate about the growth and expansion of our city. What's past is prologue and Woodland need to move on and become a great city, not just a "historical" town.
Hey 19,
The thing is, great cities are made by their histories and it just so happens many Woodlanders have come before you to designate the historic district.
What's also interesting is you call Petrovich "the great" yet claim no allegiance to him. Very odd choice of words. And what kind of a point is "What's past is prologue." Is that something you think just sounds good?
Although I can understand that you want something new, your reasoning is very immature. Renovate means make new. Expansion implies growth... so what part of the State Theatre Renovation and Expansion don't you comprehend?
By "What's past is prologue" I mean why dwell on the past when you can make an impact in the present.
I've never heard of "dwelling" as a consideration for appreciating the value of the historic district and the Downtown Specific Plan. In fact, appreciating and recognizing the past will not only help the historic downtown now but also in the future. It's all about having a big picture... looking back 75 years and looking forward 75 years. In the case of the State Theatre, if you can't distinguish between the vision of renovation and the concept of dwelling, then I suppose this is an issue that you simply can't comprehend. I encourage you to pull some reasoning together and make a good case for the Petrovich project. As of yet, I haven't seen any.
Hey 19, (I like that Dino)
You are correct, The State Theater is a "dump". I think that is what the renovation plan is working on fixing. Petrovich has even less to start with. So, whatever design the city goes for will be a building project. Working with the original State and adding the multiplex next to it creates the same draw to "bring in people from all around Yolo county", as you put it.
You said "Woodland can have only so much history for being such a small town." Woodland is no longer a small town! I am frustrated at the snails pace that it progresses though. There are any number of great examples of towns that hold on to history, while at the same time, mixing in fresh new things.
And finally, What do you mean that baby boomers are the only ones who appreciate restoring old buildings. You know, baby boomers are making a lot more money than 19year olds these days.
I just saw a commercial for a game being advertised. One of the "profound" yea right, statements used to sell this game mentioned "the past is prologue". This commenter STOLE something off the television to add to this discussion. Wow, isn't he smart???
Come on, youngster, grow up a little and join the grown-ups. This is the real world, not a video game!
Get a life other than some old mans blog
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