York Town News
The last picture show
End of an era for York Beach
By Jennifer L. Saunders
The York Beach Cinema was filled to standing-room-only capacity for its final show, "The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," on Saturday, Sept. 2. The cinema is scheduled to be razed to make way for a new commercial building.
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
The final film was "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," and while the movie has been exceedingly popular over the summer, those who packed the antique theatre to sit, stand or even bring their own chairs to have a seat in the back to see the film, were quick to admit it was not the movie that brought them here.
For Troy Williams, who has managed the theatre since the death of longtime York Beach Cinema manager and unofficial "Mayor of York Beach" Bill Davies last spring, the hundreds who filled the theatre were a welcome sight.
From his place behind the candy counter, dishing up such favorites as Junior Mints and buttered popcorn, Williams said he has never seen such a turnout, although this summer's movie attendance was better than most.
Prior to Saturday's farewell event, Williams and the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce had put out a call to local residents and visitors alike to be a part of the final week of shows at the theatre.
That call was answered with a resounding "yes" as the line stretched out the door before the movie began on Saturday.
And the crowd seemed to range in age from eight to 80, with some coming to bid farewell to a place of childhood memories and others coming just because they love having their own little movie theatre in their own town.
As nine-year-old Matthew Prouty put it, voicing a sentiment shared by many of those who arrived for the final showing, "We should have a movie theatre."
But, as Williams explained in the weeks prior to the official closing date, economics have not been in the cinema's favor.
Residents have echoed Matthew's words, however, even urging prospective York's Wild Kingdom developer Oscar Plotkin to consider including a small-scale cinema as part of his redevelopment plans for the parcel.
Plotkin has not presented formal plans, but has held two meetings in town to ask for public input on what local residents would like to see for the future of York Beach.
At the most recent meeting, held last month at the York Harbor Inn, Plotkin said he would consider the request among others that include retaining York's Wild Kingdom in a renovated form.
Meanwhile, the exact future of the York Beach Cinema's site remains to be seen. The building has served as a movie theatre since 1928 and, prior to that, was an opera house. It's history stretches back to the 19th century, when it was used as an ice house.
The property, which is owned by the nearby Union Bluff, has been before the Planning Board for preliminary approval. In January, the board gave its first nod to a plan to raze the structure to make way for what was described at the time as a function hall in association with the inn. The facility would have off-site parking and be served by a shuttle, based on the preliminary plan.
Town Planner Steve Burns noted in his most recent report of Planning Department business that a final application has been received, but not yet reviewed, to replace the theatre with a multi-use commercial building.
Once that review is complete, the application will be scheduled for Planning Board review and public hearings.
For now, Williams said Saturday that the enormous turnout for the last "picture" to be shown at the York Beach Cinema was a fitting tribute to the closing of one of only five theatres of its kind.
One cinema patron, waiting in line for the movie, was quick to point out that crowds like this on a regular basis might have kept the theatre open.
"It's sad that it takes closing the place to get people to come out like this," he said.
