The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (May-Jun 1923)

x THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. (Technical Supplement). June 9, 1923. THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW KINEMAS Suggestions for New Buildings. COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF THE POSITION IN AMERICA. By THOMAS W. LAMB, in the “ Motion Picture News.” No. 1. [In our last issue we published the experienced views of Mr. Charles Rosher, C.K., a well-known theatre architect, on the subject of the building of new kinemas. In this issue we pursue the subject with a comprehensive survey of the position as it is to-day in America by Mr. Thomas W. Lamb, one of the leading ~~ architects of that country.] » ERHAPS the most fascinating architectural problem in the United States to-day is the design development of a theatre. But it is, at the same time, a most uncertain and dangerous one unless it is properly approached and carried through. Theatre building is so «nique in its very nature that unless a careful analysis is made of every division of the problem, and the result worked out from this analysis, the owner and the tenant are likely to find themselves with a ‘‘ white elephant on their hands instead of a gold mine. : Tho firs phase to be approached is the consideration of the city or town in which the theatre is to be located. A prospectiva builder may ‘believe that he has hit an excellent theatre town, and yet find, upon analysis, that he is wrong. This first step is extremely important. It is an established fact that in this country factory towns offer the best location for theatres. The reason for this is that the average work done in a factory is less interesting and Jess varied than other types of work. A theatre in this class of town supplies much of the dramatic and artistic stimulus which is so essential to a happy, well-rounded life. Selection of the Site. Having determined the locality in which the theatre is to be built, the next problem is that of buying enough land. The plot should not be too expensive. The entrance will probably have to be on or through expensive property, but the actual theatre should be located on land that is much less expensive. One must always take into consideration the necessity of court exits, as required by law. Even though there may be no such law in certain localities, theatre exits should be built to allow patrons easy ond immediate exit in ease of fire or panic. In the selection. of a site there is one point that is of great importance, inasmuch as it affects the cost of the building, namely, the nature of the soil on which the site is located. In a certain west coast city there is an interesting example of the results that may follow a disregard of this factor. A clever promoter found what he thought was an excellent theatre site, very well located and reasonable in price. In short, he had a bargain. But he had failed to investigate thoroughly, and when the time came to build it was found that dry, solid ground on the property was only about two feet deep. It was necessary to place wooden piles under the entire theatre, with the result that the cost of the foundation amounted to nearly five times the normal cost. Tests of the soil on which a theatre is to be placed should always be made. One may find soft bottom or one may find rock, and either of these conditions creates a very undesirable place for a small theatre. Of course, large theatres must often of necessity be built on property requiring piling ‘or blasting. Plans for the Building. The architect's first task will be to make sketches of the proposed theatre, on which will be determined the amount of court space required for exits, the size of the lobby, the seating arrangement, and, in general, how to utilise the site to the best advantage. It may be necessary to purchase more property, or, again, there may be an excess of property, so that a sketch at this stage is of paramount importance. The sketches will not, of course, be absolutely accurate, for they are made at small seale, but they will convey to the owner an idea of what is permissible and possible on his plot. Is a Stage Necessary? At the same time one should determine whether it is necessary, as a matter of insurance, to build a stage, or at least stage walls sufficiently heavy to allow for the installation of a stage in the future. I should say, off hand, that a theatre with a capacity up to 1,000 seats would find a stage a luxury, but above 1,000 seats a stage is an insurance; that is, a motion picture house of less than one thousand seats is hardly practical for vaudeville, as the latter, in order to be successful, must cater to larger audiences. If the locality warrants the construction of a 1,500 to 2,000 seat house, and the real estate investment is not too heavy, it is excellent insurance to build a stage. The cost of building a stage, outside of the cost of the extra land required, is about £6,000. This stage enables the production of a special act in conjunction with the motion picture, and also makes it possible to convert the house on very short notice to cither a vaudeville or legitimate theatre. In a number of towns a well-paying plan is to run a few acts of vaudeville or give ap similar performance during the last days of the week. A theatre with the complete stage will permit this. The Financial Aspect. The next large problem is the matter of financiuy There are very few theatre owners who are able to build all their theatres independently, although this is, of course, the most desirable way. H it is necessary for the owner to go to one of the large financing companies, or even to a Jocal bank to obtain the necessary financial backing. it will undoubtedly be ao stringent requirement that he erect, in connection with the theatre, a certain proportion of commercial building. The financial companies and banks are quite adverse to lending money on what is called a ‘‘ one use ’’ proposition. They prefer to lend money on a building that is at least 50 per cent. convertible. A theatre is of such a special construction that it cannot be converted for some other use except at great expense. When (Continued on next page.) “