Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1948)

A REMODELING PLAN {Continued from page 51) number of things to do that would represent practical improvement, yet involve no restudying of the general theatre scheme. The value of an existing theatre has increased because of higher replacement cost, but that increase in value is only in proportion to the degree that the owner can adapt his theatre to meet present standards. Actually a theatre decreases in value in any case if no effort is made to meet today's requirements. Because of mechanical and other improvements, theatres now cost about $40 more per seat than they did in 1935 ; and in addition to this, construction costs have gone up on the average of about $70 a seat. Compare this with the amount that you spent for your theatre and you have some guide as to how much you can allocate justifiably for improvements. DRIVE-IN PLANNING {Continued from page 36) The costs often vary as much as 50% on sites within 50 miles of one another, so that the only information which can be given on this subject has been obtained by taking an average from a number of theatres of approximately the same car capacity, in this case 700. The nature of the site naturally affects Ask the man who bought a Transverter 10 or 12 years ago. He'll tell you he bought uninterrupted service and constant screen illumination at low operating cost. The thousands and thousands of Transverters now in use are your assurance that you can place confidence in the Transverter for every projection arc requirement. *See your nearest National Theatre Supply dealer. ELECTRIC COMPANY Exclusive Manufacturer of the Transverter the cost of the grading. The distance from the stockpiles naturally affect the cost of the surfacing. The condition of the labor market also effects the construction cost. The volume of work in the hands of the various contractors has a vital effect on costs. The attitude of the local labor unions, the condition of the local material markets, etc., all affect the cost, so the following figures are average only : Grading $ 7,000 Surfacing 10,000 Water Supply & Sewage Disposal 3,000 Electrical Work, other than equipment installation 2,800 Screen Building & Wing Walls 12,000 Projection Building & Concession Stand & Rest Rooms 4,000 Ticket Office 400 Fences, $2,000. Landscaping, Minimum, $400; Misc., $2,000. . . 4,400 In-Car Speakers and Reflector Type Projection, Installed.... 22,000 Attraction Board 500 Steel Toilet Partitions 500 $66,600 Total cost is exclusive of sign work, plans and specifications, and supervision. DRIVE-IN "MOONLIGHT" To make it easier for people to see about a drivein, not only for driving, but to go to the concession or toilet building, Park-In Theatres, Inc., Camden, N. J., licensors of a ramp system, have developed, with General Electric Company engineers, a light tower placed well within the parking area (as indicated in the picture of an installation above). The sources consist in four floodlights which give a soft light a little more brilliant than full moonlight, aimed so as not to invade vision of the screen. The lamps are attached to a bar at the top of the pole, the two outside having amber lenses with 300-watt daylight bulbs. The two center lamps have green lenses with 500-watt lamps. These lamps shine down on the audience area. Then there are six lights opposite the others for illumination of supplementary parking or of storage area behind the ramp space. 11 f HE A General Precision Equipment Corporation Subsidiary 12600 ELMWOOD AVENUE . CLEVELAND 11, OHIO 60 BETTER THEATRES, FEBRUARY 14, 1948