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Step Inside the Finished Coronado Village Theatre (Exclusive Photos & Video)

UPDATE: SEE MOVIE TIMES HERE.

eCoronado.com got an exclusive 'final sneak peek' at the restored Coronado Village Theatre. O-M-P (Oh My Popcorn)!

We were absolutely blown away by the remodel and the attention to every detail from top to bottom. Words cannot describe the beauty inside and you must come down to the theatre to experience it yourself. It is an Art Deco masterpiece!

We have to imagine that this excitement is similar to what folks felt when it first opened in 1947.

Congratulations to all of those involved in the project - especially Joseph Musil (original designer), Lance Alspaugh (Vintage Cinemas), Davis Reed Construction, JP&K Construction Management, Ronald Wright (RAWDESIGN), CITY CONSTRUCTION REPRESENTATIVE; Jon McMillen (Rosenow, Spevacek Group, Inc.), STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS; Helmand Kushkaki, P.E. & Steve Smith, P.E. (Horowitz, Taylor, Kushkaki (HTK)), LIGHTING DESIGNER; Tom Ruzika (The Ruzika Company, Inc.), ARCHITECTS, MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS; Eric J. Hugger, AIA Principal in Charge, Jeffrey Chick, AIA Project Architect, Ted Perron, P.E. HVAC, Jeff McCoy Plumbing and Roger Maddox, P.E. Electrical all from (Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. (FTC&H)), the Graham Family and the City of Coronado (huge thanks to the Community Development Agency).

Tickets go on sale at 7pm tonight at the ticket booth outside the theatre at 820 Orange Avenue. The first movie showing is Cars 2 at 12:01am Friday. For more information, visit Vintage Cinemas or call 619-437-6161.

General Admission tickets are $10.50, children under 12 and seniors 62 and over are $7.50 with Bargain Shows before 6 p.m. $8.50. Special 3D showings are an additional $2 per ticket. Vintage Cinemas Gift Books will be available at the box office.

Enjoy the photo and video tour of the Coronado Village Theatre:

They are putting on the final 'polish' for the opening ceremonies tonight!

Snack bar will include popcorn, soda, candy, hot dogs as well as some gourmet items.

Emerald 'Aisle' will showcase movie memorabilia. Note how the sign changes colors.

There are three screening rooms. The main theatre holds 215 while the two smaller ones hold 40 each. The original theatre had one screening room that held roughly 600.

Each of the three screening rooms have beautiful murals. They light up and change colors and have other 'light' features that you will have to see for yourself in person. We love the concept of sitting in the 'Bay of Seats' between Coronado and Downtown San Diego. A fantastic concept that came together perfectly.

The Coronado Bridge, Coronado Boathouse, Hotel del Coronado and Downtown Coronado on the left.

Downtown San Diego and Coronado Ferry Landing shine under the moon and stars on the right.

The Exposition Room which is one of the two smaller screening rooms. It holds 40 people. For a history of the Ford building in Balboa Park and the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition, click here.

The Balboa Room holds 40 people and has an amazing mural of the buildings found at Balboa Park. Click here to learn more about the history of this famed park just over the bridge from Coronado.

Even the carpet ties into the entire experience.

Lance Alspaugh thanking Will Graham (age 12) for helping land the necessary funding (from his dad) to help complete the theatre.

Tickets go on sale at 7pm tonight at the ticket booth outside the theatre at 820 Orange Avenue. The first movie showing is Cars 2 at 12:01am Friday. For more information, visit Vintage Cinemas or call 619-437-6161.

Related articles:

Coronado Village Theatre Restoration Ever So Close
"6161" - A Village Theatre Tradition Reclaimed
Village Theatre Sneak Peek (July 2010)

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Tags: business, community, theatre

17 members like this

Comment by Mayor Casey Tanaka on June 23, 2011 at 7:20pm: Coronado's residents have had no choice but to wait patiently for over a decade to get their movie theater back, but it is sweetly rewarding to be able to see this theater rebuilt and reopened to the highest standard and with painstaking attention to detail. The public has waited a strangely long time to get its theater back and it won't be disappointed. Lance Alspaugh, the theater operator, has come through in spades and this theater's remodeling and reopening is his masterpiece. It is a miraculous combination of the last theater's best features combined with the most modern touches currently available in the industry for a new theater. Today is truly a great day for our City!

Photo Star Comment by Dan McGeorge on June 23, 2011 at 7:30pm: Wow! What a delight! Congrats to the wonderfully artistic visionaries who made this happen! Can't wait to take my turn tonight!

Comment by Erick Johnson on June 23, 2011 at 7:42pm: What a fantastic job restoring and remodeling this beautiful theater! The Village Theater that I went to as a kid in Sacramento is long gone, so I'm glad I can take my family to the "new" Village Theater here in Coronado.

Comment by Valerie on June 23, 2011 at 7:56pm: What a stunning addition to the island! It makes one want to go just to experience the artwork! Fabulous!

Comment by Lisa Baker Olsen on June 23, 2011 at 9:24pm: The results of the theater remodel exceeds my expectations! The murals look fabulous in the mood lighting and are a wonderful representation of Coronado. I am feeling a bit nostalgic right now! Can't wait until my next visit-I will be sure to take in the Village Theater experience!

Photo Star Comment by SBGrad on June 23, 2011 at 9:45pm: Mr Mayor,

I am not sure there is any way we could repay Mr Alspaugh for the truly magnificent gift he has given to the city, but a proclamation for "Lance Alspaugh Day" and the keys to the city would be a good start.

Comment by eCoronado on June 23, 2011 at 9:50pm: @SBGrad, you think just like the Mayor. We didn't post all the photos (yet), but here is one of Mayor Tanaka giving Mr. Alspaugh the key to the city! Lance knocked it out of the park (off the island) - here is the photo:

Comment by Suzanne Ramirez on June 23, 2011 at 9:53pm: Wow! Spent my birthday at the Village Theatre's grand opening tonight. Amazing. No one could have imagined it would be soooo beautiful. This will be a source of pride for Coronado. I'm thinking that all my in county-out of town friends are getting Village Theatre tickets for their birthdays. What a splendid job they did. The murals are incredible. Class act all around! I hope all Coronadan's continue to support the theatre long term. Thank you to all involved who stayed the course to this beautiful finished product!

Comment by Max on June 23, 2011 at 11:47pm: Woof!

Comment by Tonia Accetta on June 24, 2011 at 10:27am: Looks beautiful! Now if they can just serve healthier snacks at the movies. Sad to see the soda machine in such a beautiful setting.