The Dundee Theater, Omaha’s last remaining single-screen movie house, will close May 17 for extensive refurbishing and installation of a new digital projector and sound system.
Owner Denny Moran expects the theater, at 4925 Dodge St., to be shuttered for six to seven months. The last movie it will show before closing will be Terrence Malick’s "To the Wonder," opening May 3.
Built in 1925 as a vaudeville house, the Dundee will continue life as a venue for independent arthouse movies when it reopens sometime around the holidays or in early 2014, Moran said Wednesday.
Moran, who announced the renovation about a year ago, no longer plans to restore the stage area behind the movie screen. He said the cost of getting a 40-foot retractable screen was a factor in the decision."
And there are so many other venues out there available" for music and stage presentations, he said.
The renovation instead will be focused on updating technology, improving seating, replacing doors and windows on the front of the building and recoating and sealing the building’s flat roof.
Owner Denny Moran, who closed the theater at 4925 Dodge St. on May 17 for refurbishing, said some of the upgrade equipment he wants to install won’t be available until next May, so the theater won’t be in business again until at least late spring or summer.
Renovations will include installing a new digital projector and sound system, installing roomier seats with cupholders and extra leg room, new carpeting for the lobby, a new concession stand and spruced up bathrooms.
When the Dundee reopens, Moran said, he plans to continue to play new-release independent arthouse movies and midnight-movie screenings of older films
New heating and air conditioning systems were installed at the Dundee about four months ago, he said. The digital projector has been purchased and is in storage.
He said work on the Dundee’s exterior will be completed first. This week, work is being done on the Dundee’s brick exterior. New windows have already been installed. More roof repairs are next.
When the exterior is properly sealed, interior work on the lobby, seats, crown molding and plaster will come next, he said. The former lobby and concession stand already have been torn up.
Moran said he had no firm timeline on when the work would be accomplished, but he now expects the theater’s reopening to be sometime in 2015.
It's been 16 months since Dundee Theater closed its doors for renovation. Things have been quiet there until now.
One Wednesday, WOWT 6 News saw crews hard at work preparing a new tile exterior at the movie theater.
We spoke with the owner who said when he closed the theater for renovations, several of his other businesses were in need of work including the old Dundee Bar and Grill and Westwood Cinema 8.
Now that the other two projects are finishing up, he's focusing more time on the Dundee Theater.
There's no timeline for when the theater will reopen.
It's been 16 months since Dundee Theater closed its doors for renovation. Things have been quiet there until now.
One Wednesday, WOWT 6 News saw crews hard at work preparing a new tile exterior at the movie theater.
We spoke with the owner who said when he closed the theater for renovations, several of his other businesses were in need of work including the old Dundee Bar and Grill and Westwood Cinema 8.
Now that the other two projects are finishing up, he's focusing more time on the Dundee Theater.
There's no timeline for when the theater will reopen.
Thanks for the update. I'd love to see this project completed.
Last edited by SaveOmaha on Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bob Fischbach / World-Herald staff writer wrote:Moran said work on the exterior continues. Tuck-pointing of brickwork is complete. New electrical panels are installed. New heating and air conditioning units are now fully functional.
Moran said he didn’t want to begin plaster repairs, painting and upgrading seats until new roofing is in place. Weather needs to be consistently above freezing before the roof work begins.
Very understandable reasons for the delays IMO. Makes sense that you don't want to put all new stuff inside without the new roof and you can't do that till the weather is right. Plus it sounds like he has a lot of projects going on at once. Tough to make it all happen at the same time.
I see the article also talks about renovations at Westwood 8. While the place is a bit scruffy, I hope they don't lose the 80s feel (or have to raise prices). Well, raise them more; they recently went up to $3.50 from $3.00.
iamjacobm wrote:Very understandable reasons for the delays IMO. Makes sense that you don't want to put all new stuff inside without the new roof and you can't do that till the weather is right. Plus it sounds like he has a lot of projects going on at once. Tough to make it all happen at the same time.
I really want the Dundee to reopen. But I think we've all been strung along like fools, being given less than half promises and absolutely no announced reopening date. To my knowledge no one from the press has been allowed inside the theatre to verify that any work is being done. This isn't the pyramid of Cheops. It shouldn't take more than 2 years to patch a roof and replace seats and a popcorn machine.
nativeomahan wrote:
I really want the Dundee to reopen. But I think we've all been strung along like fools, being given less than half promises and absolutely no announced reopening date. To my knowledge no one from the press has been allowed inside the theatre to verify that any work is being done. This isn't the pyramid of Cheops. It shouldn't take more than 2 years to patch a roof and replace seats and a popcorn machine.
nativeomahan wrote:I really want the Dundee to reopen. But I think we've all been strung along like fools, being given less than half promises and absolutely no announced reopening date. To my knowledge no one from the press has been allowed inside the theatre to verify that any work is being done. This isn't the pyramid of Cheops. It shouldn't take more than 2 years to patch a roof and replace seats and a popcorn machine.
They've clearly invested in repair work on the outside. Why would they do that if they didn't plan to do something with the building?
Opening a restaurant and renovating two different movie theaters probably takes some time and money. I would imagine that Dundee Theater might be his least lucrative investment so it gets last priority.
I'm a little worried about the line talking about selling to a bank/pharmacy and having them rip up that whole lot. If he doesn't have the cash the finish repairs, I've got to think at some point he gives up and has to sell the property. If no one comes forward to purchase it as a venue, he will sell to whoever is willing to buy it.
The author should have asked how much he brings in per month for the two giant billboards on top of the building. I'm sure it's pennies, considering the 50th and Dodge location.
I think the real issue here may be a property owner who has a nice chunk of land in a desirable area. The area in red is all owned by the Dundee theater owner. I doubt Walgreens has interest as they have one just a few blocks down the road but who knows. I have always intended to visit this theater "one day" but have never been in it. Does it have anything of interest inside?
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U R my Helix wrote:I have always intended to visit this theater "one day" but have never been in it. Does it have anything of interest inside?
Like what? Like architectural interest? It's an old, one screen movie theater... It has a small interesting Lobby. It will be interesting though, to see what renovations they did and how much they keep the original design intact, besides updating the seats, and updating the concession area, and rest rooms, and movie screen, and projector....
If it was a converted Walgreens that saved the front facade, I would actually welcome that a lot. Much better than a vacant, probably never to re-open theater...
In my opinion, it's architecture and history that is worth saving, not necessarily the exact original use of said building.
HELIX I can't believe you posted that! You are going to have the Dundee Homeowners in a riot trying to figure out if the city would allow that. They are probably holding an emergency meeting as we speak. I don't know how well that would blend but must admit the owner did say he would like to see someone take over the theater. Dr Johns are you listening?
I remember going with my parents and Grandma to the Dundee theatre on a Saturday night in 1973 to see the Poseidon Adventure. It was actually a pretty darn good movie for the time. With special effects and props that were great the movie was very entertaining on the big screen of the Dundee. One of the things that was not cool was when you came out of the Dundee in a crowd and you were almost standing in the traffic on Dodge Street. We came out of the Poseidon Adventure and was driving down Dodge Street and some punk pulled up beside my Dad in his Plymouth RoadRunner and gunned his engine and his car fish tailed and bashed in the front quarter panel of our car. The guy in the Roadrunner does not pull over and takes off down Dodge turning South on Saddle Creek. My Dad is chasing him hard and we end up chasing the guy into the neighborhoods until he lost us. An exiting movie with a car accident and car chase at the end made the occasion memorable.
I am suspect of this news for a few different reasons and I bet this is just a ploy to get someone to pay for the rest knowing damn well there's enough support in the community to get donors.
While I'd applaud a refurbishment of the building I don't see that happening. The building is far too close to the street to not be seen as a huge liability for any future Tennant. I remember standing outside the place for Rocky horror picture show and nearly falling into dodge just standing there. I think we'll be lucky if we don't have a total repeat of the CVS a block away.
2Adam29 wrote:While I'd applaud a refurbishment of the building I don't see that happening. The building is far too close to the street to not be seen as a huge liability for any future Tennant. I remember standing outside the place for Rocky horror picture show and nearly falling into dodge just standing there. I think we'll be lucky if we don't have a total repeat of the CVS a block away.
Since he owns that lot to the east and there is access to the parking to from the north, one could seal the doors to Dodge St. for safety and to maintain the aesthetics, eliminate the entrance to the parking lot from Dodge St., and then punch a hole through the east wall for a new lobby entrance. If one reconfigured the location of the parking stalls, one could even do a nice landscaped plaza-type area along the building. Just ideas for the future owner of this property...
Garrett wrote:Well, Walgreens can do some pretty kick |expletive| conversions. There's one here in Chicago built in an old bank. Beautifully restored.
If you're talking about the one in Bucktown/Wicker Park, that is the coolest Walgreens I have ever been in.
My apartment is about 50 yards form that Walgreens. I would be totally okay with a similar conversion to the Dundee Theatre. Instead of a "vitamin vault" like that Walgreens they could have a prescription projector room.
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Garrett wrote:Well, Walgreens can do some pretty kick |expletive| conversions. There's one here in Chicago built in an old bank. Beautifully restored.
If you're talking about the one in Bucktown/Wicker Park, that is the coolest Walgreens I have ever been in.
My apartment is about 50 yards form that Walgreens. I would be totally okay with a similar conversion to the Dundee Theatre. Instead of a "vitamin vault" like that Walgreens they could have a prescription projector room.
You live in Wicker Park? I thought better of you...