The Show Goes On for Former Westport Movie Theater Properties
Barnes & Noble Booksellers will come to 76 Post Road East, the former home of the Fine Arts 1 & 2 Movie Theater.
Although Westport’s silver screens were removed decades ago, the former movie-houses are all experiencing their own encores as new businesses and updates begin to take shape.
The original Fine Arts 1 & 2 Movie Theater, at 76 Post Road East. This was taken in 1940, after a recent renovation. (Cinema Treasures, LLC) The Housekeeper’s Daughter was showing, a black & white film debuting in late 1939.
Even as the COVID-19 crisis has taken the thought of going to a movie theater out of many Westporters’ minds, it’s not been lost on many new residents that Westport has no permanent movie theater. In the past, there were four: three downtown and one farther east. The cinemas served generations of community members throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood and towards the end of the 20th century.
Although gone for decades, the former buildings of these theaters continue to serve the community, and are all experiencing updates and new life as 2021 begins.
The former location of Fine Arts 1 & 2, 76 Post Road East, is causing excitement among community members as Barnes & Noble and David Adam Realty announced its February opening in the 10,742 square foot building. The booksellers will be downsizing from their previous 1076 Post Road East location, which coincidentally was in the same plaza as the former Post Cinema (featured below). The building hasn’t changed much in the past 100 years, allowing the former theater’s facade and marquee to be easily recalled from memories of standing underneath, waiting in the queue for the shows to begin. There may be irony in the space taking decades to transition from movies to books, however with the change in entertainment medium comes life and excitement for the downtown area, which currently lacks a bookstore. Prior to Barnes & Noble, the space was occupied by Restoration Hardware.
The Fine Arts 1 & 2 in 1939, prior to its renovation. (Cinema Treasures, LLC) The theater was showing Fast and Furious, debuted in 1939.
The former location of Fine Arts 3, 33 Jesup Road, now smells of a wood fire and fresh food as Basso Restaurant and Wine Bar opened in the space this month. The building sits directly behind the Fine Arts 1 & 2 building, facing Jesup Green. The “FA3” theater brought a third screen to the downtown area, and transitioned to a restaurant after its closure - utilizing the high movie-screen ceilings to create a lofted dining room. The newest restaurant - owned by Gilda Scorza and husband/head chef Renato Donzelli - will serve mediterranean cuisine, signature wines, and wood-fired napoletana pizza - a far cry from popcorn with movie theater butter. Prior to Basso, the space was occupied by Matsu Sushi.
Basso Restaurant at 33 Jesup Road, the former site of the Fine Arts 3 Movie Theater.
Fine Arts 4, 180 Post Road East, completed the downtown movie theater grouping with a fourth screen located just a few doors up from Fine Arts 1 & 2. The 35,402 square foot building, owned by Luzern Realty, went through extensive exterior renovations in 2014, and was sold in 2017 for 18 million dollars. The movie theater occupied the eastern corner of the building, facing Post Road East, now Mancini Salon.
About two miles East along Route 1 sat the Post Cinema in Post Plaza, 1100 Post Road East. The Post Plaza has been owned by the Field Family, of the Stamford-based Field Group, since 1976 and has not been updated since 1997, according to the family. However with the recent closure of its anchor tenant, Barnes & Noble, the Plaza will experience a major renovation in 2021 as it prepares for a new anchor tenant, rumoured to be Amazon Fresh. Post Cinema was located on the opposite side of the strip mall from Barnes & Noble, facing the corner of Post Road East and Morningside Drive South. The exact space of Post Cinema’s former screen is occupied by Bassett Furniture, who have been Post Road Plaza tenants since 2013. Prior to Bassett Furniture, the space was occupied by Pompanoosuc Mills, which closed permanently after its relocation to Post Road West.
Westport’s Remarkable Drive-in Theater on Imperial Road, Debuting in Summer 2020
Despite the pandemic, a remarkable thing happened in 2020: the creation of the Remarkable Theater’s Drive-in Movie Screen on Imperial Road. Westport gained the new venue, which brought the silver screen back to the community from the comfort of their cars. The non-profit venue is run by volunteers, and supplied movie events throughout the summer.