Regal Cinemas/Apex Building demolition (Video)

Here are some short video clips of the demolition team working on the UA, er, Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 portion of the Apex Building. The theater closed on December 14, 2016. It opened almost 30 years ago as United Artists Bethesda 10. You can see the red curtains in some of the auditoriums, and the projection booths.

It's curtains for Regal Cinemas as Apex building comes down in Bethesda (Photos)

It's been almost a year since Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 closed its doors forever in the Apex Building at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, on December 15, 2016. Better known to longtime residents as "UA," for its original United Artists Bethesda 10 branding, the cineplex is now being torn apart by giant yellow machines working through the night.

What's fascinating at this stage of the demolition for those nostalgic for UA, is that the outer walls are gone at the rear of the building, and the interiors of some of the theater's auditoriums are now visible from the outside. While there's no sign yet of the theater seats, one can see the cutouts in the walls for the projector, the projection room above the rear of the auditorium, empty spaces where speakers were once attached, and - most poignantly - the regal red curtains in each of the exposed auditoriums.

While stadium, reclining, and reserved seating have revolutionized the theater industry, there's still a nostalgia for having side wings of seating, where only at the most popular movies would you have some idiot kicking your seat or spreading the flu he should have had the decency to stay home with.

The regal red curtains in what
I believe was the 2nd largest
auditorium at the rear of the
Regal Bethesda 10 cineplex

Loyal, longtime customers won't soon forget the tuxedoed master of ceremonies who ran a tight ship at UA in the 1990s, or the venerable snack bar manager who never missed a chance to upsell you - or appeal to your charitable senses with a worthy cause before the lights went down..

Yes, the "closets" on the right side of the main corridor were cramped, and occasionally took on the odor of a nearby restroom. Yes, projector operators would sometimes turn the volume knob to 11 at the start of the movie in one of those tiny auditoriums, and proceed to fall asleep. Yes, I can tell you which technical malfunction marred the picture on the big screen at particular movies. Yes, the ushers vanished altogether by the turn of the century. And the old fire-alarm-goes-off-at-the-most-gripping-moment-in-the-film trick - 'nuff said.

The box about halfway up the
right side of this photo is the
projection room

But Bethesda misses its cineplex. Except for the occasional mainstream film at Landmark Bethesda Row, one has to get the car to see a blockbuster. Metro? Good Lord. Restaurant and shop closures have picked up steam, now that thousands are missing from the downtown streets on Friday and Saturday nights. Bethesda needs a new movie theater. But no matter how posh the seats, upscale the snack bar options, and expensive the ticket prices, it won't be "UA." Auditorium 10, please.

Bethesda demolition update: Apex Building (Photos)

A new set of demolition fences were installed around parts of the Apex Building yesterday. Now sealed off are the driveway to the building's garage ramp, and the courtyard outside the former Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10. The building is coming down to make way for a new mixed-use project by Carr Properties.

Ten years ago, I wouldn't
have believed I would witness
this driveway to the garage being
closed off, and this building being
demolished, in my lifetime

Having said that, the project
looks good, and I'm on board
as long as the plan to invite
Regal Cinemas or another theater
back to a basement level of the
new development

Regal Cinemas Bethesda signage stripped ahead of demolition (Photos)

All exterior traces of the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 theater were removed yesterday, and the workers were in a mad rush. In short order, signage over the entrance was ripped down, and pulled off of the now-unplugged digital marquee out front. The theater closed two weeks ago; the Apex Building that housed it is going to be demolished for a new mixed-use development by Carr Properties.

Regal Cinemas has the right to return in the new development, but there is no public word yet on its negotiations with Carr. A retail space for a cineplex has been shown in early schematics for the project.

Regal Bethesda closes (Video + photos), For Eyes to move

After closing forever Thursday night, the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 theater had a farewell message for patrons of its three decades in business. Known better as "UA" by longtimers, for its original United Artists Bethesda brand, the cineplex may be replaced with a new one in the Carr Properties development that will replace the Apex Building at this corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street.

If a deal can't be worked out with Regal or another chain, the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board will be held accountable, as they deliberately chose to not require a replacement theater in their approved Apex Building minor master plan amendment. Permanent loss of a mainstream cineplex would be devastating to downtown Bethesda restaurants.

The fact that the Regal message states, "We'll miss you," is troubling, suggesting they have not yet reached a deal to return. Such a deal should be a no-brainer for both parties, given the traffic that a theater anchor can deliver.

Another Apex tenant, For Eyes, will close at the close of business on Wednesday, December 28. The good news is that they have found a new spot. For Eyes will reopen in late February in the ground floor of 7101 Wisconsin Avenue, walking distance from its current location. Their phone number will remain 301-913-0290.

If you somehow fail to pick up any glasses they have of yours, they will be available during the interim period at the Rockville For Eyes location at 718 Rockville Pike. Their phone number is 301-424-4370.

Regal Cinemas Bethesda to close December 15, rest of Apex Building to close the 19th

Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 movie theater will close forever on Thursday, December 15, according to theater staff. The rest of the Apex Building it anchors will close on December 19, according to The Brown Bag, another tenant closing as the building at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue awaits demolition.

If you grew up here in the 1990s before Federal Realty's Bethesda Row became the center of town, you'll recall that the plaza outside the Regal Cinemas (though it will forever be referred to as "UA" by most of us, as it was United Artists Bethesda for many years prior) was the place to be on weekend nights. It was absolutely packed. Many dined at the long-gone Uno's in the Apex, where even celebrities like Mike Tyson could be found before or after a film.

To have a movie theater in downtown Bethesda was a novelty as the 80s turned into the 90s. The legendary KB Baronet and KB Baronet West theaters had been demolished to make way for the Bethesda Metro Center and associated redevelopment. The latter theater closed in 1988.

For its time, UA was pretty modern, though it was eventually remodeled with improved seating around the turn of the century. A tuxedoed manager ran a tight ship in the 1990s; when he disappeared, the customer experience began to severely decline in the 21st century. The air conditioning regularly would fail during hot summer nights. Theaters were not cleaned as thoroughly between films. Ushers vanished altogether, leaving moviegoers at the mercy of teenage hoodlums. Patrons had to try to settle disputes themselves. Operators in the projection room might turn your movie up to a deafening level it was never meant to be played at, and just leave the room and let it run. Ditto if something was wrong with the picture, such as the whole picture wavering throughout the movie (Man of Steel) or an endless series of lines rising from the bottom of the picture to the top until the end credits (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy).

And that was if your movie wasn't prematurely ended by a false fire alarm.

Suffering veterans of these experiences began to find their wallets filled with the low-tech "tickets for another movie of your choice" handed out by the manager if you complained - and by 2006, there wasn't anybody to complain to after a late movie let out. Just the janitors vacuuming the floor. Nice.

New management seemed to improve customer service and cleanliness (at least at earlier screenings) in recent years. But even those of us with nostalgia for UA will have to admit the theater is now out of date, and simply does not provide the experience found at IMAX, ArcLight and iPic.

What it continued to provide, however, was convenience and a magnet to bring people to the restaurants and shops in downtown Bethesda. One study showed a cineplex brings 20,000 more people to a downtown on weekends than would ordinarily be there. Carr Properties, which is redeveloping the Apex Building into a promising mixed-use development with three high-rise towers, has said it is inviting Regal Cinemas to be an anchor tenant. Keep your fingers crossed, as the cineplex is critical to the downtown economy, and particularly to restaurants who rely on the "dinner-and-a-movie" crowd on weekends.

Here are some final scenes from the Brown Bag:

Demolition permit requested for Apex Building/Regal Cinemas in downtown Bethesda

Carr Properties has requested a demolition permit for the Apex Building, located at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Anchored by the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 cineplex, the 4-story office building is being demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development and Purple Line station.

The historic
Community Paint and Hardware
building next to the Apex (center)

The permit is a "demolition or move" permission request, which might also relate to the historic Community Paint and Hardware store building that is located just south of the building (however, that building's address - 7250 Wisconsin - is not listed on the permit request). A recent development on that issue - namely, where that building can be relocated to during construction of Carr's project - was a proposal to move it to a Montgomery County public parking lot that borders on East Bethesda.

There is currently no public timetable for the closure of businesses in the Apex Building, much less an actual demolition date. This permit request is simply the first step in the process. All businesses, including the theater, remain open at this time.

Timing is of the essence with this project, which is being carefully coordinated by Montgomery County, the Maryland Transit Administration, WMATA and Carr. However, legal stumbles have delayed the start of construction on the Purple Line indefinitely, so there is likely to be at least a slightly larger window before demolition and station construction must begin.

Public meeting set for Apex Building redevelopment in Bethesda

A public meeting has been set regarding the preliminary plan and site plan for Carr Properties' redevelopment of 7272 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, at 4500 East-West Highway, in Suite 200.

Carr has previously shown its sketch plan for the project, which will replace the existing Apex Building with a mixed-use development of three buildings, with residential, retail and office space. One of the two sketch plan options contained a potential below-grade space for a cineplex to replace the existing Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10. However, it is dependent upon moving the historic Community Paint and Hardware Building, and the interest of Regal or another chain in signing a lease (assuming the theater space remains in the site plan).

We've got to make sure the replacement theater does remain in the plan, as the loss of a mainstream cineplex would be devastating for restaurants and shops that rely upon the "dinner and a movie" business. An economic development study prepared for Towson, MD showed that a multi-screen movie theater like Regal draws 20,000 additional people to a downtown area on weekends who wouldn't ordinarily show up.

Some will say, "let the market decide." I am confident the market will indeed have great interest in operating a theater; there is no competition for one in downtown Bethesda. The problem will be if the market never gets a chance, should the theater space be axed from the building before the market can weigh in.

Purple Line claims second business casualty in 3 days in Bethesda (Photos)

Bank panic!

The Purple Line has claimed its second victim in the downtown Bethesda business community in three days. United Bank accepted its final transactions in the historic Community Paint and Hardware building at 7250 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda midday Wednesday. At 2:00 PM, the bank closed its doors forever.

By early evening, the bank's signage had been stripped, and the building was literally boarded up. Customers were redirected to the United branch at 7845 Wisconsin Avenue. All accounts here have been consolidated there.

The Purple Line light rail project is quickly becoming a proven job killer in Bethesda, as the restaurant next door, Food Wine & Co., closed forever Sunday night. Its ownership cited the Purple Line specifically as the reason for its closure. That business was in the Apex Building at 7272 Wisconsin, which will be demolished at an undetermined date in the future to make way for a Purple Line station. The new owner, Carr Properties, took possession of the building recently. It has put forward a promising redevelopment plan.

“We believe that the Apex site, as redeveloped, will be the new commercial hub of the Bethesda market with unparalleled access to public transportation, bike trails and the thriving restaurant and retail of Bethesda Row. We could not be more excited about this opportunity for our company,” Oliver Carr, III, Carr Properties’ CEO, said in a statement announcing the acquisition.

This now-former bank building figures prominently in that plan. It must move in order to provide the footprint to allow for a replacement cineplex for the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10. The Regal is the only cineplex in downtown Bethesda that shows mainstream blockbuster movies.

One study has shown that a multi-screen cineplex like Regal draws an additional 20,000 people into a downtown area every weekend. As you can imagine, permanent loss of this economic engine would be a complete disaster for the downtown Bethesda economy. The "dinner and movie" business is huge, as any restaurateur within walking distance of Regal can tell you.

I thought every member of the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board revealed themselves to a person as unfit for office a few years ago, when not a single one of them spoke up to preserve a cineplex when a different Apex Building deal was under discussion. To have that poor of a knowledge of basic economics of cities, and hold office in arguably the most-educated jurisdiction in America, is simply astonishing.

No one is more concerned about historic preservation than I am. And I think we need to do everything we can to ensure that this historic building moves somewhere in downtown Bethesda (the building was already moved once to make way for the Apex Building in the late 1980s). It dates back to the 1890s, when it was a general store and post office. Historians believe it was the only retail store in Bethesda at the turn of the century in 1900.

But if you tell me the choice is losing the building versus destroying the economy of downtown Bethesda, I will have to pick the cineplex over the historic building. I sure don't like the idea. But we don't have much choice. The stakes are too high.

I commend Carr for proposing to include space for a cineplex in the new project. Now our incompetent "leaders" have to make sure it ends up happening. Let's hope the Council does a better job finding a place for this historic building than they've done finding a new school bus depot.