The Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre and the old Anson Town Office have been listed by Maine Preservation as being among Maine’s most endangered historic places for 2014.
The Skowhegan Drive-In, which opened in 1954, celebrated its 60th anniversary this summer, but Hollywood’s latest technological changes might mean the local landmark soon will face its last season. Maine once had 39 drive-in movie theaters. Only five still are in operation, according to a news release from Maine Preservation.
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Major motion picture studios are converting to digital production. That means that older theaters, such as the Skowhegan Drive-In, need to replace their older, 35mm film projection equipment and screens with new digital equipment. Beyond replacement costs, the new equipment is more expensive to maintain. The estimated cost of converting the Skowhegan Drive-In to digital is $55,000 to $80,000.
The drive-in faces closure if it does not convert.
Organizers of a Stephen King movie marathon this summer had hoped to scare up enough money to convert projection equipment at the drive-in from 35 mm film reels to digital. “Pet Sematary,” “Creepshow,” “The Shining” and “Christine” were screened at the drive-in on Waterville Road, U.S. Route 201, on Aug. 1 and 2, said Alicia Barnes, business and marketing manager at The Red Barn Restaurant on Riverside Drive in Augusta, which sponsored the fundraiser.
Barnes said Tuesday the movie marathon raised about $12,000, while Alice’s Restaurant on North Avenue in Skowhegan raised another $800, bringing the total to about $13,000.
Drive-in owner Donald Brown Jr., of Felton, Del., said he is encouraged by the statewide outpouring of support for the digital conversion.
“Maine Preservation contacted me last week and asked me if I was interested in being put on that list, and I said I was,” Brown said Tuesday. “I said we had made some progress toward our objective, but at the moment it was still beyond reach.”
The drive-in was nominated for the list this year by Dugan Murphy, executive director of the nonprofit Main Street Skowhegan, a downtown revitalization group.
Brown said he also is encouraged by a recent Hollywood announcement on the use of 35 mm film at movie theaters across the country. He said Skowhegan Drive-in and 200 to 300 other 35 mm theaters across the country were granted a temporary reprieve by the motion picture studios, which agreed to continue distributing nondigital film for the next couple of summers.
Steven Spielberg; Martin Scorsese; Christopher Nolan, the director of the Dark Night series of Batman films; and others were able to prevail upon Kodak to continue manufacturing and the studios to continue buying 35 mm film through 2017, Brown said.
“There’s quite a bit of excitement in the industry among those who are still using film,” Brown said.
Brown said there is now hope that the summer of 2014 will not be the drive-in’s final summer in business.
Town officials in Anson said Tuesday they were unaware that the old Town Office, which was closed to day-to-day operations in July 2012 because of mold and sewer problems and a rodent infestation, had been named to the list of endangered historic places.
In June residents voted to buy a building on Kennebec Street to house the Town Office, and the town probably will sell the old one, which dates to 1918, First Selectman Arnold Luce said.
“We’ll be using the building as a polling place next Tuesday, but after that we’re planning on shutting it down for the winter and getting out anything that’s important to the town. We really haven’t made a decision on what we’re going to do after that,” Luce said.
Maine’s Most Endangered Historic Places List began in 1996 for the purpose of identifying and raising public awareness of the breadth and interest in preserving endangered and threatened historic properties and materials, according to the release. Maine Preservation is a statewide nonprofit membership organization that promotes and preserves historic places, buildings, downtowns and neighborhoods, strengthening the cultural and economic vitality of Maine communities.
Listings this year highlight downtown Gardiner, the Sewall Mansion in Bath, the Abijah Buck House in Buckfield, the Anson Town Office, the Lincoln Mill Clock Tower in Biddeford, Biddeford City Hall Clock Tower, the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre and the Belfast Opera House.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
dharlow@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @Doug_Harlow
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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