UPTOWN page 37
/—
Vital to the concern's success,
he says, are the multi-offerings
of a multiplex. His nearest and
largest competitors are the AMC
Maple In, the Showcases in Pon-
tiac, the Movies at Oakland and
the Star John R theater in Madi-
son Heights.
The Trepeck venture has roots
in the South. Between 1993 and
early 1995, David, a graduate of
West Bloomfield High School and
the University of Michigan, was
developing a practice facility for
the Dallas Stars hockey team in
Texas.
Carole, a Kingswood grad and
Wolverine, was completing her
law degree through the Univer-
sity of Detroit. While her hus-
band was in Texas, she joined
him and finished a few terms of
school at Southern Methodist
University.
The couple saw a Dallas sub-
urb that reminded them of Birm-
ingham and Bloomfield. It was
an upscale locale that touted an
old movie house retro-fitted to
contain four theaters showing
mainstream films.
Business-minded since high
school, David says he believed the
idea could work back home.
"We started exploring the pos-
sibilities in Birmingham and
moving forward," he says.
Since then, the Trepecks
formed Uptown Theatres and
have negotiated a rent deal with
Mr. Fuller for an undisclosed
amount.
Commercially and aestheti-
cally, the Trepeck endeavor
melds the old and new, anti-
quated and chic. Uptown archi-
tect Saroki used an archival
photo to replicate the building's
original look. The marquee will
be exactly as it was in 1927. The
ticket booths will be outside the
front doors.
Inside, escalators will trans-
port a constant flow of people
from auditoriums upstairs to
those down below. Terrazzo
floors, grand staircases, huge
chandeliers and an oval conces-
sion stand will add to what Mr.
Saroki describes as an art deco
effect.
The actual theaters will offer
sloped and stadium-style seat-
ing.
The latter, which is tiered and
similar to the ballpark's, is hot in
Hollywood right now because it
positions viewers higher than or-
dinary and makes them feel part
of the screen. Handicapped seats
and ramps also will be available.
As for parking, movie-goers
will have access to an existing
900-space structure behind the
theater on Peabody Street. A
lighted walkway will extend from
the parking facility to the theater.
The Pier Street structure has
been designated for parking, as
well.
Area vendors express hope
over the theater's renaissance.
Gail G-otthelf, director of the Prin-
cipal Shopping District, believes
the multiplex will ultimately give
consumers the opportunity to eat,
shop and recreate in Birming-
ham.
"We haven't been known for
our evening entertainment.
There just hasn't been anything
here," Ms. Gotthelf says. "This is
an opportunity for people to pack-
age their evenings. You can go
shopping, go to clinne.-, go to the
movies. After the movies, you
can go to the coffeehouses, or to
a restaurant for an after-dinner
drink."
Ms. Gotthelf also predicts that
shops will stay open later to catch
movie-goers before they head
home at night.
"And, even if they don't enter
the stores, window-shopping is
still a recreational activity, which
might lead to them coming back,"
she says.
Mr. Horton, of the historical
"We haven't been
known for our
evening
entertainment."
—Gail Gotthelf
society, says most people support
the multiplex, although some
nostalgia remains for the giant
theater of 1927. But, with com-
petition from nearby towns —
Royal Oak and Troy — residents
acknowledge the need for a venue
in synch with the 21st century.
"Everyone is a little sorry to
see the auditorium go, because
it's the only auditorium of that
size in Birmingham. But it just
wasn't financially feasible.
"On the positive side, the
Birmingham restaurateurs are
quite pleased. They think it will
keep businesses in town. Every-
body's a little fearful of the new
developments at Somerset," he
says. ❑
Abjac Announces
A Gas Find
Jerusalem — Oil and gas explo-
ration firm Abjac Mazal an-
nounced that it had struck a
mixture of methane and water at
its Esther 3A site near Kibbutz
Neot Mordechai.
The gusher erupted from a
depth of between 78.5 and 80.5
meters, as logging equipment
was being removed from the drill
site. The well was subsequently
sealed off.
In the past, the Hula Valley
has produced gas in commercial
quantities. Abjac intends to exe-
cute a series of tests in order to
assess the amount of gas which
might be produced and to ensure
the deposit is not part of stratum
discovered at the Esther 4 site.
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