Avalon Theater Still For Sale -- Now For a Somewhat Reasonable Price

• Well... as of today Greg finally got his wish, if he can't have the beautiful  art deco building  no one will. It's being demolished as I type. How "St. Louis" of him.

• I drove by this morning and the theater is being torn down :( njenney

•       Good point Bill. St. Louis could always use another "media/live event space", but any creative entrepreneur would see that this property is a no win investment. And not to argue with on it really, but the question is still not answered by offering up an option of an event space when the question was "why wouldn't the people in the neighborhood not want it to be a "theater" again?". The horrible truth is that it can't be.  Unless some EXTREMELY talented entrepreneur with access to $750,000 (for the cost of the property and repairs), a great idea for the lack of parking, and a knack for gauging the interest of an already recessed community decides that Cherokee, Jefferson or Broadway isn't a better investment, the neighborhood is going to have to accept whatever that property can be.  I'm fairly certain that the neighbors of the Avalon would love for the original splendor to be reborn, and who wouldn't. But I'm sure that they would be willing to accept a decent patch of daisies over what it has allowed to become.       The real problem seems to be that Greg Tsevis had this once great property handed down to him and didn't have the want or knowledge to keep the spirit of this landmark alive. He's just another little grown boy that was inherently handed a piece of St. Louis history and continues to think that he deserves to be treated differently because his daddy had some business savvy and his property has nostalgia. He's just one more person allowing our great city to decay for his own sense of laziness, complacency and greed.        For a better example, take a look at how Pointer family has held on to vacant property for nearly two decades by buying cheap housing during the 80's and 90's near the Lemp Brewery and the Benton Park area. You have to feel sorry for the poor souls that that overpaid for all of those pretty houses during the upswing of the property market, only to find out that no matter how much money they invested for renovations, they were still going to be living next to a windowless, unkept wreck.

• OK so you've explained why it couldn't work as a theater, and that's a good answer--wouldn't argue with you on it really. But that wasn't really the question. The question was why would people in the neighborhood not want it to be a theater again? Which is a different issue than your answer.  I'm fairly sure a traditional modern theater wouldn't work in that building. But an alternative media/live event space might be viable there under the direction of a creative entrepreneur. That is, if the building is salvageable at all.  

• Still sounds a bit stupid to me. What do these supposed people who don't want a theater want in it's place? A fucking parking lot? A head shop? A godforsaken quicktrip?

• I live in the neighborhood and would love for it to be a theater again. South St. Louis is sadly completely lacking in movie theaters and I imagine there is plenty of market for a single-screen theater a la the moolah or hi-pointe.

• Well for starters, I've talked to people about the interior of the building and it would likely cost twice the current asking price to renovate it to a standard that would be commercially viable.  Second, it may have been a good location and of appropriate size back when Famous-Barr was still around, but not anymore.  It is extremely small, roughly half the size of the Hi-Pointe Theater.  Third, parking is very inadequate and there are no hotels nearby (such as Cheshire for Hi-Pointe) or adequate parking on the street to accomodate the theater.  It might be feasible if someone decided to buy out adjoining property but that adds to the cost of purchase and renovation.  Lastly, the demographics of the residential neighborhoods have changed around the theater in a way that may not support the local traffice the old Avalon used to get.  All in all, it might be a better decision to choose a use that doesn't put so much risk back on a concept that has been tried and failed once. So there.  It's not just stupid.

• Why wouldn't people in the neighborhood want it  to be a theater?  That is just stupid

• As a Southwest Gardens resident I can personally attest to this building being a complete eyesore.  I pass by it everyday.  Tsevis is has been completely unreasonable in the asking price...and is nuts anyway! I have very fond memories of see Rocky Horror and other cult classics when the theater was still in operation, but it is unlikely and many in the neighborhood wouldn't encourage it being used as a theater again.

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