Protesters fight for Villa Theatre's survival

Passing out flyers, signing petitions and marching with placards, a group of demonstrators on Saturday called on the owners of the Villa Theatre to save the historic building.

Dating to 1949, the Villa, 3092 S. Highland Drive, eventually boasted a long, curving Cinerama screen. According to a Web site, in 1996, the screen was replaced with a modern one of the same shape.

This week, the Villa's manager, Trevan Biddulph, said the theater will close after the final showing on Tuesday.

The buyer has not been disclosed, but a real estate agent said it is a substantial Utah business that has been around for a long time, which he thought would do great things with the property.

Early in the noontime demonstration, about 50 or 60 protesters had appeared. In an interview after the event, Kirk Huffaker, assistant director of Utah Heritage Foundation, estimated that 300 turned out by the end of the protest.

Altogether, 250 jotted their names on a sign-up sheet for the demonstration, which was organized by the foundation. In addition to these, he said, others were arriving with children.

The event was organized on short notice, with an Internet site devoted to the theater — www.villatheatre.com — helping to spread the word.

That so many showed up on short notice is a signal that Utahns want to protect the building and see something positive done with it, Huffaker said.

The federation official added that protesters are worried that the building might be torn down next week. Saying the Villa is an important landmark, one eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, he called for a public forum to discuss the issue.

Demonstrators held up signs asking motorists on Highland Drive to honk if they wanted the building protected, and many were honking.

"They shouldn't be tearing down history," said Steve Winters, one of the protesters.

Among those present were descendants of David K. Edwards, one of two partners who built the Villa in 1949. The other partner was Joseph L. Lawrence.

Maxine Fehr, Edwards' daughter, was 7 when the Villa opened, and she said she remembered the opening vividly. His sister, Daveen Hammond, remembers the theater well.

In 1955, the Villa was sold the Fox Intermountain Chain. According to villatheatre.com, in 1996 Carmike Cinemas renovated the theater, installing a new Dolby Digital sound system, new speakers, seats and screen and making other improvements.

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