Comments about ‘Campaign to save Riverdale's Cinedome 70 movie theater gains fans’

I'm sorry, but that building was falling apart soon after it was built. It was a poorly-maintained shambles for years.

The ceiling in the auditoriums? Bare pink insulation. That pink fiberglass stuff used in the late 1960s/1970s that made your eyes itch. It was never concealed or covered.

The ceiling over the snack bar? There was always a stain on the ceiling, from a roof leak. If they fixed the leak, why not repaint the interior ceiling?

The place was built in front of a subdivision (meaning that there's many residents who have to literally drive behind the building, to get to their home).

Businesses fail for a reason, and we quit going there because the place was just gross.

BUT...I'd rather have ANYTHING there, than another Larry H. Miller business.

Oh this place was great, I used to take my dates their in the early eighties and make out. One of my girl friends actually worked their in the concessions stand.

I would love to see this place turned into a cultural center of some sort and the Larry H Miller companies should do it. They could open soem restuarants nearby and it would be a good place for the nearby communities.

I guess you can find someone to support just about any unworthy cause.

Who could forget the 1974 showing of "EARTHQUKE" with Charlton Heston, and realistic surround-sound? As an 11 -year old boy at the time, it gave me chills, thrills, and nightmares for weeks following. I'll never forget this great Cinematic experience at the Cinedome.

I think there will always be some market for Large, Big-Screen experiences. Even Retro Films like Lawrence of Arabia, which can only be fully appreciated on a very large screen.

I agree with GRDane, Lawrence of Arabia can only be truly appreciated on the big screen, saw it at the Regency which was torn down for some worthless insurance building or something. And the Villa, where I saw Casablanca, don't they sell Oriental Rugs. This is sad. Not sure if the Century (Cinedome) theaters were quite in the league of these places but still somewhat sad to see them possibly go.

My grandparents lived very near there, and I remember seeing one of the early Star Wars there. It was a lot of fun. My brother often comments that it should be purchased by Dr. Johns, or another adult themed store and renamed to the Double D.

The Centre Theater (DowntownSLC), The Regency Theater (on Foothill Drive, SLC), The Villa Theatre (Highland Drive, SLC), even the original Century (33rd South, SLC). History in some cases has a way of eroding and slowly returning to earth the works of man. Changing times. I will admit that the actual physical look of the Cinedome stands out uniquely. I recently went to Price, Utah and discovered some rather fascinating domes there. Whether or not the physical building can survive, is a big question. Many magnificent old historic schools in Salt Lake have gone by the wayside, torn down. Even Salt Lake City has seen many buildings disappear. Only public interest and the property owners will determine its future.

The problem with the old buildings we all love so much, is that they're costly to maintain (especially the utilities).

The Cinedome's problems are many, besides construction and maintenance deficiencies.

I remember a friend telling me how guys from the ward were called in to help finish the construction, and how that resulted in the shoddiness that was later apparent.

The two auditoriums are too large, and dividing them into today's smaller theaters won't work.

There are many more worthwhile buildings out there, which can be updated to today's standards. I'm not even sure Cinedome could get an occupancy permit as is.

If there was an earthquake or you even showed Earthquake again I doubt they would stand. They look in pretty bad disrepair & look like they are not sisemically sound. It would be fun to see them fixed up, but I don't think it is feasable.

The article mentioned that the sale wasn't complete yet. If Mr. Glines wants it for a certain reason he needs to buy it himself and he can do what he wants. But if another person/company buys it and wants it for other reasons it's their property and they can move on with their own plans.

My vote goes with Reasonable Person. My first visit to the Cindedome 70 was in '78. At only a few years old, I remember being very unimpressed with the theater. It was already run down, and had the appearance of being put together with cheap materials.

All the hype led one to expect a fantastic theater experience. But it was none of that.

Sorry, but mediocre buildings are not worthy of saving.

I wish we could post URLs here, because there are images on Flickr. Search for "Cinedome 70".

One in particular shows the crumbling interior.

Looks like Allen's seen better days...time raze the thing

Facebook can't save dumps...the promoter has obviously seen better days too.

The Cinedome 70 Theatre was a glorious, beautiful place in its day. It had state of the art sound and was a beautiful theatre throughout. It was the best place to see a blockbuster movie along with 799 other folks in one dome. There was nothing like it.

However that was 20 years ago. It has been vacant now for many years due to the changing film industry catering to the multi-plexes and chains. Any building sitting this long with no heat/water/utilites would fall in disrepair, not to mention the vandalism.

I believe it would take a lot of money and a desire to run the theatre in the red to really bring a rennovation to a reality. It would be wonderful to have it like it was 20 years ago, but no businessman in their right mind would sink that kind of money into a building that needs so much work and an industry that would not support a theatre of that size.

It's been fun to read of the support and great memories. The Cinedome was a fabulous theatre.

Like most structures in the city of Ogden, it's best torn and replaced with a parking garage.

I always liked the decorative beads of oil sliding down the threads on the lighting fixtures.
At the age of 18, in 1993, I watched Jurassic Park at the Cinedome and really enjoyed it there. I can't say I remember the theatre being in terrible condition, just old, charming, and unique. The expansive floor full of seats all pointing at the screen is a fun memory.

How about saving one of the domes for a showroom? Retrofit and renovate it to today's standards as a nod to the history of the location, add skylights for natural lighting, etc. I don't think the whole structure could be saved, but one dome is possible.