Avalon Redux

Saving the arts goes grassroots for Chevy Chase’s Avalon Theatre.

By Greg Guthrie

"The Avalon has always provided a comforting village ambience, a binding force of neighborhood. It's part of the Chevy Chase identity. Let's save it," wrote Robert and Mary Barry on an online petition to save the Avalon Theatre in Chevy Chase. Their sentiments echoed those of hundreds of Washingtonians eager to hold onto a piece of the past and keep the Mega-plexes away.

Avalon Theatre in Chevy Chase

Sociologist Jane Jacobs once noted that thriving neighborhoods have an organic quality to them. It is this vibrant rhythm and ebb that makes the city distinct and functional. Diverse, unique neighborhood landmarks generate interest, and though gentrification is a part of gradual urban change, sometimes an eye cast on the wrong local feature can have catastrophic consequences for the delicate ecosystem that motivates it.

Such a wayward glance landed on the Avalon Theatre in Chevy Chase. When Loews Cineplex broke its lease and closed the historic landmark in 2001, the northern district suddenly faced an identity crisis. "The neighborhood was devastated," said Joanne Zich, co-founder of the Avalon Theatre Project (ATP). A constant flurry of questions and comments about the fate of this regional favorite made Zich and her husband, Bob, strikingly aware that there was "a huge desire to save this treasure."

Encore! Encore!

Zich describes a "standing-room only audience" that originally met to save the Avalon. "People handed us checks on the first night," she said. The motivation to save the 1923 movie house should seem obvious to anyone who prefers the experience of going to a movie over simply watching one.

"It was such an anchor for the neighborhood, the way that the Uptown anchors Cleveland Park. Whenever you ask someone if they know how to get to Cleveland Park, you always start with the Uptown," says long-time resident and ATP participant Jason Gross.

The grassroots fundraising machine, headed by the Zichs, facilitated deals with foundations, sold commemorative ownership of the theatre’s seats, and built enough interest to get the theatre a new landlord and operator, Doug Jemal and Paul Sanchez (of P&G Theatres).

Now the Avalon Theatre, still undergoing a historically mindful renovation, is set to reopen in March 2003.

When it reemerges from its economic limbo, The Avalon will feature a restored façade with the box office set in the middle -- recovering the original look of the building. The leaky roof has been replaced, and new sound and projection technology will be installed. The new seats are more spacious and comfortable. It won’t be stadium seating, but who wants to feel like they’re at an arena every time they see a movie?

"It’ll be a satisfying experience for people who love film," Zich said of the completed restoration.

Rated for All Audiences

Still, today’s economy requires more than just satisfaction to keep a business running, something that the ATP is mindful of. "As a small, independent organization, we have to be relatively nimble," Zich said. The ATP will continue subsidizing the Avalon after it opens; there’s a learning curve for the volunteer nonprofit, but it won’t be very generous or forgiving.

Expect a very diverse Avalon this summer as the organization and theatre management tries various events to keep it afloat. More than anything, the ATP wants to turn it from a neighborhood venue to a citywide destination. In addition to competing for first-run features, the theater will feature independent and art-house films. Extended hours will provide time for activities for seniors and children (including, perhaps, morning children’s programming). Negotiation is also underway to make the Avalon a participating venue in Film Fest DC.

The unexpected never felt so good.

Clearly, Chevy Chase residents felt losing the theatre would mean sacrificing a vital portion of their cultural identity, so they converged to save it. The Avalon was, to rephrase Jacobs, a part of the intricate system that defined Chevy Chase.

And now it’s back for a second run. Bravo.

Avalon Theatre in 1926

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