MONTGOMERY, Ala. ( WSFA ) - The Capri Theater Has served as a cornerstone of Montgomery since 1941. Now, they're introducing an entirely new sign, a symbol of their enduring legacy.
The cinema, initially called The Clover Theater, sits at the center of the Cloverdale district and holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running movie house in Alabama.
The theater underwent renovation in 1962 and was redubbed as the Capri Theater.
Martin McCaffery, who directs the Capri Theater, stated, "The 1962 marquee was basically worn out." Therefore, they decided, since they needed to replace it anyway, why not go for something that used to be commonplace but has become novel and distinctive nowadays?
Although it took five years, they have recreated it in the spirit of the original from 1941. The Capri Community Film Society Inc., a nonprofit group committed to maintaining the operation of the Capri, can now witness the outcome of their efforts.
We began operations in 2019, and things were going quite smoothly for the initial half-year period untilCOVID-19 came along and completely disrupted our plans," explained McCaffrey. "However, we persisted with determination, receiving ongoing support from the local community throughout this time. We dismantled the previous signboard back in May and have been diligently working on replacing it ever since. After nearly a full year of effort, we can now say that the new sign is finally set to be installed.
Councilman Andrew Szymanski from District 7 notes that heightened attention and improvements to the Capri have attracted new enterprises to Old Cloverdale.
It's truly fantastic, and it's igniting new life in this area," he stated. "You can observe developments popping up across the street; we're thrilled to see Cloverdale reviving.
The new marquee was inaugurated on Thursday.
If you're not reading this story on the WSFA News App, get faster and free news alerts by downloading the app today. Apple App Store and the Google Play Store !