When community leaders on the Focus Future II Action Team take a tour through the historical brick buildings in the business district of Upper Clarkdale on Wednesday, June 6, Community and Economic Development Director Jodie Filardo said the group will be looking to “cultivate new and bright ideas for the use of the spaces.”
However, one idea might not be so new: turning the former Grand Theatre into a working movie house again.
Once the center of entertainment in Clarkdale, the Grand Theatre was built in 1917. In 1936, it was remodeled by renowned motion picture theater architect S. Charles Lee, the designer of many landmark theaters throughout the West.
Today, the marquee is gone, and the former entrance has been covered by an unassuming brick wall and a garage door. Inside, the theater is just a shell of its former self, with only a few period light fixtures, some shelves and some wall decoration remaining from its heyday.
For the full story, see the Wednesday, June 6, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
