Here is a sampling of some of the movie houses we miss the most.
Dayton Mall Cinema
Dayton Mall Cinema 1, which was the Miami’s Valley’s largest movie theater, closed Jan. 21, 2001 following a 9:40 p.m. showing of Double Take.
The 1,100-seat theater once boasted the largest movie screen in Ohio.
It opened with the rest of the Dayton Mall on Dec. 25, 1969. The theater featured rocking-chair seats and was acoustically designed to make full use of the RCA stereophonic sound system.
A second Dayton Mall theater opened in 1972, followed by two additional theaters in 1976 and four more in 1982. Total seating for the eight theaters was 3,500.
Dayton Mall Cinemas 2, 3 and 4 closed in 1993. Cinemas 5-8 closed in 2000.
The closing was prompted by the opening of the Showcase Cinemas Dayton South, which was a 16-screen luxury multiplex that seated more than 3,400.
Dabel theater
The Dabel theater, which at one time was Dayton’s second-largest movie house, was closed by Sacks Theaters in 1985.
Profits were down when the 700-seat theater closed. The Dabel had become a second-run movie theater by the time of its closing.
Bellview Theaters was the original company that built and operated the Dabel beginning in 1946, when it was dubbed the “Da-Bel” for Dayton and Belmont, the neighborhood in which it was located.
The first movies screened at the Dabel was a double-bill of Dead Reckoning and Blondie’s Big Moment. The last was St. Elmo’s Fire.
• RELATED: Unique theaters and once-popular movie houses part of Dayton’s history
Fairborn Twin Cinemas
Credit: MARSHALL GORBY/STAFF
Credit: MARSHALL GORBY/STAFF
The Fairborn Theatre was run by Chakeres Theaters from 1948 until the early 1970s, when it was temporarily closed to be remodeled into a two-screen operation, then known as Fairborn Twin Cinemas.
Located near the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the theater featured period aviation-related design and details.
The theater closed in January 2000 and was later named an official historic site because of its aviation-themed architecture.
The theater is currently undergoing renovations and has reopened as The Fairborn Phoenix. The Fairborn Phoenix has opened a bar inside the 74-year-old historic theater.
Upper Valley Mall Cinema
The Upper Valley Mall Cinema 5′s screens went dark permanently after entertaining customers in Springfield for nearly five decades. The mall had been in decline for awhile, with many retailers having already left the aging shopping center.
The movie theater had served customers since the mall opened in 1971.
• PHOTOS: A look back at some of Dayton’s historic theaters and movie houses
Kon-Tiki Twin Cinemas
The Kon-Tiki theater, which opened in 1968, was known for its distinctive architecture and South Pacific Polynesian-themed décor.
One large screening room was eventually divided into three auditoriums that had seating for a total of 1,650 people.
Over the years, it became the Salem Avenue Cinema owned by USA Cinemas, which was later acquired by the Loews chain during the late 1980s.
The one-of-a-kind Trotwood theater closed in 1999 and the vacant building at 4100 Salem Ave. was demolished in 2005.
Cinema East
A fire, potentially set by burglars, gutted the Cinema East theater on Watervliet Avenue in 1973.
The theater was formerly known as the Belmont theater.
Movies from the past: Here’s a sampling of Dayton Daily News movie listings from a Friday in October 1985.
About the Author
