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Topic: Marquees

Richard Quesnelle
Film Handler

Posts: 67
From: Penetang, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-17-2000 05:37 PM

I was told by my girlfriend during a conversation about her dad's theatre, that you are no longer able to build marquees on your building as done on older theatres.

Is this true and why?

Thanks Rich

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 07-17-2000 07:35 PM

We owned a old theater with an overhanging marquee. Town zoning rules required us to remove it within 10 years, (and not replace it.) The reason is because after many years, they fall down (the steel rust, etc.)

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 07-17-2000 08:34 PM

It all depends on your local sign ordinances! Some areas grandfather "projecting signs" like theater marquees or "signs of historical significance". Some localities have little in the way of sign regulations, while others make it so restrictive that you might as well hang a handwritten sheet of notebook paper in the window with your theater name on it! Here in Olympia, Washington you can have an existing marquee and repair & maintain it IN PLACE, but if you take it down for major repair work then IT CAN'T GO BACK UP. You must then conform to the current ordinances i.e. can't flash or chase, sign can only stick out 6" from the front of the building, can only be a certain size according to the square footage of the business, etc.

Seems like some cities are against advertising your business and want you to fail.

Most of the time if you keep it maintained in good repair and looking nice, you can get the marquee on the local and/or state Historic Register. Then they can't screw you over. The old style marquees with neon also photograph very well at night!

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-18-2000 12:50 AM

From what I understand, there's an ordinance in the town where my Cinemark is that says your total signage can't be over a certain number of square feet.

The big, giant marquee (for 17 screens) we already have is OVER that limit. There was SUPPOSED to be a big neon "TIneltown" sign on our building but that was vetoed from the final plans becasue of that ordinance.

If you know what a Cinemark Tinseltown is supposed to look like, just imagine nothing but a grey wall (with purple stripes) where the glorious neon sign is supposed to be.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-18-2000 11:21 AM

John wrote:

"We owned a old theater with an overhanging marquee. Town zoning rules required us to remove it within 10 years, (and not replace it.) The reason is because after many years, they fall down (the steel rust, etc.)"

That's about the dumbest thing I ever heard. If a sign (and the building behind it) is well maintained it will hang forever. The marquee on my theatre has been there since 1932 and it will stay where it is, city hall be damned!

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