DALLAS —Last week, a notice from the City of Dallas Code Compliance Department put renovations at the historic Lakewood Theater on hold while the city considers the building's historic significance.
The notice was issued after concerned citizens noticed that seats from the 77-year-old venue were being tossed into a trash bin.
On Monday, however, workers were back at the building at 1825 Abrams Road installing scaffolding inside. The owner said they are removing asbestos found during renovation work, and that they are permitted to continue with the work.
"There's concerns that we've heard from lots of people about the interior of the building," said What that would mean for the historic features," said Preservation Dallas executive director David Preziosi.
Owner Craig Kinney also confirmed Monday that he's been in talks with the operators of the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff about possibly operating his 1930s-era auditorium.
Texas Theatre creative director Jason Reimer said they would program the Lakewood in the same independent style their current movie house is known for.
"Definitely doing film; definitely doing multimedia shows, live shows," he said. "We do comedy and music shows. Everything under the sun you can think of, we've done here. I don't see why we can't do the same thing there."
Kinney said he had been talking with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema as a possible tenant, but those talks stalled over a lack of parking in the neighborhood.
Reimer said operating two art houses would make both more attractive when booking independent films. He said he struck up a conversation with the Lakewood when he noticed the theater had been dark for months, and knew that was a bad sign for its future.
"If it's not making anybody any money, it's just empty for a while, whoever owns it is surely thinking, 'Well, what can I do with this property?'" Reimer said.
If Kinney cannot lure an acceptable operator for the Lakewood Theater, he said he will consider subdividing the interior for restaurants and retail, something preservationists generally oppose.
Meanwhile an online petition has begun to "Save Lakewood Theater" addressed to the City of Dallas Landmark Commission. So far there are about 2,000 signatures.
"We, the citizens of Dallas, petition the Landmark Commission to initiate landmark designation for the preservation of the Lakewood Theater, the iconic landmark of East Dallas," the petition states.
"It is our expectation that the theater as a whole may be appropriately preserved and utilized so that future generations may also know and experience the unique qualities that have endeared it to so many previous generations."
