MOVIE MEMORIES

A requiem for the demolished Garden Hills Cinema

By Collin Kelley

The first movie I ever saw at Garden Hills Cinema was “Howards End’ in 1992. I was giddily in love, desperate for my first trip to the UK and utterly charmed by the fading glory of the old theater with its tattered velvet curtain and creaking seats.

The love affair lasted a year, but my love for Garden Hills continued until it closed its doors in October 2006. I saw what are now some of my favorite films there: “Orlando,” “All About My Mother,” “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” “Like Water for Chocolate,” Kieslowski’s “Three Colors” trilogy, “Ghost World,” “Requiem for a Dream,” and Derek Jarman’s “Edward II,” to name a few.

This was when George Lefont owned the cinema and screened foreign and indie films while multiplexes and mindless Hollywood blockbusters slowly encroached on the little movie palaces. Before Lefont, the cinema was operated by Affiliated Theaters and later the Weiss theater chain, when it was known as the Garden Hills Fine Art Theatre.

There was talk of resurrecting the cinema, but that ended in December 2013 when a fire gutted the Atlanta Bike shop and caused significant water and smoke damage to the other businesses in the Peachtree Road strip. On March 16, the wrecking ball arrived to begin demolition. The only thing that remains at the corner of Peachtree and Rumson is the part of the strip that houses La Fonda and Fellini’s restaurants.

The loss of Garden Hills Cinema hit me just as hard as when Lefont’s other indie theaters closed: The Silver Screen in Peachtree Battle Shopping Center, Toco Hills Theater, Ansley Cinema in Ansley Mall and The Screening Room in the old Lindbergh Plaza. Lefont also owned The Plaza Theatre and Tara Cinema – both, thankfully, still in operation under other owners – but all that remains of his indie cinema empire is Lefont Sandy Springs. Cinema hasn’t been the same since in Atlanta. Sure, Garden Hills could be a pain in the neck. Parking in the tiny lot behind the building was often impossible; there was a single ticket booth and concession stand line; the circa-1939 cinema had a distinctly musty smell (although I would argue that was part of the charm) and you could feel every one of the springs in those seats. Yet, the minor hassles were worth it once the lights dimmed and the curtain opened. In the 90s, my weekends revolved around the also long-gone Oxford Books, coffee and dessert at Café Intermezzo and a movie at Garden Hills.

What will happen to the spot where Garden Hills Cinema once stood is unknown. Brand Properties, which owns the site, said it does not have a timeline for redevelopment, but has promised it will engage with Garden Hills’ residents about what is appropriate for the space.

A new building, whether it’s for retail or restaurants, will eventually rise there, but when I pass the spot where Garden Hills Cinema once stood, I’ll remember being young and in love, Emma Thompson’s lilting accent and the way the English rain sounded so deliciously close. Garden Hills transported me to other worlds, and I am forever grateful.

Spinning Around

The High Museum has installed interactive art sculptures around Midtown as part of its new exhibition, “Los Trompos.” The sculptures, created by Mexican designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena, compliment the 40 others created for the show. The motion of the kinetic art pieces imitate a spinning top—the Mexican toy from which the designers drew their inspiration.The “Los Trompos” exhibit pieces are located at Selig Enterprises, 12th & Spring Street; Midtown Alliance/Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 11th and Peachtree Street; Midtown Alliance Art District Plaza, 15th and Peachtree; Bank of America Plaza, North and Peachtree; The Office of the Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology, Clough Commons on the Tech campus; Cousins Properties, 1230 Peachtree Street; and Franklin Street Properties, 999 Peachtree Street. For more about the exhibition, visit high.org.

Visual Arts

Endless Road: A Look at Nexus Press: For 26 years Nexus Press brought the world to the South and the South out to the world through its artists’ books, and now Atlanta Contemporary Art Center reflects on that innovative work. Opens May 1. $5 to $8. thecontemporary.org

Mona Kuhn: Private: Artist Mona Kuhn turns her attention to minutiae in the heart of the American Desert in both Mojave and Arizona at this Jackson Fine Art exhibit. Closes May 8. Free. jacksonfineart.com

Archaeomancy: Signature collage artist Mike Germon explores the relationship between science and mythology - with items like periodic table Ouija boards - in this Beep Beep Gallery show. Closes May 9. Free. facebook.com/ beepbeepgallery

The Old Gods and Their Crumbling City: Matt Haffner combines the mythology and oral narratives of failing gods that live amongst us in this exhibit of salvaged and scavenged urban materials. Closes May 9. Free. whitespace814.com

We Had Arrived in Georgia: The von Reck Sketchbook: Von Reck’s sketchbook of his time exploring the colony of Georgia went undiscovered for nearly 250 years, and now the Atlanta History Center has these drawings on display in the Kenan Resarch Center. Opens May 28. Free. atlantahistorycenter.com

There Will Come Soft Rains:

Matthew Day Jackson uses Sara Teasdale’s 1920 poem in this collection of photographs that merge his own personal history with relics and markers of America’s natural history. Monday through Friday. Free. scad.edu

Performing Arts

Arts at Oakland: The Cryptophonic Tour: The Arts at Oakland program debuts with Callosum Collective’s ROAMtransmissions, an interactive installation featuring more than a dozen sound, multimedia and performance artists. May 2. $10 to $15. oaklandcemetery.com

Chamber Music at the Tavern — GRAND FINALE: The Atlanta Chamber Players presents its season finale concert featuring noted French and American composers, such as Philip Glass and Debussy. May 5. $15 to $24. atlantachamberplayers.com

Pippin: Broadway’s high-flying, death-defying hit musical comes to the Fox Theatre for a week of extraordinary acrobatics and songs from the composer of “Wicked.” May 5 through May 10. $30 to $80. broadwayinatlanta.com

The Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series: Ester Rada: Israeli-Ethiopian singer

Ester Rada brings her Ethiopian, American and Israeli influenced music to The Breman for this concert series. May 7. $50. thebreman.org

Musical Jokes: Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta presents this concert of lighthearted music at the Carlos interspersed with jokes about music and musicians. May 8. Free! arts.emory.edu

Shaky Knees Music Festival: Atlanta welcomes back its popular music festival, this year at Central Park in the Old Fourth Ward, with headliners The Avett Brothers, Wilco, James Blake and more. May 8 through May 10. $99 to $250. shakykneesfestival.com

Once Upon a Time: The Georgia Philharmonic season finale takes audiences through a storybook with Stravinsky‘s

Atlanta Jazz Fest Pharoah Sanders

“Firebird Suite,” Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre” and more. May 9. $10 to $30. georgiaphilharmonic.org

Peter Pan: Fabrefaction Theatre Company brings this story of lost boys and pirate captains to the stage in a collaboration between student artists and Atlanta’s young-at-heart professionals. Closes May 10. $20 to $30. fabrefaction. org

Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally: Married comedy couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally share stories of their yearslong love affair in this modern variety show. May 13. $39.50. tabernacleatl.com

The Whale: Actor’s Express Artistic Director Freddie Ashley ends his four year absence from the stage with this show about a man who’s isolated and hungering for redemption. Opens May 13. $20 to $32. actors-express.com

Xperimental Puppetry Theater (XPT): Every year, dozens of artists come together for this program of experimental puppet theater for adults. May 14 through May 17. $15. puppet.org

Shaky Knees Festival Avett Brothers

MAYhem: This explosive program from the Atlanta Ballet looks at the future of dance with new choreographic voices, live music, and bold displays of dance. May 15 through May 17. $23 to $124. atlantaballet. com

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike: In this hilarious comedy, Vanya and his sister, live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse, until their movie star sister arrives unannounced with her 20-something boy toy. Opens May 15. $25 to $35. horizontheatre.com

Magnifical & Mighty: Experience the magnificence of choral music from the Queen’s country in this program centered around composer Benjamin Britten. May 16. $20. atlantamasterchorale.org

Atlanta Jazz Festival: Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, jazz vocalist Diane Schuur, and New York City’s The Rad Trads lead the 38th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park. May 22 through May 24. Free! atlantafestivals.com

Coriolanus: An Achilles-like character, disdain for democracy, and disloyalty lead this bloody tale of Shakespearean betrayal at Atlanta Shakespeare Company. Opens May 28. $15 to $39. shakespearetavern. com

Three Decembers: The Atlanta Opera returns to Midtown in collaboration with the Alliance Theatre for a new, contemporary chamber opera about a Broadway diva and her two unhappy children. May 29 through May 31. $50. atlantaopera.org

King of Pops, The PostApocalyptic Musical!: After taking Atlanta by storm, the next stop for the King of Pops is on the Dad’s Garage comedy stage with the (fictional) origin stories behind popular flavors and one man’s dream to bring popsicles to the people. Closes May 30. $12.50 to $20.50. dadsgarage.com

APO Late Spring 2015 Concert: TEN!: Celebrate the 10th season of the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra with special guests from the Atlanta Symphony in a program including works by Elgar, Beethoven and Rossini. May 31. $10. atlantaphilharmonic.org