The broken-windows theory of local theaters

Akira Ohiso of Zinc Plate Press snaps a picture of the now-defunct Academy Theater in Liberty, and muses:

Part of the Main Street revitalization of Liberty should include bringing this space back to life.

In a recent profile of the Rosendale Theatre Collective, New York Times writer Peter Applebome posits a simple test for how a town is doing:

One of the best barometers of whether a small town has a pulse is the old downtown movie house. If it has been knocked down, boarded up or turned into a porno place, the omens are not good. If it is hanging in there, that’s promising. If it’s been refurbished or somehow morphed into a beloved institution, chances are the town is just fine.

By that measure, Walton and Woodstock are thriving; Rosendale and Oneonta are probably going to be all right; things aren't looking so hot for Liberty, Margaretville and Fleischmanns; and it's all over for Delhi.

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