Warner Theatre to close its doors for last time after 79 years

A poster for "Alpha and Omega" hangs in a glass case opposite the Warner Theatre concession stand. Its release date: Sept. 17.

It will never play there.

After 79 years, Morgantown's last-remaining independent movie complex is closing its doors for good Sunday, Sept. 6.

It's last movie: "Dinner for Schmucks."

A combination of factors have led to the decision to close, said Ron Davis, general manager of the theater.

A rough economy and a sharp rise in competing cinemas screens put the theater in jeopardy.

"Whenever it was just us and Carmike, we were holding our own," Davis said. "We were doing really well. As soon as the other screens came into town, there was a real steep decline."

As if those factors weren't enough, a far more expensive enemy was working against the theater.

"We have a small staff, and the staff works very hard to keep the place up and running," he said. "Unfortunately, the building works probably harder against us a lot of the times."

The building was originally owned by film studio Warner Brothers in 1931, expanding from one screen to three and changing owners multiple times.

The cinema was "the place to be," Davis said. "There were lines out the door, around the block" for movies.

Costs associated with the theater's historic building are cited as a primary reason for the locations closure, according to a press release by owners, the Round Table Corporation.

"It's been a rough couple of weeks," Davis said. "We just lost a part on the air conditioner. The winter season is right around the corner. The building is old, the heating system is old, they weren't even sure the heating system was going to come back on in the winter."

Other deteriorating factors include worn seats, screen curtains that won't open and many others.

Many of the building's problems stem from a lack of upgrades in the buildings infrastructure.

While watching a movie three weeks ago, Ken Tennant, city fire marshal, noticed chains around theater emergency exits.

Under state code, exits must be kept clear at all times. The theater complied with the order to remove them, Tennant said, though noted it had been cited several times in the last few years for the same issue.

Due to the age of the doors, chains were the only way to keep the doors shut, he said.

The theater was also told it must comply with a decades-old requirement that theaters with occupancy of 300 or more have a working fire alarm and sprinkler system.

Davis said the code inspection visit "was just another thing that happened in a whole series of events."

"There's just so many expenses to keep a historic building like this up and running," he said.

When Round Table purchased the building in 2004, Davis said the intention was to bring it back to its former glory.

Improvements the company made included a new sound system and new projectors.

"It's like buying a used car," Davis said. "OK, I gotta replace the fanbelt. That's $10. Then oh, the motor's gone. That's even more. Whenever we would fix one thing, something bigger would happen."

The corporation has even tried several times for grants but have ended nowhere, Davis said.

The announcement has seen a community outpour of support, Davis said. Previous visitors have shared their memories and wishes for the theatre to remain open.

"Please don't close, please don't close," Davis said of the response he's heard.

"The harsh reality is, we just don't see those people on a week-to-week basis."

One side effect of the theater's closure is the stories shared by customers.

"We had a lady this evening. She drove in from Clarksburg. She said that her and her husband had their first date here. And he gave her a stick of gum and that she still has the stick of gum in her jewelry box," he said. "Well he died. When she heard the news the theater was closing, she came all the way down here to say goodbye to the theater and pay her respects to him."

Davis himself has ties beyond his years as general manager.

"I saw ‘Star Wars,' here," he said. "I had my first date with my now-wife here."

To survive this long against cinema chains, the Warner adopted a motto of "Be different."

While other chains had new releases, the Warner took more independent and lesser known films – something that will leave a hole in Morgantown, Davis said.

"One of the harder things to take about the closing is that there really is no outlet for independent films in town anymore," he said. "We used to have people come from all over – Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, etc. – because we were one of the few places that would get things."

Among the recent independent releases: "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia," a documentary about the infamous White family in Boone County.

Twenty-six year old Morgantown resident Ryan Brown joined the theater a month and a half ago.

"Working here, I see the attendance," he said. "The lowest attendance I've seen here is maybe five people. This isn't coming out of left field," he said of the closure.

As for the fate of the building after the final credit rolls for "Dinner for Schmucks" Sunday night, Davis said there are no solid plans.

"They're just going to close the doors on Sunday and see what happens," he said.

As for whether or not another corporation could come in and attempt to revive the theater, Davis had a quick response.

"Have them call me," he said.