Reader Hopes to Stop Bad Idea before It's Too Late

Editor,

I was recently browsing the "Shop Park Street" web site in order to try to find a mechanic who can get my '37 Duesenberg back in good working order, when I saw the following shocking item:

The Alameda Theater is a masterpiece of Moderne architecture.…

Following its closure, the theater has been leased to a number of groups for various activities starting in 1979, including a roller skating rink, gymnastics school, and cabaret. There is intense interest within the community in having the theater returned to its original splendor and purpose.

I am outraged by the suggestion that any right-thinking Alamedan could think that this white elephant of a building should be rehabilitated and turned back into a movie theater. I predict doom and gloom for our fair city if that happens! Mark my words — young hooligans will run roughshod in the streets, and people from cities that are not Alameda will jam our bridges and tunnel in order to come see moving pictures in our town. The only thing worse than that would be using it as a roller rink. Everyone knows wheels should only be on cars, not on people.

For the good of Alameda, that theater needs to stay empty and boarded-up!

Fred Terwilliger