New Trojan Movie House

Longmont residents now have the opportunity to see classic movies in the heart of downtown at the new Trojan Movie House at the historic Longmont Theater. Faye Lamb, the President of the Board of the Longmont Theater spoke to KGNU.

The theater building opened in 1939 as a fox theater. “It was the place to go during that period of time. On Main Street, in Longmont this Fox Theater stayed open from 1939 to somewhere in the mid 50’s, like 1954, and then it closed. In 1960, it had remained vacant for a long time, and a man by the name of Richard W. Klein came along and bought it and he called it the Trojan Theater, and it was a movie house. He remodeled it because it had been vacant for so long, and he owned it from 1960 to around 1985 showing movies. Around the late 80’s, the Longmont Theater Company began talking with Klein to purchase it for a live stage production venue. They also remodeled it, took out some seats, and he helped them negotiate to raise the money to buy it. He is the person who named the building the Longmont Performing Arts Center because it was his dream that it would have movies plus the live stage to play side by side again.”

28 years later, the building finally has the movie screen back in the building. In order to honor Richard Klein’s legacy, the auditorium in which Longmont residents will be watching movies in has been named the Richard W. Klein auditorium. Lamb says that the Theater Company was worried local residents would get confused with the Company concerning movies as well as live stage events. This lead them renaming the venue the New Trojan Moviehouse and Art Cinema.

The movies being screened at the New Trojan Moviehouse are mostly cult classics and movies no longer being screened in cinemas around the country. Examples of films screened at the Moviehouse are Young Frankenstein and The Muppet Christmas Carol. The Moviehouse has a charming, warm and welcoming ambiance. “It almost just reaches out and hugs you.” The option to watch cult classics and older movies on the big screen gives new opportunities to people who may have seen the movies at home, but haven’t had the experience of watching their favorite classics on the big screen with their families.

There’s more information on upcoming movies as well as tickets on the New Trojan Movie House and Art Cinema facebook page.

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