New Idea For Towne Cinema Falters

An Alabama lawyer has decided to abandon the idea of turning the old Towne Cinema in Avondale Estates into a musical venue.

Stewart Wilbanks of Birmingham said he worked five or six months with Oakhurst Realty, owner of the theatre. They even applied for a grant from the Fox Theatre Foundation, he said.

Wilbanks, who said he's promoted concerts in the past, decided the Avondale Estates project was "more involved than I have time to do" so he pulled out.

"I don't think I want to change careers at 40 years old," he said.

He'd earlier applied for a conditional use permit the Avondale Estates City Commission was going to consider June 24. The application probably will be dropped, Fisher Paty of Oakhurst Realty said by email.

The city is working hard to revitalize the business district and the Towne Cinema is one of its most visible challenges. It has been closed for several years and was last used as a recording studio.

The theatre, with its classic movie house signage, anchors one end of the block-long Tudor building that makes up most of downtown.

Last year Oakhurst Realty in Decatur bought the whole building and announced plans .

However, there are already signs downtown is turning around.

A restaurant, Pallookaville Fine Foods, will open in the smaller Tudor building at the center of town. A walkability study has been performed and the downtown has been declared an opportunity zone, which provides tax breaks for businesses when they hire people.

Most recently, Wild Heaven applied for a permit to convert an old warehouse into a beer brewery.