Olyphant officials had been considering tearing down the old Tate Theater for quite a while. The building was falling apart. Demolition was the only option. I took the photo above in mid May.
The demolition crew arrived October 24. I took the photos you see below on the 26th.
After its theater days, the building was a well known pizza restaurant, then a Chinese restaurant, and finally a place to house a slot car layout.
A lot of people in the mid valley were sad to see the demolition. Me? Indifference-- at best.
I spent a lot of 6th grade lunches here. I hated everything about 6th grade, so I didn't get any sad, warm and fuzzy feelings when the building came down. I thought the pizza was average, and not particularly memorable. It's all overshadowed by the miserable 6th grade experience.
When I wandered around the rubble back in October, I was surprised at how small the building seemed. I remembered it as much bigger when I was a kid, but youth gives you a warped sense of scale.
It looks like there will be a pocket park here, maybe even a fountain. It's too bad the building couldn't be saved.
Yes, two demolition days in this year's Top Ten. It was a year for losing landmarks.
Tomorrow, more weather woes.
