By Conrad Dudderar
Associate Editor
Plans call for a former Yukon movie theater building to be demolished.
Silver Cinemas – Movies 5 occupied a 22,000 square foot space on the south end of the Chisholm Shopping Center before closing more than five years ago.
“We’re in the process of making arrangements, as we need to do, to lead to the demolition of the theater building,” said Jonathan Hattis, president of American Asset Management. “After a while, we just decided the building physically is not conducive to convert it to something else.”
Plans are to pave the area once the former movie theater building is razed.
“It’s not a ‘need’ for parking, but that’s what we’re going to do,” Hattis said. “Ultimately, maybe there will be a different type of building. Whatever we do, it will be less costly to build new than it would be to try to convert that building.”
American Asset Management manages the 227,630 square foot shopping center, on the east side of Garth Brooks Boulevard between Vandament and Interstate 40.
The Chisholm Center features businesses like Sprouts, Goodwill, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, Planet Fitness, Primo’s Italian Restaurant, Vintage Stock, Chelino’s Mexican Restaurant, Cici’s Pizza, Supercuts, Langstons, and Dusty Roads Marketplace, among others.
NOT VIABLE TO LEASE
American Asset Management has tried to lease the former movie theater space for “a number of years” but had no takers that made sense, according to Hattis.
“It wasn’t successful to find something that economically made sense,” American Asset’s president noted. “People have expressed some level of interest, but their proposed uses either weren’t viable or the economics weren’t viable.”
Hattis’ company has started the process of obtaining permission to demolish the building, something he hopes to accomplish later this year.
“We’d like to do it as soon as possible,” he said.
Yukon native Peyton Benge, at the Jan. 7th city council meeting, asked that City of Yukon officials deny any request to demolish the old movie theater site.
Benge, who now lives in Oklahoma City, suggested other uses for the building – like a pool hall, brewery or even a third Yukon community/recreation center.
“Anything but more parking spaces,” Benge said. “When they come here and ask for your (the City of Yukon’s) permission to demolish that building, I would just ask that you delay until they find a business to actually replace it instead of just more parking spaces.”
Yukon’s only movie theater now is AMC Classic West End Pointe 8, 12825 NW 10th on the south side of Interstate 40 east of Garth Brooks Boulevard.
This theater underwent an expansion last year that features new recliner seats, bar and enhanced concessions area.
