Opened on October 29, 1936,[4] the theater was designed by
architectJohn Jacob Zink, whose firm designed over 200 theaters across the
United States, and the 14th built by
Warner Brothers in Washington, D.C.[5] The exterior is constructed of yellow and red brick and the facade is partially faced in limestone fluted panels. The limestone features typical
Art Deco motifs, including zigzag patterns and floral reliefs. The marquee includes streamlined aluminum bands. The main entrance to the theater is below this marquee. Two one-story storefronts flank the theater entrances.[6]
The Uptown has a curved screen, 70 by 40 feet (21 by 12 m), one of the largest in the area. The theater originally seated 1,120, but a $500,000 renovation in 1996 decreased capacity to 850. Nothing remains of the original decor.
In December 2010, the theater's Norelco 35mm/70mm projector was dismantled and replaced with a Christie Dual-Projector 3D system for the opening of Tron: Legacy.
In March 2020,
AMC Theatres announced the closing of the 84-year-old theater, as AMC's lease on the space was about to expire.[7] Unlike many temporary closures that hit the D.C. region in 2020, the closure of the Uptown Theater is permanent and does not seem connected to the
COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
In October 2021, officials with
Landmark Theaters confirmed reports that they were in negotiations to lease and reopen the theater.[9]
In May 2022, the
D.C. government's Historic Preservation Review Board voted 7-0 to add the theater to the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites and to nominate it for addition to the
National Register of Historic Places.[10] In December 2022, the NRHP listed it among the week's additions.[3]
Film premieres
World premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey on April 2, 1968. The release was presented in a 70mm projection format with a six-track stereo magnetic soundtrack. Following this screening, director
Stanley Kubrick cut almost 20 minutes from the film's running time.[11]
One of the first 32 houses to play Star Wars on its opening day (Wednesday, May 25, 1977) in 35 mm with a 4-track stereo soundtrack. The theater also started playing the film in the 70 mm projection format with a 6-track Dolby Stereo magnetic soundtrack on December 16 of the same year.[citation needed]
Mississippi Burning held its world premiere at the Uptown on December 2, 1988,[12] with various politicians, ambassadors and political reporters in attendance.
On October 3, 1979, one of only three theaters to screen director
Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now in Six-Track Dolby Stereo, which showcased a then-new quintaphonic split-surround audio mix. The film was shown without opening or closing credits or any studio logos; instead, a program was handed out to moviegoers.[citation needed]
World premiere of Dances with Wolves on October 19, 1990.[15] During the screening, the projector broke down twice.[16]