Theater's owner can decide its fate

Kerasotes has put the old Von Lee theater, 517 Kirkwood Ave., up for sale. There is a "no movie theater" clause in the contract, meaning the purchaser may not use the building as a movie theater. \nThe Kerasotes family purchased the theatre in 1976 from the Vonderschmidt family. Kerasotes owns both Showplace theatres in Bloomington. \nBecause they own what was formerly the Von Lee, it is ultimately their decision on what to do with the building.\n Just a short time ago, there were three movie theaters in downtown Bloomington. Now, there are none. This might be viewed as a lack of culture in the downtown area, but if a movie theater were profitable in downtown Bloomington, they would not have closed any of them down in the first place.\n Movie theaters are not owned by the public sector. This is not something voted on by the people. \n The Save the Von Lee Committee is right to be concerned with preserving the history and character of downtown Bloomington. But the group, and all IU and Bloomington community members, should remember that this is a free, capitalist society. Kerasotes has every right to determine the future of the building it owns.\nThe seats from the Von Lee were moved somewhere else, which Kerasotes has the right to do.\nBecause the building has been around since 1920, it is on the city's list of designated historic districts, because of the history and architecture of the building. So no matter what happens to the building, there should always be a plaque there to remember the building for what it once was.\nDowntown movie theaters are an outgoing trend nationwide. The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed downtown movie theaters as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historical Places. \nAs time goes on, things change. It is not just Bloomington, but downtown theaters everywhere are not bringing in revenue, explaining why they are becoming extinct.\nIt is up to the community to support small and local businesses, and to keep the history and tradition of Bloomington alive, not Kerasotes.