During the 20th century, Louisville was a city of theaters. Ornate auditoriums that hosted vaudeville, plays and movies dotted bustling streets. These time capsules can still be found throughout downtown, with a single block of Fourth Street being home to the Louisville Palace, the Brown Theatre and the facade of the Ohio Theatre — all of which screened movies at one point in their histories.
As the incessant march of time pushed forward, corporate multiplexes in the suburbs overtook the market. But some smaller theaters still found success, maintaining a quaint charm and neighborhood presence the chains didn’t offer.
Baxter Avenue Theatres in the Highlands filled this niche for nearly 30 years. But on Dec. 31, its time also came to end as the future of the Mid-City Mall hangs in limbo.
“It was one of those things that everybody felt a part of, it was part of the community,” said Matthew Kohorst, a consultant with Baxter. “You just can’t get that at a theater chain. It just feels like a cookie cutter. This place had personality. It just felt like this was Louisville’s.”…