This will be a wonderful space to see a film.”. I want it to be so nice and so comfortable that people will want to stay here after the movie and talk about it. I feel really privileged to have the opportunity to take a theater like this, built in 1913, and return it to its glory. I want to show movies I like and I want people to like the movies I show. I want to hit a good balance between Art house films and good, mainstream films. I don’t want to show something that’s already playing on six screens. We don’t see ourselves competing with them. Like most bigger cities, Champaign-Urbana doesn’t need another mainstream theater. It’s going to be primarily independent and alternative films. People who love movies and love music and care about presentation will love the Art. Upon assuming ownership of the Art, Boardman told The Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette: “I enjoy the opportunity to have another old theater and fix it up and show films in the way the director intended them to be shown. Boardman even added a new ticketing system that would allow patrons to purchase tickets on-line prior to coming to the theater. In time, the wooden armrests on the seats switched to ones with drink holders. The restrooms received cosmetic renovations. A custom mural above the entrance/exit doors was painted depicting famous film people including Marilyn Monroe and Roger Ebert. A new larger concession stand, custom built of cherry, was installed along the west wall of the lobby, replacing the one in the center. They spruced up auditorium and lobby with new paint, wallpaper, and carpet. A new 26-foot screen with masking curtains that adjusted to match the aspect ratio of the film complemented the excellent sound and projection upgrades. They installed a new state-of-the-art Dolby Digital and DTS sound system, including 16 Klipsch speakers and a rebuilt Simplex XL projector with a new platter. Likewise, Greg Boardman and building owner David Kraft made many improvements before opening Boardman’s Art Theatre. At the Lorraine Theatre, Boardman, a professional sound engineer, provided high quality sound, projection, and customer service and drew crowds from all over the area. Greg Boardman, a native of Rossville, a small town in eastern Illinois, had owned and operated the palatial Boardman’s Lorraine Theatre in Hoopeston, Illinois since 1987 when he acquired the Art.
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