Frank Smith, 62, of Lynchburg, Virginia is a reader of this blog. We met for lunch recently along with Joe Mahar, 59, a maintenance worker at Hancock Airport.
Elmwood Theatre site, courtesy Frank Smith
What brought us together is our love of Syracuse, the belief that fine old buildings are getting knocked down and replaced by cheap construction and questionable architecture, and that what remains should be protected in some way.
Frank is a retired broadcast executive who grew up in Syracuse’s Elmwood neighborhood on the south west side, considered a gateway to Onondaga Hill and Skaneateles beyond. Joe grew up there too and was a classmate of Frank’s brother. The men brought to lunch a class photo taken in elementary school where boys wore jackets and ties and girls put on their Sunday dress. Hair was freshly cut and combed. They were exquisite. Today kids wear T-shirts and sweat pants in class photos. In other words, they appear to be wearing pajamas. Will anyone find such a photo charming 50 years from now?
I drive through the heart of Elmwood frequently, traversing much of Colvin Street, past Midland to South Avenue where I cross Valley Drive and make my way up the hill. I assure you that in doing so I’ve never been shot, stabbed, raped, or assaulted in any way. I’ve seen working families and some that don’t seem to be working at much, but it’s not the scary place some of my friends in the suburbs think it is.
Anyway, Frank and Joe gave me a little history lesson over lunch. They told me the old Simmon’s School of Funeral Directors, Inc. used to be a neighborhood movie theatre. Like the Palace in Eastwood and so many others that have been knocked down in the last 20 years, the Elmwood theatre was repurposed through the years to house the offices of a construction company and since 1988, a funeral director’s school.
Elmwood Theatre, circa 1959. Courtesy Onondaga Historical Association
Frank remembers celebrating his 10th birthday there with his family and a bunch of friends. They saw Gone With the Wind, the classic Academy Award Winning film from 1939 with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. I laughed. I thought a 10 year old kid in the 1950s would see Lassie or something, but this young boy sat through two and a half hours of a historical drama/love story and enjoyed it. Frank was hooked.
He went back several times in his youth, enjoying matinees with his brother as the two grew up on Parkway Drive. Frank left Syracuse to seek his fortune elsewhere and now that he’s retired he’s reconnecting with his old buddies and his old neighborhood. The memories of growing up in Elmwood are so fine.
Frank and Joe are teaming up to get a bronze plaque installed on the corner of the old theatre building at 1828 South Avenue. Take a drive over there. It looks about as much like a theatre building as does my house, but the men want a little sign commemorating what it used to be.
If you’d like to make a small contribution to their efforts, let me know. The owners of the building, Maurice and Vera Wightman are on board, according to Frank. In the meantime, take a drive or a stroll around Elmwood and see the pride in this area of our town with people stubbornly holding on.
Hey, if they can get a plaque placed on a theatre turned office space turned funeral director’s school, anything can happen.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Moey,
My mother grew up in Elmwood. I remember as a very young person being taken to the Elmwood Theater. Don’t remember the film, but I do remember the experience. She tells me of taking carrots out to feed the milk delivery man’s horse. (!) She says the horse was so used to the route that the driver didn’t have to lead it. It knew every stop on the route and just ambled on to the next stop.
She remembers Mr. Konstas’s ice cream shop. It was near where the Quickie Mart is now. (Corner of South Ave. and Valley Drive) Mr. Konstas taught the kids Greek so they could order their ice cream in the Hellenic tongue. My mother used to use the Greek phrases she had learned as her private Mommy language whenever her two fidgety sons were misbehaving in public. When Chris and I heard the Greek, we knew we were one step away from a bad day!
She attended Elmwood school and Valley High. (Now Faith Heritage). So I guess there is more tha a little Elmwood DNA in my gene pool.
Be well,
Johnnie
Gee Johnnie, 25 years of working with you at TV 5 and I never knew that story! I love it, especially about the horse knowing the route by heart. Best to your mom….Moey
From Subscriber Ernie DeCaro:
Maureen,
A lot has disappeared in Syracuse. Our favorite Movie Theater was the Genesee in Westvale Plaza. It was torn down and
replaced by a Auto Parts Store and I’m not sure but I think it’s now a vacant building.
Most of all I miss all the stores that use to be down town. Forty Three years ago when my wife and I were just married I use to hate being dragged thru all the stores at Christmas time but I have to admit it was beautiful. Now we have Malls with Shops and stores and a dozen or more theaters. The mood and the feeling of the Genesee and the shops Downtown could never be matched. I wonder if my kids and grandkids will feel the same about the Malls when they go?
Peace,
Mary & Ernie DeCaro
Hi Maureen-
I’m in…where do I send the $$$? My mom grew up on the south side, most on Midland Ave. and often spoke of that area. One day I took her for a ride and she wanted to see the “old neighborhood.” We taveled a lot of streets that day…South Ave., Midland, Valley Drive, Bellevue, Colvin, etc. They each held a memory for her. At times, she would want me to go real slow and she just gazed out the window, lost in some long ago time.
She wanted especially to visit Elmwood Park, where she fondly remembered how it was a perfect spot for playing and picnics. It looked a little worse for wear that day.
As life would have it, that was the last ride we ever took together. In some small way, being a part of this plaque would keep me connected with something that was so meaningful to her.
Thanks,
Don
Don that makes me want to cry. What a sweet remembrance of your mom. I’ll let Frank know you like to help and I’ll get back to you. You’re the greatest. Maureen