Designed by Roy France in the 1940s for Wometco theaters, Fort Lauderdale's Gateway Theatre (now the Classic Gateway Theatre) has gone from a swinging 50s cinema to, more recently, the area's "de facto" art house and independent film cineplex according to Tropic Magazine. It had its big 15 minutes of fame in 1960, caught up in the frenzy that surrounded the release of the hugely successful spring break flick 'Where The Boys Are,' set in Fort Lauderdale Beach.
The single screen venue was converted into a fourplex at one point, as the building's original swagger was gradually covered up with insensitive remodelings. As the theatre plans an extensive interior renovation, hopefully bringing it closer to what it was originally, Curbed photog Silvia Ros swung by to check it out before things got started.
· Revisiting a classic: Gateway Theatre [Tropic Mag]