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The Nile Theater Gets Another Chance at Life!
Topics: Nile, theater, Bakersfield, Bakotopia, music, Landmark, downtown, nightlife, movies, blog, art, Podcast, arts, Culture
Posted by matt Wed Mar 14, 2007 14:49:32 PDT
Viewed 2102 times
0 responses 5 comments Location: 1721 19th St., Bakersfield, CA 93301

Ever wonder what happened to the historic Nile Theater, (1721 19th Street,) in downtown Bakotopialand?

According to www.cinematreasures.org,

"The Nile opened in 1906 as the Bakersfield Opera House. In 1924 it was renamed the Nile and then remodeled in 1927.

In 1937 it received a new marquee and an Art Deco renovation designed by S. Charles Lee.

By the time the building was vacated in 1994, it had been divided into a twin. The Nile wasn't as large or ornate as S. Charles Lee's Fox, only a block away, but the Fox's successful restoration has given downtown business owners hope that something can be done with the Nile.

However, the Bakersfield Californian reported earlier this year that there are some business owners, given the shortage of downtown parking, who think it would be best to demolish the Nile and put in a parking lot."

MORE COOL FACTS ABOUT THE NILE THEATER:
-The original Nile Theatre was completely razed in January,
 1938.  A completely new Nile Theatre, sanz balcony and stage
 with loft, was constructed for $125,000. The grand opening was
 in May, 1938.
-The Nile Theatre seated 771 people.
***info courtesy of www.cinematreasures.org

Once a glowing, neon-lit movie house, the Nile became one of Bako's biggest eye-sores in downtown and a graveyard for thousands of dead pigeons after years of neglect. Yes, you can imagine the mountains of bird droppings that accumulated (yuck!)

BUT NOW!! The Nile is being reborn as The Nile Bar & Grill!!

Santa Barbara transplant, Klarke Garl, sold his successful SB nightclub, "HADES," in 2005, choosing to devote his energy into creating Bakotopialand's newest nightclub, smack dab in the middle of downtown Bakersfield!!

Garl has decided to stay on the "retro" tip, restoring the infamous "Nile" neon sign with new paint and lights.

On the inside will be a mini-restaurant, dancefloor, cool lighting, multiple bars, pool tables, and most importantly..a BOOMING sound system!

Many of you may remember the Nile Theater back in the day (and I do mean BACK.)

Some of my Nile Theater memories?
Being taken to see Disney films when I was a kid, watching midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show during my high school years, and sneaking in a 12-pack of beer the night me and friends went to see Do The Right Thing and Evil Dead 2 during college.

LOL!!I remember not having any hots dogs to throw during the "Frankenfurter" scenes in Rocky Horror, and bringing a big pack of bologna to sling into the audience instead...that was pretty wack...hehe.

Taking a break from his daily work on the Nile's restoration, Garl gave me a mini-tour, but asked that I not take any pictures of the inside....yet.

"Give me another month or so," said Garl, "We need to clean up the place a bit."

Bakotopia has been given first dibs on its unveiling! Stay tuned!

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Comment From: desperadoguy

Growing up at the Nile, The El Tejon, and the FOX are all treasured childhood memories for me, : The " Movie " World was a big part of the Bakersfield " to do " list many moons ago! Supporting the downtown area as a place to enlighten our lives with entertainment and great shopping is something all of us " Bakotopians " should strive for! Throws out a "Thank You" for an ongoing commitment towards a better Bakersfield! Peace peeps!! Comment From: thenovelist

I wandered past the Nile about a week ago and saw the gate was open. I considered walking in and asking about the new club but figured, "I can do that later..." Whammo...! the Ska King beat me to the story... great write-up, Matt... -n.l. (www.nlbelardes.com) Comment From: thenovelist

Old Nile Memory: Seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time!!! Comment From: lilnemo

In its last days it was a discount movie theater, much like what happen to the Stockdale Six, second and third run movies for 50 cents, The last movie I saw was Scrooged with Bill Murray in the Middle of July. Comment From: ggirl

Awesome!!! Can't wait. I remember seeing Caligula there. I had to say 10 "Hail Mary's" on the way out, I'm talking in the middle of the movie. (tee-hee) Anyways, Congrats!! Positive is always good, especially downtown.