And the walls come tumbling down at Park Theatre in Menlo Park

Following a pre-demolition sale held last weekend where the “marquee letters” proved the biggest seller, according to an article in the Almanac News, the Park Theatre on El Camino in Menlo Park faced the wrecking ball (or rather jaws) today.

For Baby Boomers who lived to Menlo Park and Atherton in the 50s and 60s, the Park is remembered as a place where matinees were 25 cents (some claim 10 cents!), usually accompanied by popcorn and soda – and maybe a quick kiss in the dark.

The Theatre opened in 1947 and was operated in the last years of its movie-showing life by Landmark. Designed with splashes of Art Deco and Art Moderne styles, it once appeared eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Shuttered in 2002, it has over the years become more of an eye sore than a beloved landmark.

Readers: what was your favorite double bill? Or the “biggest” movie you saw there?