On April 17, 2010, the lights were officially turned off at the Winter Garden Theater when the demolition of the blighted old movie house started at 313 N. Main St. in Jamestown.

The day before the theater met the wrecking ball, a small group of people were allowed access inside the former playhouse. One of those individuals was Randall Burt, who wanted to take photos inside the theater before it was no more.

“I like to take pictures and I knew they were going to tear it down. Jason Stronz (former executive director for the Jamestown Renaissance Corp.) said I could take photos,” Burt said. ”

It was pitch black inside. I had to use a flashlight and aim it at something to take a photo.”

Burt said he took photos of old movie projectors being removed out of the theater from the second floor.

“They took the projectors out and today one of them sits in the lobby of the Reg (Lenna Center for the Arts),” he said.

Burt said he never went to the theater to see a movie when it was still opened, but wanted to be there to take photos of the historic site in 2010.

“I like going around seeing interesting things. I’m interested in historical stuff,” he said.

It took about three days to demo the theater, Burt said.

“The building itself looked solid, it took quite a lot of work to bring the ceiling down,”he said. “What was really interesting was after they started to tear out the wall, you could see the balcony and you could see movies falling out of the theater. There also was the theater’s original candy machine. I think someone was able to save that, but I don’t know who.”

Burt said he was there with his cousin, Scott Carlson, during the demolition. He said people started gathering along North Main Street to watch the demolition.

“It was said. A lot of people were watching it,” he said. “People were disappointed it was torn down.”

Norman Carlson, Fenton History Center collections manager, was also at the former movie house the day before the building was torn down. Carlson said he went inside the theater on behalf of the Fenton. Once inside, Carlson said he took a portion of the old movie screen and curtain for the history center’s collection.

“There was a box of records of summer employees with social security numbers just sitting there,” he said. “On the upper floor, you could see films and segments of films.”

Carlson, a Busti resident, said he only went to the Winter Garden a couple times when it was still in operation.

“I didn’t come into town much and I didn’t go to many movies growing up,” he said. “My cousin was an usher or ticket taker there.”

The Winter Garden Theater was a fixture of downtown entertainment for more than 75 years. However, after going dark in the early 1990s, the movie house became an eyesore. The decision was made by the Arts Council For Chautauqua County and the Downtown Jamestown Development Corp., which became the Jamestown Renaissance Corp., to demolish the theater and replace it with a public plaza. Phase one of the plaza project was completed in 2011.

Today, the plaza features a patio for the Wine Cellar and space for public events like the Third Thursday concert series during the summer months.