RED CLOUD GARRISON, South Korea - Moviegoers here can now enjoy the plush, newly-renovated Red Cloud Theater, which received its first major upgrade to the facility since it was built 25 years ago.
A top-to-bottom $751,557 renovation of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service-operated theater included the exterior faAfASade and the entire interior, including seating, flooring, acoustics, sound system, Reel Time Concession, manager's office, restrooms and more. The theater reopened Dec. 1.
The original facility was built in April 1985 at a cost of $450,000, according to Daniel Hong, chief of the U.S. Army Garrison Red Cloud Directorate of Public Works' Engineering and Services Division.
Renovation work began in April 2010 and finished the end of November - nearly two months ahead of the modified construction schedule - by Shinkwang Industry and Construction, Ltd. from Seoul.
"The contractor did an outstanding job to expedite the timeline," Hong said. "We really appreciate what they have done. Without their support we could not complete the project within the given timeline."
Work on the exterior included new pavements surrounding the theater, cleaning and waterproofing outside walls, and a new LED marquee replacing the 1980s era manual signboard above the brass Red Cloud Theater signage at the entrance.
But it was the work done on the inside that drew rave reviews from patrons. The most striking and obvious improvement is the burnt orange-colored synthetic leather seats with pull down armrest/cup holders.
While the theater capacity was reduced by 11 seats to 247, the new seats are slightly larger and four spaces were included in the floor plan for patrons in wheelchairs.
New carpeting was installed down the aisles along with lights to help patrons find their seats while a movie is playing and epoxy was sprayed on the floor beneath the seats to make it easier to clean.
The facility also received an acoustic upgrade with new side wall and ceiling panels and a Klipsch speaker system. A new stage was built and movie screen installed, and the projection room was renovated.
Pfc. James McCaskill, Company A, Division Special Troops Battalion, is a regular patron. He said the new theater with its "soft" seats is enticing.
"It's nice," he said. "It's one of the best (movie theaters) I have been in on post."
In addition to the patron comforts and sound system, the contractor also installed a new heating and air-conditioning system that can be controlled by the theater manager.
A new foyer with top-to-bottom renovations of the Reel Time Concession, manager's office and new restrooms round out the project.
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