Hi Dan, Found this and thought that it might be of help. The Newtowne Theatre was opened on April 26, 1967 as a single screen cinema, with a seating capacity of 530. Owned and operated by Statesville Theatre Corporation under Fuller Sams. The architect was Thomas Hutchens. The premiere attraction at the grand opening was the showing of “Hombre” starring Paul Newman. By 1978, Martin Theatres took over this theatre and twinned it. Later on Carmike Cinemas would acquire operations until its closing in 2000.The only outside highlights are huge poster frames and the marquee of the building. Even the pillars on the front of the building are brick.Over the years, the interior has been remodeled and the Art Deco concession stand has been painted over and stripped of its former metallic accents. In a few sections of the lobby, you can also see where the carpet is covering up a rather nice wooden floor.The box office has also been stripped to nothing but a bare floor, an old counter top, a torn ‘CLOSED’ curtain, and a microphone with a short in it.What business was left after the opening of AM Star and Eastern Federal megaplexes down the road, in Mooresville and Hunterville, was eaten up by a sister theater across the highway.
Village inn "the pizza parlor" has only been closed for a couple months, because the stilts underneath the sun room dining area were starting to fall out from underneath the building so the moved the restaurant an exit down the interstate.
The restaurants belonged to my grandfather, Ray Lackey. The A frame, Village Inn opened in 1967 and El Tio's opened in 1979. Both were thriving, fun staples of life in Statesville for many many years.
You are looking at the rear section of the Newtown plaza. El Tio's was friggin' AWESOME Mexican food. Owned by a totally cool jazz drummer! I've eaten there plenty of times. It had a jammin' little bar that would get packed on Weekend nights. Village Inn Pizza is literally the worst pizza you could possibly eat... it's a small chain in the foothills of NC... serves greasy scaled down New York style pizza. The locals LOVE it, but I am from Chicago and know my friggin' pizza... it's not good. The Newtown theater was where I saw a ton of movies, got action in the seats and jammed video games as a pre-teen. JR Tobacco was a sort of new development that took over the old "Roses" department store... there is a motel, Chinese restaurant, used to have a Cook's sports, a fine dining establishment just closed this year - Gluttons, a Harris Teeter supermarket... it was a vibrant strip mall with a great Mexican restaurant and cute little movie theater in the back. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that there was put put golf sort of behind El Tios... the rear entrance to the town's mall was right there behind El Tio's too.
This is the theater that I saw Titanic for the first time before it actually hit theaters. I knew one of the managers from the Gateway movie theater, that was also in town. He would let me watch the movies with him and the other workers the day before it came out so it was usually on a Thursday night at midnight. For some reason Newtown was the only theater that was going to be showing Titanic and the workers there didn't want to watch it, so we waited until they closed it up and my friend, who had the keys to both theaters, opened it up and we watched it that night. So that was December 18, 1997. Goodtimes!
Ahh, I feel the same way and Village Inn is a must have for me when I'm there as well as stock piling Cheerwine's! I'm sure you know what that is! God Bless and yes, thank God for each great memory we have in a lifetime!
The theater open in 1967 and closed in 2000. The movie theater was rebuilt on cinema drive. The village inn pizza open in 1967 and closed in 2012. But they have built a new restaurant on cinema drive as well. El tios was open from 1986-2007. Had the best fried ice cream! There use to be a putt putt course behind the restaurant as well. Such good memories. ❤
Wow, what a great bunch of memories back from my teenage years growing up, going to all 3 of these places! El Tio's was about the only Mexican restaurant around in the 1980's (it's where I had my 1st ever margarita) ...Saw "Footloose and Purple Rain" at the Newtowne and my kids even have some memories of the "old" Village Inn Pizza parlor when it was open only a few years ago!! Just went to the new one, not far from the old one, down I-77 last weekend...We love their pizza & drive all way up to Statesville to go there now!
The city of Statesville in NC is a wonderful place to live in or visit, it's located about 35 minutes from Charlotte, NC, but without the traffic headaches of the big cities. Downtown Statesville is beautiful and a real pleasure to visit, newly renovated, amazing designs and lots of areas designed for people to just sit and, enjoy a conversation, have a drink or just watch people having fun, it is also very enjoyable to walk around downtown, there are great restaurants and bars everywhere you look where you can eat great tasting foods, have your favorite drink and have lots of fun. There are also movie houses, nice golf courses, shopping centers, very nice grocery stores, second to none, beautiful parks to spend time with your children or have your family reunion, parks where you can go walking with your dog or just enjoy the outdoors with the one you love while you savoring the green scenery, trees and birds singing next to the rivers or water streams. This video only shows three small abandoned buildings that were left behind because the owners moved somewhere else in the town, it is a normal situation that takes place in every town or big city. The pizza place is now operating not far from there, next to a big, modern movie house, they are doing great business. Statesville is a great town to live in or visit, very clean and peaceful with very friendly people. If you have a chance to visit, do it, you will not regret it.
Seems like that whole little collection of businesses would have done well once upon a time. Probably one of them was the primary attraction that went out of business first and killed the others (e.g. the restaurants almost surely were powered by the theater, which may have depended on the JR traffic.) EDIT: Found an article from Oct 2014 about the JR closing, and it apparently closed December that year. So probably had nothing to do with the theater which was likely closed a long time before that based on that moss overgrowth.
I used to work at El Tios back in the day it was the hottest place in town. New Towne shut down in 1998 El Tios went out of business in 2006 or 2007 and Village Inn Pizza moved locations in 2016 ans thwy are still open! The movie theater had snakes and rats roaming around even when the place was still open.
The JR'S opened around 94. So it was in business back when the theater was still alive. In fact, there was a mini golf place behind the JR'S that was open on and off over the years. JR was originally a "kings" department store. Even into the laye 90's this was a fairly popular littl spot in town .
The Newtowne was not originally a twin, although the projection room seemed to have been designed to accommodate that from the beginning. The décor in the auditorium was really nice with shades or red/yellow in the curtain. This poster, as a teenager, worked there from 1970-1974.
The pizza place was Village Inn Pizza been closed about maybe 5 years the Theater was open for children on summer break until 2010 JR cigs was amazing to see closed down it was a booming business I lived there for about 15 years right up the road is an abandoned school that's a real blast from the past if y'all ever go back I have a few suggestions on places Wow just to see it all closed down is sad but the town itself is economically strapped that's why we moved so sad😞
This Village Inn closed in 2014 and they opened a new location right beside the new movie theater which is about a mile away right down I-77. it also has a similar A-frame building, just new and bigger. The movie theater closed down in 2000. El Tio's Mexican restaurant was owned by the same family that owns Village Inn and was closed in the early 90's. On another note, the City of Statesville is not economically strapped. It just has a poor group of leaders that don't seem to care much about bringing in new businesses. This side of town is has started closing up while other areas are growing.
I grew up in Statesville. Village Inn, which is the building that looks like a cottage, closed literally about a year and a half ago. They moved it right down the street. The theatre was closed when I was younger, maybe 16 years ago. And El Tios, that restaurant closed about eight years ago maybe ten.....
Village inn pizza was a good local place that held its own in Statesville until a couple years ago, it may have actually moved. I work around the corner from there. Statesville is full cool relics. JRs moved to a more upscale location in Mooresville, I miss the old one. Great video
omg this is crazy! i got in a car accident on the highway RIGHT IN FRONT OF THESE PLACES Thanksgiving day almost 10 years ago. I remember staring at that village inn pizza while waiting for the cops to show up and wondering if everything was closed because it was so unkempt. My son's great grandparents lived there and we visited often..they had a beautiful home near downtown for years. Sad to see the state of the town now, it really is quite gorgeous
THE NEWTOWNE THEATRE opened in April of 1967 with Paul Newman in HOMBRE with the coming attractions HAWAII and ASSAULT ON A QUEEN. Was twinned in 1976 and closed in 2000 under Carmike Cinemas..
Watched this video a few days ago, and I ended up driving past this today. Almost didn't realize what I was looking at, but I got to show this to the other people in the car.
Hey Dan Bell, I love your series on Dead Malls!! In fact I enjoy all your videos! Keep them coming friend...kindest regards from beautiful Australia....
Statesville is my hometown! I remember eating at both Village Inn and El Tio's when I was little. Village Inn relocated and is now a bigger restaurant. I believe the theatre has been closed for years.. people have told me though that that is the first place they ever saw Star Wars. So glad you came through the town, lots of abandonment.
+The Decay Diary There's actually a house near there that I thought was abandoned and I explored one time when the owner came home.. it's right near JR's on a hill
Back to watch this one again after a recent visit to Signal Hill in Oct 2022. The mall is in hazardous condition with massive amounts of water damaged ceilings and mold growing on the surfaces and and in the air. The pizza place is gone. The movie theater is all boarded up after morons kept breaking the windows and the building is beyond repair and looks ready to cave in upon itself. The Mexican restaurant is also in similar condemned status. JR is also a condemned mold factory and you can smell it in the air from 100 yards away.
I live in Statesville and the village Inn pizza closed last year because of a new construction of a larger more modern village Inn next to Marquee Cinema.
Looking at the historic imagery from Google Earth, it looks like the JRs and the pizza parlor were still open in October, 2012 (the second oldest satellite image), and the miniature golf was still diagonally behind El Tio's and JRs. Everything is totally abandoned by May, 2015, and the miniature golf is now an empty square space notched out of the trees. It is here: 35°47'36.57"N , 80°51'39.77"W
Wow. I wonder what and how there was sooo much green moss growing inside the first building. That was insane. It looked like that one Stephen King short story that was made into a mini film. I believe it was on creepshow??... Anyways. Awesome places ur finding in ole North Carolina. Are you coming towards Greensboro area maybe???
+MENT ACLE thank you to you both for letting me know I'm not the only one that loved that movie and remembers it.!! And thank you for the accurate memories of it. You guys rock
Back in the early 70s the JR building was King's Department store.Sad to see that whole area go belly up. On up the hill from this is Signal Hill Mall. It is virtually dead now. Only 2 larger businesses inside.
As a child my family would go for our favorite pizza chain, they are still many that are still in use the name for them ( all were famous for their A-frame shape!) they are called Village Inn Pizza. They were our best in pizza! Now as an adult, they still are a favorite for pizza and go often! The movie theater I know nothing about as my family always went to Hickory for a night out to the movies! The Mexican restaurant was only opened for a short time for a good reason that I will not go into openly in this public forum! JR'S had been around all of my years like the Village Inn Pizza. I first remember as a very young child at that time it was thriving as a local to this area store like Walmart before Walmart and a Kmart which was built just a bit up the street..so they eventually went belly up but their name was Rose's! Since then it's been several different business's, but none could make it with the big box stores prices.. but they lasted longer than most of the others! Sadly, had I know that you were going to N.C. I would have directed you to a huge mansion not more that a couple miles if that, away from where you were as I love watching you and would loved to see what you could have done with that! My father took me there as a child, and I was blown away by it as was he. in the 7th grade we moved to Naples Fl. due to my Father had a job offer too good to refuse. We, my brothers and I were not looking forward to leaving our friends. Yet once there we were in love with it.. 2 blocks from the gulf and we'd ride our bikes to the beach everyday. Me with my guitar strapped around me backwards as to see, and it was there that I would sit and play and sing on the beach! It was the perfect place as I learned others supported me and my dream of one day moving to Nashville to make my mark in Guitar Town! three days after graduation I was off to seek my future and am still living here in Nashville. Thank God above I realized that dream thanks to my manager and producer being the late legend Porter Wagoner, who discovered me just 6 months after my arrival here and the next week I was playing the stage I'd only dreamed of The Grand Ole Opry on his televised portion of it! He took me under his thumb, teaching me so much the he being the longest signed artist with RCA Nashville, he got me signed with them and he passed on Oct 28, 2007, 5 year's after changing my life completely! He built my house on Lake Norma, NC. as I have always been a daddy's girl and would come and visit often and still do! I love it there as well as Naples, but Nashville is home now after landing here at 17yr's old! I have to be near water as I am drawn to it and have written and co-written most of my big hit's and signed with Tree Publishing many other artist have recorded my songs in my catalog! But not under this name, but a PKA ( professionally none as!) Wow, I am so sorry that it seems as I have written a novel and I am so very sorry.. seeing all your filming there took me back to that starry eyed young child! Please feel free to delete it, my rambling on, please forgive me, I just am a fan of your work! God bless and keep up the great job!
My grandparents have a lake house that is a pure 1972 A frame with original everything... So I have an odd obsession with those old A frame buildings...
I watched it all with no payoff and yet enjoyed it. Mark of a great RUclipsr and channel. Thanks Dan. Oh yeah, not that I don't prefer a payoff. It would have been much, much better with one, but you know what I mean...
Have been in JR's many times. They used to sell cigarettes cheap. People would stock up. They also had a cigar humidor the size of a small restaurant. They moved to Mooresville. They got rid of most of the cheap crap they used to sell but kept the giant humidor.
If i remember right ELtios was the only place in Statesville where u could get liquor by the drink back in the day before they made it legal for other places..
I saw Purple Rain Nightmare on Elem st and many other movies in high school in the 80s then we would we would go eat at Villiage inn Pizza great all you can eat buffet. Closed about 3 years ago to move to the new movie place. Great tacos at El Tios. We use to let friend into the movies at the exit doors on the side.
I was once denied entry to that theater to see the Southpark movie because my wife forgot her ID. That would have been 99, and I remember it always smelled musty in there.
I use to live in Statesville back in 2008 and 2009..I remember JR'S open and also the pizza place. I moved to Hickory at the end of 2009 (40 mins from statesville ). There are alot of abandoned old houses,warehouses etc around here. My home town is Troy,about 2 hours away. Very small town with alot of history in Montgomery county.Let me know if you ever want to check it out,I'll tag along and show you everything. You have to check out the Brown Mountain Lights.
I love village inn! They are all built in that similar style and they are all over my town. I love their dessert pizzas. You'll have to go and try one Dan if you haven't already
I was so surprised to see this location!! I use to live in Cornelius NC, and I drove by this Plaza often and always wanted to stop and try Village Pizza but sadly never did. So cool to see you exploring a place I've gone past many times and wondered about it myself! Thanks Dan!!
Lived in Statesville my entire life went and saw the theatre about a year back and it’s crazy to see how it’s changed from 5 years ago to now. Now it looks like a horror movie scene. Windows are bored building spray painted and the rest of the windows broke. Now you don’t go near el tios without protection. ESPECIALLY at night. Hate seeing the homeless population grow in my little small hometown
Visited recently, did you notice the pizza shop was tore down? that whole shopping center is completely abandoned except for the rack room and dollar general. The JR reeks of mold even from the parking lot. Signal Hill Mall just up that hill is a bad sight too. Went inside and only had the jewerly store left. Had to leave because I geniunely couldn't breathe from the mold.
The pizza parlor is awesome and a shame that it isn't in use and or worth using. I was just talking to some friends about how we miss local pizza joints. We were reminiscing those great old Pizza Hutts where you would dine in.
It's part of the Village In pizza chain. I drive by there pretty often, and just down the way about two minutes is a new, still running location on the same side of the road. Village Inn isn't anything phenomenal, but it has its charm.
That's from a small pizza restaurant chain called village Inn pizza. Not sure how many are left. I only get to go down and visit family about once a year. I try to avoid all contact with the natives as they are the main reason I now live in NYC.
That was I-77 you were next to, not I-40. There were 2 screens in the theater, El Tios was the only Mexican food in town for a long time (it was described as Arizona-Mex) The Pizza place was Village Inn. Ran by college kids, it was a buffet, and kids ruined the lower room
I live about 45 mins from Statesville (toward the mountain part) and have actually pasted by the location quite a few times but I really didn't think it was abandoned. Which just could be me because every time I go there its always for a reason. never get to stay or visit.
+Tunnelfish2 it used to b a long way for me but we have moved closer I wouldn't have known if I hadn't visited Augusta recently that's another place that's falling down around the residents sadly
The pizza place is called Village Inn its still open just moved to a new location. I remember when JRs was a Kings dept store an a Roses dept store..The Mall side of Town was the place to be till Walmart killed it..
this is so comforting for whatever reason.
+raina b. It's his voice
the theater opened in april 1967 and closed in 2000
Miss those poncho punch from El TELO
Im from London and I find all this so interesting, its like being able to see things I never would in a lifetime
Dub Conscious Nice to know a Londoner saw my hometown 😂😂
I live a few blocks away from there. Crazy hearing people find this interesting. Not that it's not interesting to me but for people faw away like you.
Hi Dan, Found this and thought that it might be of help. The Newtowne Theatre was opened on April 26, 1967 as a single screen cinema, with a seating capacity of 530. Owned and operated by Statesville Theatre Corporation under Fuller Sams. The architect was Thomas Hutchens. The premiere attraction at the grand opening was the showing of “Hombre” starring Paul Newman. By 1978, Martin Theatres took over this theatre and twinned it. Later on Carmike Cinemas would acquire operations until its closing in 2000.The only outside highlights are huge poster frames and the marquee of the building. Even the pillars on the front of the building are brick.Over the years, the interior has been remodeled and the Art Deco concession stand has been painted over and stripped of its former metallic accents. In a few sections of the lobby, you can also see where the carpet is covering up a rather nice wooden floor.The box office has also been stripped to nothing but a bare floor, an old counter top, a torn ‘CLOSED’ curtain, and a microphone with a short in it.What business was left after the opening of AM Star and Eastern Federal megaplexes down the road, in Mooresville and Hunterville, was eaten up by a sister theater across the highway.
Nice 👍
Village inn "the pizza parlor" has only been closed for a couple months, because the stilts underneath the sun room dining area were starting to fall out from underneath the building so the moved the restaurant an exit down the interstate.
This was the place to be as a teenager in the 80s.
The Newtowne 1&2 in Statesville NC opened April 26th 1967 and closed in 2000
+Hunter RedBlood
Thanks for the Info!
Hunter RedBlood We just passed it's 50th Anniversary
The restaurants belonged to my grandfather, Ray Lackey. The A frame, Village Inn opened in 1967 and El Tio's opened in 1979. Both were thriving, fun staples of life in Statesville for many many years.
You are looking at the rear section of the Newtown plaza. El Tio's was friggin' AWESOME Mexican food. Owned by a totally cool jazz drummer! I've eaten there plenty of times. It had a jammin' little bar that would get packed on Weekend nights. Village Inn Pizza is literally the worst pizza you could possibly eat... it's a small chain in the foothills of NC... serves greasy scaled down New York style pizza. The locals LOVE it, but I am from Chicago and know my friggin' pizza... it's not good. The Newtown theater was where I saw a ton of movies, got action in the seats and jammed video games as a pre-teen. JR Tobacco was a sort of new development that took over the old "Roses" department store... there is a motel, Chinese restaurant, used to have a Cook's sports, a fine dining establishment just closed this year - Gluttons, a Harris Teeter supermarket... it was a vibrant strip mall with a great Mexican restaurant and cute little movie theater in the back. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that there was put put golf sort of behind El Tios... the rear entrance to the town's mall was right there behind El Tio's too.
This is the theater that I saw Titanic for the first time before it actually hit theaters. I knew one of the managers from the Gateway movie theater, that was also in town. He would let me watch the movies with him and the other workers the day before it came out so it was usually on a Thursday night at midnight. For some reason Newtown was the only theater that was going to be showing Titanic and the workers there didn't want to watch it, so we waited until they closed it up and my friend, who had the keys to both theaters, opened it up and we watched it that night. So that was December 18, 1997. Goodtimes!
my mom used to stop by JR's every time we went on a roadtrip
good memories
Ahh, I feel the same way and Village Inn is a must have for me when I'm there as well as stock piling Cheerwine's! I'm sure you know what that is! God Bless and yes, thank God for each great memory we have in a lifetime!
Gina James what about the bad memories?
the restaurant looks like you could make a good bar out of it
You had me at bar! Time to drink!! (^__^)
The theater open in 1967 and closed in 2000. The movie theater was rebuilt on cinema drive. The village inn pizza open in 1967 and closed in 2012. But they have built a new restaurant on cinema drive as well.
El tios was open from 1986-2007. Had the best fried ice cream! There use to be a putt putt course behind the restaurant as well. Such good memories. ❤
Wow, what a great bunch of memories back from my teenage years growing up, going to all 3 of these places! El Tio's was about the only Mexican restaurant around in the 1980's (it's where I had my 1st ever margarita) ...Saw "Footloose and Purple Rain" at the Newtowne and my kids even have some memories of the "old" Village Inn Pizza parlor when it was open only a few years ago!! Just went to the new one, not far from the old one, down I-77 last weekend...We love their pizza & drive all way up to Statesville to go there now!
Very cool, much love from the UK , Love your videos
I used to eat at the El Tio's me and my wife used to eat there when we was dating
The city of Statesville in NC is a wonderful place to live in or visit, it's located about 35 minutes from Charlotte, NC, but without the traffic headaches of the big cities. Downtown Statesville is beautiful and a real pleasure to visit, newly renovated, amazing designs and lots of areas designed for people to just sit and, enjoy a conversation, have a drink or just watch people having fun, it is also very enjoyable to walk around downtown, there are great restaurants and bars everywhere you look where you can eat great tasting foods, have your favorite drink and have lots of fun. There are also movie houses, nice golf courses, shopping centers, very nice grocery stores, second to none, beautiful parks to spend time with your children or have your family reunion, parks where you can go walking with your dog or just enjoy the outdoors with the one you love while you savoring the green scenery, trees and birds singing next to the rivers or water streams. This video only shows three small abandoned buildings that were left behind because the owners moved somewhere else in the town, it is a normal situation that takes place in every town or big city. The pizza place is now operating not far from there, next to a big, modern movie house, they are doing great business. Statesville is a great town to live in or visit, very clean and peaceful with very friendly people. If you have a chance to visit, do it, you will not regret it.
Seems like that whole little collection of businesses would have done well once upon a time. Probably one of them was the primary attraction that went out of business first and killed the others (e.g. the restaurants almost surely were powered by the theater, which may have depended on the JR traffic.)
EDIT: Found an article from Oct 2014 about the JR closing, and it apparently closed December that year. So probably had nothing to do with the theater which was likely closed a long time before that based on that moss overgrowth.
the jr's was good, but they didn't want to pay for it, they where old people
Southbird? You are one of the last people who I would expect here.
I used to work at El Tios back in the day it was the hottest place in town. New Towne shut down in 1998 El Tios went out of business in 2006 or 2007 and Village Inn Pizza moved locations in 2016 ans thwy are still open! The movie theater had snakes and rats roaming around even when the place was still open.
The JR'S opened around 94. So it was in business back when the theater was still alive. In fact, there was a mini golf place behind the JR'S that was open on and off over the years. JR was originally a "kings" department store. Even into the laye 90's this was a fairly popular littl spot in town .
4:56 "If you think this is fucked up you should see what the government is doing" lol
The Newtowne was not originally a twin, although the projection room seemed to have been designed to accommodate that from the beginning. The décor in the auditorium was really nice with shades or red/yellow in the curtain. This poster, as a teenager, worked there from 1970-1974.
The pizza place was Village Inn Pizza been closed about maybe 5 years the Theater was open for children on summer break until 2010 JR cigs was amazing to see closed down it was a booming business I lived there for about 15 years right up the road is an abandoned school that's a real blast from the past if y'all ever go back I have a few suggestions on places Wow just to see it all closed down is sad but the town itself is economically strapped that's why we moved so sad😞
+Hope Lee
Thanks for the Info!
+Kevin Turner your welcome it's hard for me seeing everything gone but at least I knew something of use lol
I was thinking it had to be a Village Inn. We had one of those. Building shaped the same
This Village Inn closed in 2014 and they opened a new location right beside the new movie theater which is about a mile away right down I-77. it also has a similar A-frame building, just new and bigger. The movie theater closed down in 2000. El Tio's Mexican restaurant was owned by the same family that owns Village Inn and was closed in the early 90's. On another note, the City of Statesville is not economically strapped. It just has a poor group of leaders that don't seem to care much about bringing in new businesses. This side of town is has started closing up while other areas are growing.
+Clark Reese dude where have you been all my life!! I totally fucking agree!! I've lived here before
El Tio’s was the best. One of mine and my husbands favorite place been married for 33 yrs and we always went there. Sad that it closed.
Will has a nice smile. You guys are great eye candy and so much more!
My years watching Dan continue on! Love coming back to see these regional roadside exploration vids!
I grew up in Statesville. Village Inn, which is the building that looks like a cottage, closed literally about a year and a half ago. They moved it right down the street. The theatre was closed when I was younger, maybe 16 years ago. And El Tios, that restaurant closed about eight years ago maybe ten.....
Village inn pizza was a good local place that held its own in Statesville until a couple years ago, it may have actually moved. I work around the corner from there. Statesville is full cool relics. JRs moved to a more upscale location in Mooresville, I miss the old one. Great video
Another Great short Video!
I was actually amazed at how good a condition the pizza place was still.
The pizza place just closed recently and moved down the road to a new location next to a new movie theater. Circle of life
omg this is crazy! i got in a car accident on the highway RIGHT IN FRONT OF THESE PLACES Thanksgiving day almost 10 years ago. I remember staring at that village inn pizza while waiting for the cops to show up and wondering if everything was closed because it was so unkempt. My son's great grandparents lived there and we visited often..they had a beautiful home near downtown for years. Sad to see the state of the town now, it really is quite gorgeous
The colored-stripe side windows of A-frame pizza parlor seen at 3:32 are awesome!!
Real good shape for abandoned buildings 😊😊from the exterior.
THE NEWTOWNE THEATRE opened in April of 1967 with Paul Newman in HOMBRE with the coming attractions HAWAII and ASSAULT ON A QUEEN. Was twinned in 1976 and closed in 2000 under Carmike Cinemas..
It was a happening place from 1972-74. Very fond memories of statesville
Love the videos, Dan! Keep them coming!
This gives me an idea for a short story taking place in this Statesville cinema.
I like how you guys give your captures to us. so we can see what happens during abandonment.
Watched this video a few days ago, and I ended up driving past this today. Almost didn't realize what I was looking at, but I got to show this to the other people in the car.
Ah El Tio’s... used to meet my dad there for dinner when he was coming back from his trucking trips.
You were a hour away from me Dan..I'm in Concord.. was hoping you would stop at Stonewall Jackson's school..
Omg i loved exploring the boys school had a old panio and everything !
i so remember stopping at the J&R store alot
I consider calling something Retro if it is old but still in use. Otherwise its just old.I love that lantern.
Village Inn's are full of them, I think I need to make a trip home soon as they are my favorite pizza ever!
Hey Dan Bell, I love your series on Dead Malls!! In fact I enjoy all your videos! Keep them coming friend...kindest regards from beautiful Australia....
2:30 I love the colored windows across the room
YES i have always wanted to explore this place, it looks crazy from the highway!!!
I live right down the road from there
Those were very interesting buildings. Nice styles.
I remember passing by this place several times as a truck driver rolling through NC.
Statesville💖 this is my home town lived my whole life here! And the movie theatre has been closed since right after titanic came out by the way ;-)
Statesville is my hometown! I remember eating at both Village Inn and El Tio's when I was little. Village Inn relocated and is now a bigger restaurant. I believe the theatre has been closed for years.. people have told me though that that is the first place they ever saw Star Wars. So glad you came through the town, lots of abandonment.
+The Decay Diary There's actually a house near there that I thought was abandoned and I explored one time when the owner came home.. it's right near JR's on a hill
that green moss ugh
+Jenni Case I'm sure the place would smell just great inside!
Back to watch this one again after a recent visit to Signal Hill in Oct 2022. The mall is in hazardous condition with massive amounts of water damaged ceilings and mold growing on the surfaces and and in the air. The pizza place is gone. The movie theater is all boarded up after morons kept breaking the windows and the building is beyond repair and looks ready to cave in upon itself. The Mexican restaurant is also in similar condemned status. JR is also a condemned mold factory and you can smell it in the air from 100 yards away.
I remember eating at El Tios as a kid.. and Village Inn is still in business only an exit down with more updated, bigger building now.
I live in Statesville and the village Inn pizza closed last year because of a new construction of a larger more modern village Inn next to Marquee Cinema.
Fascinating
Everything about this is great! That pizza building and roof is awesome!
For some reason, I'd rather see a dead theater series instead of dead malls lol
All the windows are busted out now. I loved these places as a teen.
These old strip malls and restaurants are all over I-40 between Raleigh and Asheville. Lots of old furniture & linen factories too.
The pizza place use to be the Village Inn Pizza. They had a buffet and take out. My foster brother was a manager there in like 84.
Wow, your vids go best in the morning coffee. Thanx Mr. Bell
Looking at the historic imagery from Google Earth, it looks like the JRs and the pizza parlor were still open in October, 2012 (the second oldest satellite image), and the miniature golf was still diagonally behind El Tio's and JRs. Everything is totally abandoned by May, 2015, and the miniature golf is now an empty square space notched out of the trees.
It is here: 35°47'36.57"N , 80°51'39.77"W
I am addicted to you and William!!! love you guys
Someone has been keeping the bushes trimmed in front of the Mexican place.
+Sean Anderson I noticed and thought that too.
Nice.. LOL!!
Mexican bush is rarely trimmed. This is unusual.
Wow. I wonder what and how there was sooo much green moss growing inside the first building. That was insane. It looked like that one Stephen King short story that was made into a mini film. I believe it was on creepshow??... Anyways. Awesome places ur finding in ole North Carolina. Are you coming towards Greensboro area maybe???
Yes from Creepshow... The short story was called "It Grows on You"😃
+Stacey Sabot Glad I'm not the only one that thought of Creepshow!
+Stacey Sabot That would be "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill".
+Tunnelfish2 oh gosh, you're right! And Jordy was played in the movie by King himself.
+MENT ACLE thank you to you both for letting me know I'm not the only one that loved that movie and remembers it.!! And thank you for the accurate memories of it. You guys rock
El Tios had some amazing food back in the day
Back in the early 70s the JR building was King's Department store.Sad to see that whole area go belly up. On up the hill from this is Signal Hill Mall. It is virtually dead now. Only 2 larger businesses inside.
I wish you still did this stuff!
Awesome vintage place!
I remember all these places , looked busy in 1980's and 1990's :) Grew up in Davidson, NC Close to Statesville .
As a child my family would go for our favorite pizza chain, they are still many that are still in use the name for them ( all were famous for their A-frame shape!) they are called Village Inn Pizza. They were our best in pizza! Now as an adult, they still are a favorite for pizza and go often! The movie theater I know nothing about as my family always went to Hickory for a night out to the movies! The Mexican restaurant was only opened for a short time for a good reason that I will not go into openly in this public forum! JR'S had been around all of my years like the Village Inn Pizza. I first remember as a very young child at that time it was thriving as a local to this area store like Walmart before Walmart and a Kmart which was built just a bit up the street..so they eventually went belly up but their name was Rose's! Since then it's been several different business's, but none could make it with the big box stores prices.. but they lasted longer than most of the others! Sadly, had I know that you were going to N.C. I would have directed you to a huge mansion not more that a couple miles if that, away from where you were as I love watching you and would loved to see what you could have done with that! My father took me there as a child, and I was blown away by it as was he. in the 7th grade we moved to Naples Fl. due to my Father had a job offer too good to refuse. We, my brothers and I were not looking forward to leaving our friends. Yet once there we were in love with it.. 2 blocks from the gulf and we'd ride our bikes to the beach everyday. Me with my guitar strapped around me backwards as to see, and it was there that I would sit and play and sing on the beach! It was the perfect place as I learned others supported me and my dream of one day moving to Nashville to make my mark in Guitar Town! three days after graduation I was off to seek my future and am still living here in Nashville. Thank God above I realized that dream thanks to my manager and producer being the late legend Porter Wagoner, who discovered me just 6 months after my arrival here and the next week I was playing the stage I'd only dreamed of The Grand Ole Opry on his televised portion of it! He took me under his thumb, teaching me so much the he being the longest signed artist with RCA Nashville, he got me signed with them and he passed on Oct 28, 2007, 5 year's after changing my life completely! He built my house on Lake Norma, NC. as I have always been a daddy's girl and would come and visit often and still do! I love it there as well as Naples, but Nashville is home now after landing here at 17yr's old! I have to be near water as I am drawn to it and have written and co-written most of my big hit's and signed with Tree Publishing many other artist have recorded my songs in my catalog! But not under this name, but a PKA ( professionally none as!) Wow, I am so sorry that it seems as I have written a novel and I am so very sorry.. seeing all your filming there took me back to that starry eyed young child! Please feel free to delete it, my rambling on, please forgive me, I just am a fan of your work! God bless and keep up the great job!
Those places must have been awesome back in the day!
thanks for coming to my home town. hope you enjoyed it Dan
Very cool places. You guys should come to California sometime. You guys could find some cool abandoned places and ghost towns.
My grandparents have a lake house that is a pure 1972 A frame with original everything... So I have an odd obsession with those old A frame buildings...
I love A-frames! Grew up near one and have been obsessed ever since!💕
Will looks like the Night Stalker :)
OH SHIT I REMEMBER STOPPING AT THAT EXACT LOCATION AT JRS TO GET SOME SMOKES
I live barely 30 minutes from here! Didn't know JR's or that Village Inn closed their doors💔
I watched it all with no payoff and yet enjoyed it. Mark of a great RUclipsr and channel. Thanks Dan. Oh yeah, not that I don't prefer a payoff. It would have been much, much better with one, but you know what I mean...
I love these!
I live about 10 minutes from there. My friend met Rob Dyrdek’s parents in JR’s
wow,so close to me
just stumbled upon this video and LOVED it.
Have been in JR's many times. They used to sell cigarettes cheap. People would stock up. They also had a cigar humidor the size of a small restaurant. They moved to Mooresville. They got rid of most of the cheap crap they used to sell but kept the giant humidor.
awesome videos
the A frame building is awesome that would make a great house if it wasn't in a parking lot
I was thinking the same thing!
If i remember right ELtios was the only place in Statesville where u could get liquor by the drink back in the day before they made it legal for other places..
I saw Purple Rain Nightmare on Elem st and many other movies in high school in the 80s then we would we would go eat at Villiage inn Pizza great all you can eat buffet. Closed about 3 years ago to move to the new movie place. Great tacos at El Tios. We use to let friend into the movies at the exit doors on the side.
Cool Video Dan. The Pizza place sure looks like an Old Village Inn Pizza Parlor, Like the one we used to have here in Prescott, Az.
Yes that was a village inn and the restaurant relocated one exit south.
+jerry ball Yep! I was thinking maybe an IHOP, but there's no blue roof, so Village Inn sounds like an even more likely candidate.
Ray Lackey started this pizza business and he went to Arizona to get permission on building it.
I was once denied entry to that theater to see the Southpark movie because my wife forgot her ID. That would have been 99, and I remember it always smelled musty in there.
I want to live inside the pizza place and remodel it into a house. I wouldn't even care about the highway noise.
The Pizza Parlor building is amazing!
great video
I use to live in Statesville back in 2008 and 2009..I remember JR'S open and also the pizza place. I moved to Hickory at the end of 2009 (40 mins from statesville ). There are alot of abandoned old houses,warehouses etc around here. My home town is Troy,about 2 hours away. Very small town with alot of history in Montgomery county.Let me know if you ever want to check it out,I'll tag along and show you everything. You have to check out the Brown Mountain Lights.
Oh gosh, I had almost forgotten that the brown mountain lights were a thing!
I love village inn! They are all built in that similar style and they are all over my town. I love their dessert pizzas. You'll have to go and try one Dan if you haven't already
I was so surprised to see this location!! I use to live in Cornelius NC, and I drove by this Plaza often and always wanted to stop and try Village Pizza but sadly never did. So cool to see you exploring a place I've gone past many times and wondered about it myself! Thanks Dan!!
Lived in Statesville my entire life went and saw the theatre about a year back and it’s crazy to see how it’s changed from 5 years ago to now. Now it looks like a horror movie scene. Windows are bored building spray painted and the rest of the windows broke. Now you don’t go near el tios without protection. ESPECIALLY at night. Hate seeing the homeless population grow in my little small hometown
Visited recently, did you notice the pizza shop was tore down? that whole shopping center is completely abandoned except for the rack room and dollar general. The JR reeks of mold even from the parking lot. Signal Hill Mall just up that hill is a bad sight too. Went inside and only had the jewerly store left. Had to leave because I geniunely couldn't breathe from the mold.
The pizza parlor is awesome and a shame that it isn't in use and or worth using. I was just talking to some friends about how we miss local pizza joints. We were reminiscing those great old Pizza Hutts where you would dine in.
It's part of the Village In pizza chain. I drive by there pretty often, and just down the way about two minutes is a new, still running location on the same side of the road. Village Inn isn't anything phenomenal, but it has its charm.
That's from a small pizza restaurant chain called village Inn pizza. Not sure how many are left. I only get to go down and visit family about once a year. I try to avoid all contact with the natives as they are the main reason I now live in NYC.
That was I-77 you were next to, not I-40. There were 2 screens in the theater, El Tios was the only Mexican food in town for a long time (it was described as Arizona-Mex) The Pizza place was Village Inn. Ran by college kids, it was a buffet, and kids ruined the lower room
I live about 45 mins from Statesville (toward the mountain part) and have actually pasted by the location quite a few times but I really didn't think it was abandoned. Which just could be me because every time I go there its always for a reason. never get to stay or visit.
El Tio's reminds me of Chi-Chi's, another defunct Mexican-style chain.
There's one still opened in Augusta GA
+Hope Lee That's a wee bit of a trip from where I am.
+Tunnelfish2 it used to b a long way for me but we have moved closer I wouldn't have known if I hadn't visited Augusta recently that's another place that's falling down around the residents sadly
The pizza place is called Village Inn its still open just moved to a new location. I remember when JRs was a Kings dept store an a Roses dept store..The Mall side of Town was the place to be till Walmart killed it..