Fifty years after it opened its doors as Baton Rouge’s premier movie venue, the Broadmoor Theatre is in the midst of being demolished. Work to take down the dilapidated theater—which has been shuttered for a little more than a decade now—began early last week and is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.
“There were a bunch of people out there watching the demolition on the first day,” says Austin Earhart of Beau Box Commercial Real Estate, who handles leasing at the Broadmoor Village Shopping Center. “And there’s been a lot of people who have called me to express interest in seeing the theater one last time, or they just seem to want to talk about their memories of being there. It’s definitely a part of history here, but we’re really glad to be moving on with our plans for that space.”
In place of the theater—as well as another 42,000-square-foot building neighboring the theater that was torn down last year—Clark Heebe, owner of the shopping center at 9620 Florida Blvd., plans to expand the parking lot. There’s already ample parking at the center, which is anchored by a Planet Fitness and Hi Nabor grocery store, but Earhart says Heebe is hoping the extra spaces will be needed in the long term.
“They’re probably going to end up with more parking than any other shopping center in the city. It’s a huge area that is going to be paved, striped and landscaped,” he says. “But if they decide to build something else on that side of the property where they have some vacant land, then it will probably be in demand.”
In the short-term, a small retail strip center is planned on the opposite side of the shopping center property, near the intersection of Cora Drive and Florida Boulevard. The development will measure about 7,500 square feet, with enough room for five to six tenants. Earhart says he’s negotiating with potential retailers and restaurants now. The center is expected to be completed in about five months.
About 11,000 square feet of the 80,000 square feet of total space in the Broadmoor Village Shopping Center remains vacant. Earhart says a lease was recently signed with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles for an Express OMV office that will occupy about 4,000 square feet and open in the next three to four months.
—Steve Sanoski
