[This book] explores the potential of America's movie theatres - great and small - as an important national asset. Each of the 4,000 palaces constructed during Hollywood's Golden Age, as well as the countless smaller theatres built during that era and modeled after the grander showcases, has a role to play in the life of our cities and towns today. [The book] is divided into three major sections. The first explores the social and economic history of the movie palace - the significance of the phenomenon. The second consists of case studies, drawn from projects nationwide, which reflect the programming options for theatre renaissance. The third section, which profiles the lessons of the second, includes planning guidelines for theatre economic feasibility studies, organizational structures, program environments, and adaptive reuse and operating costs. Finally, a resource list of publications and organizations offers encouragement to readers as they relight movie palace marquees in their own communities. (p. 11 and 13)

CONTENTS
Foreword by Michael J. Pittas, Director, Design Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Introduction.

The past of the future:
     The movie palace phenomenon.
     Film. 
     Marketing.
     Architectural elements of fantasy.
     Architectural style.
     Sound and restructuring of empire.
     Movie palace architects.
     Growth without construction, then decline.
     Epilogue and preface.

Real dreams:
     Motivations for movie palace reuse.
     Multiple purpose performing arts centers.
     Special purpose performing arts centers.
     Private development investment.
     Municipal redevelopment anchor.
     The other two-thirds.

Relighting the marquee:
     Going public and other organizational options.
     Starting players - assembling the development team.
     Looking under the dust.
     Areas of function.
     A brief primer on adaptive use financing.
     Salesmanship and the feasibility package.
     The project proposal.
     Meeting the challenge of renaissance.

Resources [bibliography] [contactlist].
Notes.