The church that runs Ebenezers Coffeehouse on Capitol Hill is adding another business to its repertoire, announcing plans to reopen a historic movie theater on Barracks Row. It’s the latest step in the National Community Church’s nearly $10 million investment in Capitol Hill over the last year as it works to expand its presence in the District.
The church, which markets itself to younger city residents and new families, struck a deal to buy the old Meader Theater from the People’s Church this spring for $3 million. The Community Church, which purchased another Southeast property for nearly $7 million last fall, has already begun holding services in the space but said this week it eventually envisions restoring the single-screen theater to run movies and host community events.
With no other movie theater around, the venture could quickly gain a big market share in the community.
“I think a for-profit movie company will kick themselves for not doing this,” said Neil Glick, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission chairman. “People here would pay through the nose [for] this.”
Lead pastor Mark Batterson said the theater would be run under the same concept as Ebenezers, where all profits help fund the church’s community outreach projects and aid clinics abroad. But, he said, single-screen theaters today are generally not profitable ventures.
“There’s a reason why they have multiplexes,” he said. “I do hope it nets a profit so we can give more away … but we’re not even budgeting for a profit.”
Several community members said they welcome a movie house, adding they now travel downtown or to the suburbs after the theaters at Union Station closed in 2008.
“As long as it becomes like the coffee shop and is an amenity and not tied to any faith or perspective, it’ll do well on Capitol Hill,” said ANC Commissioner Ivan Frishberg.
The idea of a movie theater has long been a discussion topic at community meetings and was last proposed for the Hine Junior High redevelopment near Eastern Market. Martin Smith, executive director of Barracks Row Main Street, said the church’s attractiveness to young people also fits with Capitol Hill’s growing young professionals population.
The proposal for the People’s Church comes less than a year after Community Church spent $6.9 million on land just off Barracks Row on Virginia Avenue. It plans to open a mixed-use retail and community services development, similar to Ebenezers, where church services and a day care are run in the basement auditorium.
The church has seven locations in the region, mostly theaters, and hopes to expand to 20 locations in the D.C. area by 2020.
