Features

•Main Page
•Location
•The Sign
•Marquee & Entrance
•Ticket Booth
•Poster Cases
•The Cinerama Screen
 

The Sign

The Villa's sign is positioned on the very north-east corner of the property where it can be easily seen by the traffic on Highland Drive.  The sign, referred to as an "island marquee,"* is 32 feet high and 29 feet long and holds 1400 feet of neon tubing.*  It was designed and built by YESCO, Young Electric Sign Company.

At the top is the word "Villa" in large cursive letters covered with 2000 "pulsating" 40-watt bulbs.  Below this, in smaller capital letters, is the word "THEATRE," outlined in neon.  Rising up behind the name of the theater are 34 vertical poles which taper up towards one end.

On the street side of the sign is a what appears to be an elongated comma attached to the edge of the sign.  Neon tubing starts in the center of the circular part of this comma and spirals in larger circles and then finally extends down to the bottom of the sign.  Its edge is light by four tubes of neon.

The largest part of the sign is the attraction board, which has six lines of "copy."  It is surrounded by a small border consisting of two different sets of neon which flash on alternately.  Each set has a separate pattern and color.

In 1995, YESCO completely restored the sign.  Only one modification has been made to its design since it was first built.  The words "FREE PARKING," written in neon below the attraction board, have been replaced with the words "Carmike Cinemas."