The projection booth of The Fox theater as it looks now Contributed by Bruce Bahr, development director of The Nickelodeon Theater and the Columbia Film Society

Curious history and cinema lovers ascended narrow steps of the old Fox Theatre last week. Instead of a classic movie, they came for a first peek at what will be The Nickelodeon's home, possibly within two years.

The Nickelodeon, a 1979 initiative of the community arts organization Columbia Film Society (CFS), annually attracts 25,000 moviegoers to its current South Main Street location, just behind the State Capitol.

The tour was, for most patrons, a first opportunity to see where the Nick will be moving after renovations have been made to the 1935 building.

The State Theatre opened in the building in 1938, and it closed in 1961. It was replaced by The Fox theatre which was in business from 1962 to 1987.

CFS Executive Director Larry Hembree explained the plans to the small tour groups, "In the renovated facility, we hope to have two theatres, one with 75 seats and one with 150 to 200 seats; a bar; concession area; offices; conference/ classroom space; and small lounge area where we can host discussions after films."

The State theater opened in 1938 and closed in 1961. It was replaced by The Fox theater in 1962. The Fox opened with the musical West Side Story. Customers flocked to it to use the new rocking chair seats. But with competition from theaters at malls, The Fox closed its doors in 1987. In two years, the building is expected to be the new home of The Nickelodeon. www.nickelodeon.org/fox.php Earl Ellis, chair of the CFS Relocation Committee, untangled the red tape relevant to the June 2005 transfer of title. Ellis commended the Lourie family for its contributions toward bringing the restoration project to fruition. "The difference between the appraisal price and the Lourie's selling price is their gift to CFS," Ellis said.

The City of Columbia gave The Nick $300,000 for the project to pay out in three annual payments. Ellis helped the non-profit organization forge the banking relationships it needed to cover that time frame.

Seats of The Fox theater as it looks now Contributed by Bruce Bahr, development director of The Nickelodeon Theater and the Columbia Film Society With the help of appropriate professionals, the film society is currently creating a business plan for running and maintaining the new facility.

The film society, an integral element of Columbia's cultural scene since 1979, is having preliminary designs drawn up for the new facility. The drawings will enable them to estimate the cost of bringing the theatre back into use.

According to Bruce Bahr, CFS development director, a feasibility study is expected to provide a viable estimate of the amount of money that can be raised. "When we get that information, we will launch a capital campaign, probably to begin in early 2007," Bahr said.

To date the organization has completed asbestos, lead, and structural reports; repaired the roof and had electricity turned on in the upstairs area; and cleaned the balcony, mezzanine and projection booth, none of which had been done in 20 years.

The movie screen of The Fox theater as it looks now Contributed by Bruce Bahr, development director of The Nickelodeon Theater and the Columbia Film Society The cleaning was done in partnership with Historic Columbia and Columbia Design League, both long-range partners in the project.

Patrons on the tour stepped carefully around boxes of old film strips left behind when the last projectionist turned off the lights and left the building. USC graduate students will preserve and catalog that footage. "We may show that film as one of our fundraisers," quipped Hembree.