Photo by Matt Johnson

Earlier today, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced 24 grants to landmarks around the D.C. area that competed in a social media contest earlier this month. Many of the locations receiving money are old houses of worship, National Park Service locations in need of private funding, and monuments to fallen members of the U.S. armed forces.

One recipient location’s grant, however, was cause for great enthusiasm among the area’s movie lovers. The Greenbelt Theatre, in Prince George’s County, will get $75,000 to fix up its once-ornate art deco lobby, which has been in scrappy condition for some time now. And while the $75,000 won’t pay for the entire renovation, it will account for a significant chunk of the necessary repairs.

Planners for the city of Greenbelt hope that the grant money announced today will breathe some freshness into the 75-year-old theater, which is one of the last single-screen movie houses in the D.C. area. And, as many film buffs will point out, it’s also one of the last cinemas around that still projects its titles on good, old-fashioned celluloid. (Though that’s scheduled to be phased out as the movie industry increasingly favors digital everything.)

Still, Celia Craze, Greenbelt’s planning director, cheered the grant when it was announced this morning at the National Trust’s office at Decatur House in downtown D.C. While the $75,000 award isn’t enough to refurbish all the art deco friezes and moldings in the lobby, Craze says it’s enough to start on the floors, as well as several lobby elements that need a modern upgrade. She says the grant will afford “phase one” of the Greenbelt Theatre’s needed renovations, including new concession and ticket stands, bringing the restrooms into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and bringing back the theater’s original exit doors.

The full cost of renovating the theater, however, is far greater. Greenbelt officials allocated $800,000 in funds and grants, The Washington Post reported last year, but work on the theater has been stalled for nearly a decade. A new popcorn booth is one thing, but the venue also needs major infrastructural work.

“It’s important to Greenbelt,” Craze said. “But it’s also people to people who enjoy the movies.”