It sounds like a revived Franklin Cinema might not be exactly the same venue it was before it closed earlier this year, but when it comes to a community treasure such as this one, it’s much better than bulldozers:

If the deal goes through, the Heritage Foundation wants to use the facility both for film showings and cultural events including lectures and music performances. Rick Warwick, staff historian for the Heritage Foundation, said the model would be along the lines of the concept used to keep Nashville’s Belcourt Theater preserved . . . But whatever the cost, Warwick said the theater has so cemented itself in the hearts of Franklin residents that the project is worth pursuing stridently. “It really was, for many years, the main social event of the town. It’s an era that has a lot of memories, and maybe it will come back again.” Warwick said. “[Franklin Cinema] is too much a part of the heritage of Franklin to let it disappear.”

This is great news from the Heritage Foundation via today’s City Paper. I hope the cinema reappears soon.