Baxter Avenue Theatres confirms closing after 30 years in Louisville's Highlands

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Despite community efforts to save the venue, Baxter Avenue Theatres at the Mid City Mall in the Highlands will close next week.

Baxter Avenue Entertainment's ownership group, Apex Entertainment, announced the closing in a written statement Monday morning:

With heavy hearts, we announce that December 31 will be our final curtain call.

The future of Mid City Mall is uncertain. While Apex Entertainment would prefer to continue operations and serve its loyal patrons, that is not possible at the present time. We have not received any indication that the developers wish to incorporate Baxter Avenue Theatres into their plans. We disagree but respect their decision.

We would like our final week of business to be a celebration of the past three decades. During this time, our team served customers with midnight showings and film festival premieres while giving people a special place to make so many special memories with date nights and birthday parties. As we say goodbye, we hope you will take this opportunity to visit us one last time to catch a show. Please share your favorite Baxter memory in person or on social media. Thank you, Louisville, for all of your love and support!

Earlier this year, redevelopment plans for Mid City mall were released, which included plans to find a development company to buy the property.

Local filmmakers and members of the community rallied to save the popular neighborhood theater, including Emmett Swann. He created a petition on Change.org called "Save Baxter Avenue Theatre: Louisville's Last Indie Cinema Landmark." Even though it gathered nearly 6,000 signatures, it wasn't enough.

A social media post asks fans to share their favorite memories of the theatre, and to catch a show there one last time before it closes.

CLICK HERE to see what's playing at Baxter Avenue Theatres.

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