by KYW's Steve Tawa

The Boyd Theatre, Philadelphia's last surviving movie palace, is one step closer to being declared historic -- a move that could save it from the wrecker's ball.
 
The Boyd, which opened in 1928 (above) and later operated as the Sam Eric Theatres until it closed in 2002, is on Chestnut Street between 19th and 20th, just a block from Rittenhouse Square.

Its supporters say the Boyd is an important structure architecturally and historically that pays homage to the movie culture of the 1920s.

David Brownlee is a professor in the art history department at the University of Pennsylvania:

"This building stands at the intersection of this wonderful inventive style called Art Deco that caught the world by storm and arrived at the Boyd Theatre at exactly the same time the motion picture industry invented the talking picture."

The Philadelphia Historical Commission's committee on historic designation is recommending that the full commission declare the center city movie palace a protected landmark at its August 8th meeting.

Even though the building is on the auction block, an historic designation brings with it restrictions. Any new owner would have to go before the commission to get approval for alterations or demolition.