GBA Celebrates National Cinema Day with Garden Theater

Speech made by GBA president at event

“Place-Making” is a bit of a buzzword these days, especially in small cities that are struggling to re-invigorate their downtowns. Placemaking is a collaborative process that brings businesses, non-profits and municipalities together to creatively highlight and connect a city’s assets for residents and tourists to enjoy, again and again.

This is part of the mission of the Greenfield Business Association, and we are proud to have the landmark Garden Cinema as a member of the Association, and our community. With owner Isaac Mass as a strong voice on our board and owning an anchor business in town, the GBA is working with Greenfield’s administration and local businesses to continually re-envision what downtown Greenfield could look like, and how to make places and events that people want to visit, and of course patronize. (Look us up at GreenfieldBusiness.org)

We are very lucky to have the Garden Cinema here in Greenfield. It was the first movie “palace” to be built in Franklin County, and of all of the old theaters built back then only the Garden Cinema still remains in operation as a full-time theater. Since 1929 it has been a place of family entertainment, and continues to positively impact the businesses around it.

The Garden Cinema -- our movie theater -- has gone through many iterations and many hands in that time, including George Gohl and Bill Gobeille for two decades, bringing in digital projectors and other upgrades, and then just in time for the pandemic, Isaac and Angela Mass. It’s a testament not only to their courage and tenacity for keeping it together and surviving that storm, but also a testament to how important a local movie theater is to the community it serves. We all gave them the support they needed to keep it together, and now here we are, on the other side, celebrating National Cinema Day, here at the Garden Theater. Very proud. Very happy.

So, for us at the GBA, National Cinema Day is not just a day to celebrate movie theaters and get in for only three bucks while we’re at it. For us, today is a day to celebrate Isaac and Angela’s success, and we all look forward to the exciting vision they have for this place, and what’s to come. I cannot wait.

Mik Muller, president
Greenfield Business Association Board of Directors