We were all devastated last month when we learned E Street Cinema, D.C.'s downtown hub for independent film, would be closing on March 6. Adding insult to injury, the theater ended up shuttering early, drawing its final curtain on Sunday evening — the same night as the Academy Awards.
According to the Washington Post, E Street's owners – Landmark Theaters — cited financial constraints and the theater's inability to recover from the pandemic in their decision to close. (*Through tears* "I thought movies were SO back?!")
E Street was a haven for cinephiles and casual movie-goers alike, adored for its long escalators, lack of cell service, and balance of indie and mainstream releases. I saw "Barbie" there; I attended my first Rocky Horror Picture Show there; I sat (by myself, at 10 p.m., in the dead of winter) through all two hours and 59 minutes of "Drive My Car" there. We all have an E Street memory that will make us cry, laugh, or cringe. Maybe all three.
Last week, we asked you to share what you'll be carrying with you long after the credits have stopped rolling at E Street. We've compiled a sampling of the memories you sent us.
(Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.)
It's getting dusty in here!
🥹
"As the lights came up and my wife and I got up from our seats after a movie at E Street, a voice called over to us. A few rows away, we saw the waving hand of our North Carolina friend who had performed our wedding celebration quite a few decades ago. He was sitting with two young men, also getting up to leave the movie. Our friend said, 'I've got to introduce you-all. These two here (us) are the very first couple I ever married, and these two here (them) are my latest, the very first *gay* couple I ever married.' I forget what movie it was, but the evening was certainly extra special." - Peter Harnik
Read this one in Ira Glass' voice
🎙️
"I was at E Street when I walked into the lobby during a special screening of Mike Birbiglia's 'Sleepwalk With Me.' The only other person there? Ira Glass. As a longtime 'This American Life' fan and occasional Ira Glass voice impersonator, I completely froze. Not in an 'I don’t know what to say' way — just full stop, unable to move.
Instead of playing it cool and walking over to say hi, I stood there like a statue. My boyfriend (now husband) walked in, quickly assessed the situation, and — once he realized what was happening — gently steered me out of the way.
And that was that. We went about our day, and I’ve regretted my silence ever since." - Alex Dickinson
There exists a very embarrassing photo of freshman-year-me at one of those midnight shows
✨
"E Street has been the only home of the Sonic Transducers shadowcast since 2009. For many of us on cast, E Street has become a second home and a place where we've entertained many audiences at midnight screenings of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' While E Street may be gone, the glitter on the carpet will always remain. Long live E Street Cinema!" - Allie
Probably home to many similar trips
🍄
"I took shrooms and went to see '2001: A Space Odyssey.' I almost cried during the overture when the screen is still blank because I was so excited to finally see my favorite movie in theaters." - Jack Roscoe
Serendipity!
🫂
"Last year, I ran into a friend in the E Street restroom. We had both coincidentally gone to see 'Perfect Days' solo. We went out for a drink after and mused about how E Street was our cinema of choice. While it needed a renovation, I'm so sad it's going away!" - Deanna Troust
Those could've very likely been earnest tears
😬
"I watched '
The Iron Lady' here. Clearly, everyone in the theatre didn't fully know how awful Margaret Thatcher was, because during the climax of the film, you could hear someone audibly crying. Never forgot that one." -
Huma ImtiazThose escalators ARE cool!
😭
"Going down the escalator always felt like entering a secret world. As a teen, my brother and I would make the trip from Fairfax County to see artsy independent films, and I felt so cool and grown up. I saw "Moonlight" there, and as a queer person, seeing that on the big screen in a place I’d been going for years meant everything. It’s so, so sad that we’re losing it." - Tekla Taylor
A generational landmark
🎞️
"In October of 2010, I premiered a feature film I made. The film was called 'Nightstars' and was produced in the area with a local cast and crew. I was so nervous that I hid in the projection booth above theater 6 while the film played to a theater packed with crew and donors and friends and independent movie lovers. It was a wonderful night and I was so proud of the hard work from everyone there that went into the making of it. As a local independent filmmaker, it was a dream and an honor to premiere at E Street. Just a few weeks ago, I took my daughter to see 'Flow' there. We didn’t know about the upcoming closure, so in retrospect, it was bittersweet getting to show my daughter such an important landmark of my youth. I’ll miss E Street!" - Rahmin Atarod
What going to the movies is all about!
🥲
"The year it opened, I went to see a midnight showing of 'The Goonies' with my dad as one of the last things we did together before I went away to college for the first time. I answered a trivia question and got a signed copy of Bruce Campbell’s biography. My dad died back in 2018 ... but I still have the biography and the memory of getting to loudly scream 'shit' in a crowded theater and in front of my dad." - Allie
YESSSSS!
💞
"Back in 2013, I had a first date in D.C. What started as a little lunch and museum date turned into an all-day affair. While at our 2nd bar of the afternoon, we were bonding over one of our shared passions, film. I mentioned how Tommy Wiseau's infamously bad film 'The Room' is one of my favorites. Since neither of us wanted the date to end, we decided to see what was in the local theaters and that's when we saw, whether by fate or coincidence, that E Street Cinema was having a midnight screening of 'The Room.' 12 years later, my now wife and best friend still cherishes that first date in that dingy theater. RIP." - Andrew E
This is an amazing and wholesome 21st!
🎈
"For my 21st birthday, my best friend surprised me with a private screening of one of my favorite movies at the time with 20 of my closest friends in attendance (including one from out of state). The staff was so accommodating and nice. I'm going to miss that place so much." - Willoughby
The home of so much love
🍾
"My favorite memory of E Street Cinema was a golden-ticket style homemade gift certificate Sarah, my wife, made me — a night at E Street where I got to pick any movie (in her words: "no questions asked") as well as a bottle of wine from the concessions. It seems like there are plenty of places where you can get wine or beer these days, but that still seemed decadent to me then. I don't even remember what movie we saw! I still have the gift certificate. The last movies I saw there were 'Ainda estou aqui' and 'The Brutalist.' Thanks for all the memories!" - Douglas McRae
A baby logging "Black Swan" on Letterboxd (2 stars)
👶
"When I had my oldest, E Street offered a weekday morning showing of movies for parents/caretakers to babies and young kids. And what I loved was that they showed ADULT movies because a baby does not care what they are watching. So I was able to see 'Black Swan' while standing and rocking a baby, and it was such a wonderful way to feel like an adult at a time when world revolves around baby." - Erin Palmer
Classic
😲
"I went to see the RBG documentary in 2018. At one point, it noted how RBG had served as the officiant for Andrea Mitchell’s marriage to Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. Sitting directly behind me in the theater? Andrea Mitchell and Alan Greenspan. Probably my favorite truly 'D.C. moment.'" - David Fucillo
