History: The Historical Commercial District

The name of the cinema comes from a classic cable car that was left behind; Bilodeau planned to repair the car and display it on the roof of the building as a symbol of the cinema’s name. The building, however is located in the historic South Main Street commercial district, neighbored by 19th century structures and 18th century buildings that survived the fire of 1801. According to the Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission of Rhode Island, all exterior alterations to buildings in the historic district must be approved by the historic district commission to ensure that the historic character of the area is maintained. In order to preserve the historic sense of time that exists within the community, the commission denied Bilodeau’s proposal.