The Villa to star in new role: rug gallery
By Greg Kratz
Deseret News, 22 May 2004
Summary:
The Villa Theatre has been sold to Hamid Adib, who has been selling hand-woven Persian and Oriental rugs in the Salt Lake area for more than 18 years. Adib, who owns Adib's Rug Gallery at 3142 S. Highland Drive, plans preserve the Villa Theatre building and use it as the new showroom for his business.
Hamid Adib has great memories of the Villa Theatre and was upset when he heard that the theater was closing. After hearing that many different prospective buyers wanted to demolish the Villa and build office buildings, Adib made an offer to Harmons to buy the theater himself.
Adib does not have the experience and ability to preserve the Villa as a movie theater, so instead he will fix up the building and create a museum-like atmosphere where people can come and enjoy the art of Oriental rugs and at the same time remember their past good memories of the Villa Theatre.
Adib's plan is to preserve facade and architecture of the Villa, keeping it in the overall form of a theater. Adib has met with architects, but he is not sure how long the renovation will take or cost. The theater is basically a shell now and needs "a drastic amount of help" because it has been neglected for some time.