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Summer May Bring The Return Of The Pikes Theatre

PIKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ)—A Pikesville landmark may soon return to its original intended use.

As Mike Schuh reports, the Pikes Theatre turned restaurant could soon become a theater again.

More than 75 years ago, Pikes opened.

"It was the only thing in town, really. The silver screen packed them in. It was literally a nickel," said Will Reich, owner.

With just one screen, it failed in the mid '80s.

A couple of restaurants came and went.

But the Pikes Diner has had the longest run yet.

But unlike images from a few years ago, the restaurant is empty on Monday morning.

To look forward, the owner is looking to the past. The deli space is long gone, so now he's trying to return some of the space to its origin.

"The big idea is to put two theaters in front," Reich said.

But when the theater became a diner, it lost its zoning to be a theater.

"I don't know if it was an oversight or whatever may be," Reich said.

So, he's asking the county to change the zoning to allow him to add two 80-seat theaters in front and keep the restaurant out back.

Some have complained online that when the two theaters are full, parking nearby would be a problem.

"The biggest problem we've had at least in the last seven years since I've been running this restaurant is we've had way too much parking. Way too much," Reich said.

If all goes according to plan, the two new theaters could be up and operating here by July.

The County Council will vote on the zoning change next Monday.

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