Architect John Cluver (right) reviews schematics with Ira Deutchman, Uptown president.
The Uptown is thrilled to announce that our lead architect, John Cluver, a Senior Partner with Voith & Mactavish Architects, has been named to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, its highest membership honor. This distinction is awarded to architects who exemplify excellence in practice and who have made a lasting impact on architecture and on society at large.
“John has been with us since the first time we started contemplating purchasing the former Metro, to determine whether it was a viable space for a five-screen film center,” says Uptown president Ira Deutchman. “Still, when it was time to hire a firm, we solicited bids and concept drawings from several other architects before determining that John’s expertise in preserving and transforming historic arthouse cinemas was invaluable to our mission. This recognition from the AIA confirms what we have seen in John all along.”
Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP, where John is Senior Partner & Director of Historic Preservation, is a Philadelphia and New York-based team of forty architects, planners, and designers. The firm is led by founding partner Daniela Voith and four additional partners — making V&M Philadelphia’s longest-continuously operating woman-owned architecture practice.
In addition to his role at V&M, John serves on the City of Philadelphia’s Historical Commission Architectural Advisory Committee, the Board of Advisors for the Master of Science in Historic Preservation program at Notre Dame, and the Board of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. He is also a member of the Association for Preservation Technology and holds a Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design in addition to his professional degree in architecture from the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. John has published articles on sustainability and window restoration in the Association for Preservation Technology Bulletin and has presented for the Preservation League of New York, SCUP, and APPA. In 2006 John volunteered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in New Orleans to complete urgent conditions assessments in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and in 2008 was honored by the American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Chapter as Young Architect of the Year.
Architectural rendering of the Uptown Film Center, by Voith & Mactavish
Introducing the UPTOWN FILM CENTER!
The announcement was made by Ira Deutchman, President of UWS Cinema Center, Inc, at a special BIG REVEAL event held at Villa Albertine on Oct. 27, before an audience of indie film industry execs, local government leaders, major donors and early founding supporters.
Deutchman was joined by guest speakers Tim Blake Nelson, Kyra Sedgwick, and Tony Kushner, as well as architects Voith & Mactavish and logo/branding designer Daymon Bruck, to celebrate the new name, reveal architectural renderings of the marquee and landmarked façade, and talk about what the theater will mean for the neighborhood, for the independent film community, and for the arts in New York City.
Tim Blake Nelson
Deutchman emphasized that the new name is a reflection of an entirely new mission for the former Metro/Midtown theater, making a clear statement about its location within the city. “We wanted to give the theater a unique identity that instantly would conjure up its iconic Upper West Side locale,” said Deutchman. The Uptown Film Center, he noted, will be the only full-time, nonprofit arthouse theater north of Lincoln Center. “Unlike commercial theaters or streaming platforms,” he said, “the Uptown will deliver an immersive, community-first film experience that blends the best of independent, international, documentary, repertory, and family cinema with educational programs and cultural partnerships. Visitors will come away not just entertained, but connected — to their neighbors, to global stories, and to the transformative power of film.”
Mark Harris, Tony Kushner, Ira Deutchman and Kyra Sedgwick
Uptown Film Center Board Member Tim Blake Nelson added, “Filmmakers—those who consider movies an art form as well as entertainment or a way to make a profit—still make films for movie theaters. The work might end up on smaller screens, but the actual creation happens with theaters in mind: places where strangers gather for state-of-the-art projection and sound to sharpen their sensitivity and intelligence about the world. The Uptown is going to be such a venue for a neighborhood that’s been starving for it.”
Capital Campaign Launched
Deutchman also announced the launch of a $29 million capital campaign to build out the film center. The timeline for completion will depend largely on how quickly those funds can be raised, but the nonprofit group is hoping to break ground by early 2027 and open the film center’s doors sometime in 2028.
In the months since the purchase of the building in April 2025, the Uptown Campaign has raised close to $3M, with leadership donations from the Great Hill Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, Roland and Lois Betts, David Huntington and Susanna Phillips, the Lucille & Paul Maslin Foundation, the New York State Assembly through Assemblyman Micah Lasher, and continuing support from the Klingenstein-Martell Foundation.
State Assemblyman Micah Lasher, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Ira Deutchman
Several Naming Opportunities are available, as well as a new NAME A SEAT campaign, noted Deutchman, who emphasized that contributions both large and small are critical to the success of the campaign. “The number of donors and the clear demonstration of support from our community, opens the doors to grants from the city and state as well as private foundations.”
Progress Since the Purchase
Since last April when the property was purchased, UWSCC has made significant progress. The organization interviewed several firms before hiring the architects Voith & Mactavish, and went through a similar process to hire various consultants, including owners’ rep (name), lobbyists, expeditors, and restaurant consultant. Deutchman says the final designs for the center should be completed by February.
Simultaneous to build-out plans, the original volunteer founding team—Deutchman, Adeline Monzier, Stephen Cohen and Beth Krieger—has been working on expanding the Board and advisory councils and building the internal day-to-day infrastructure of the nonprofit organization. To demonstrate its mission to the community and donors, the group hosted a 10-part summer pop-up film series in cooperation with several local organizations, and this month, it launched a pilot educational project with an UWS public elementary school.
The $6.9 purchase of the former Metro theater property—which was raised in four months starting just a year ago–was made possible by a $3.5 million grant from Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York; $500K in grant money from the NY State Senate (Brad Hoylman-Sigal); major grants from the Hearthland Foundation (Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw), the Martell-Klingenstein Foundation and the Brandt Jackson foundation; and more than 500 individual contributors from the greater NYC community.
Special Thanks Many thanks to the MANY volunteers who helped with our BIG Reveal, and the evening’s underwriters, Becker & Frondorf, 107 Wine and Spirits, Villa Albertine.
We’re thrilled to announce that after interviewing several candidates, we have hired Voith & Mactavish Architects to commence with the plans for our five-screen film and education center, and an owner’s rep firm, B&F, to help oversee the project from planning through construction phases.
Voith & Mactavish has extensive experience in designing and restoring historic movie theaters, including the Bryn Mawr, the County and the Ambler Theaters in Pennsylvania. They’ve also worked on several performing arts theaters.
Of course, to do it right will take time. We’re now in Phase 1, with the architects preparing the plans. Once approved, contractors and subcontractors will need to be hired, and permits will need to be secured. Fortunately, our city electeds have been extremely helpful at every turn, expediting our conversations with the Dept of Buildings and directing us to possible grants. We’ve also received early support from the Landmarks folks, who are as eager to see us preserve the gorgeous theater facade as we are.
In preparation for the design of the theaters as well as operation and program planning, the UWSCC admin team attended the recent Art House Convergence conference (a consortium of 800 independent cinemas from across the country) and we continue to take every opportunity to tour model art houses–most recently, the Music Box and Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago and the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, Mass.
