Carmel Builds a concert hall - What does this mean for The Paramount

I think of the Paramount Theater as the biggest venue between Muncie's Emens Auditorium and Indianapolis Clowes Hall. I think it is horribly underutilized as an attraction for Anderson's downtown. We could have a lively downtown scene built around The Paramount but for reason we do not. Movies seem to have been out for years - even though it has one of the largest screens in Indiana. I remember taking the kids to see The Wizard of Oz several years ago. I got the distinct impression that the public was intruding and a terror that any concessions got into the auditorium. Fustiness comes to my mind as a description of the atmosphere.

I am looking at the Indianapolis Star online when I see this headline: Building a concert hall: Carmel's big dig begins:

"Digging has begun at the Hamilton County site of a massive concert hall, and city leaders are preparing to spend millions more dollars later this month for work that will start next year."

The 1,600-seat neoclassical Performing Arts Center, expected to open in fall 2010, and an adjacent theater in the heart of Carmel's new downtown will draw performers from around the world, Mayor Jim Brainard said.

What does this mean for The Paramount and for Anderson? I have some vague literary allusion in the back of my mind but I cannot remember it exactly. Instead, let me use something more earthy from my college years: use it or lose it.

Which also brings to my mind The State Theater. Just down the street from The Paramount. Was not the owner awaiting the change of 13th Street from a one way street to a two way street? Nothing seems to have changed at all. Combining the two theaters in an arts/entertainment area could be a great benefit for the city. The Paramount could even keep some of its fustiness.