The Richmond Hills Humongoplex
The Richmond Hills Humongoplex
Description
The Humongoplex is a five-block island forming a glider around [37,34], surrounded by open streets, car parks and wastelands in Eastern Central Richmond Hills. The locations that make up the facility are Edgcumbe Cinema, Cunningham Cinema, Freeguard Cinema, Junkyard 36,35 and Warehouse 38,35.
The huge billboard at Melrose Way once advertised the attraction.
History
The Richmond Hills Humongoplex was originally a sprawling family entertainment complex dreamed up in the late 1970's by a conglomerate of several local companies and investors in a misguided attempt to draw in outside business and tourism and revitalize the suburb's failing economy. The Humongoplex was designed to emulate the look and feel of the boardwalk and pier at Brighton (despite the fact that Malton is nowhere near the ocean), and incorporated an amusement park and arcade, a vendor and restaurant area and no less than three separate cinemas. After several false starts and stops, construction mishaps and delays and vast over-expenditures, the Humongoplex was finally opened in early June of 1982 with Malton-wide fanfare, and initially proved to be quite successful and profitable. This success would be short lived, however, as the attraction began to lose business after its second year of operation.
While attracting a fair amount of steady patronage from surrounding suburbs, the Humongoplex never managed to draw any where near the consistent traffic that it's investors had hoped, barely recouping its cost for construction in its first five years. By the close of the 80's, the conglomerate was dissolved, financial backing was withdrawn and the facility was sold. Following this, the Humongoplex saw several private owners, but the facility always proved to be too costly to maintain when compared against the revenue it brought in, and fell into overall disrepair.
In 1990, the amusement park and arcade were the first part of the complex to be closed. Most of the rides and equipment were sold off, and the remains of the area became a local scrap heap and junkyard. Shortly thereafter, the vendor and restaurant area was also closed. While the overall structure remained intact, it was gutted and was later converted to warehouse space.
The three cinemas lasted the longest. Each fell into separate private ownership, and were in operation up until the outbreak occurred.
Post outbreak, the remains of the Humongoplex tend to be an eerie, lonely and desolate place. The fact that it is cut off from free running lanes makes it difficult to get to. Furthermore, with the effect of the darkness that has fallen across the city of Malton, the three cinemas are often found open and ruined. Despite these problems, the facility does have its share of fans and patrons from amongst the members of the local survivor population. Donations of generators, fuel and assistance with repairs are always appreciated.
Barricade Policy
Each location within the Humongoplex has it's own barricade designation in accordance with the Richmond Hills Barricade Plan. All three cinemas are to be kept at EHB. The junkyard and warehouse are both designated as entry points and should be kept at VSB+2.
Current Events
August 7th, 2008
The Richmond Hills Humongoplex page is created in an attempt to preserve the history of the facility, and its place in the history of the suburb of Richmond Hills. --Griff 04:46, 7 August 2008 (BST)
-- Ninja4hire 19:49, 16 February 2009 (UTC)
