Is a lifelong deal really a lifelong deal?

The Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia is one of the great entertainment palaces of the 20^th Century. Originally built as a venue to host movies and live performances, as well as to provide a home base for the Shriner's organization, the Fox has seen good times and bad. The doors opened just after the stock market crash that set off the Great Depression, but the Fox muddled through. With changes of ownership and management, the Fox maintained a presence in the community until the 1970s, when its future became truly tenuous.

Enter Joe Patten. Joe is a force of nature. He is the man most responsible for pulling together the resources and bringing sufficient attention to bear, which allowed Joe and his crew to save the Fox from demotion during those dark days. In return Joe was granted a lifetime lease on the 3,640 square foot apartment that lies under the domed roof of the theatre.

But that was yesterday, as the saying goes. The lease was actually signed on December 28, 1979, and it stipulates that Joe is granted the privilege of living rent free in the Fox for the rest of his life. Yet by the summer of 2010 there were rumblings that the board of directors of Atlanta Landmarks, an organization that Joe helped to form, and the current owners of the Fox, were suggesting that perhaps it was time for Joe to move along.

As you can imagine, the story made the papers, and caused a bit of an uproar in the community and across the Internet.

The publicity was arguably beneficial to Patten, who was in receipt of the letter suggesting that his time as the sole resident of the apartment above the Fox was coming to an end. That same media attention was less than beneficial to Atlanta Landmarks, however, which got a bit of a public relations black eye for being perceived as less than grateful or gracious to the man who had saved the landmark that he had called home for more than 30 years.

Only recently it would seem that Patten's attorneys have been able to hammer out an agreement with Atlanta Landmarks that will keep Joe Patten in his home, atop the Fox, until the end of his days. At 83 years of age, it no doubt provides some welcome relief to a proud octogenarian of considerable accomplishment to know that his coveted lifetime lease truly is valid for the remainder of his lifetime.

At least in this case, a lifetime lease really has turned out to be good for a lifetime. Congratulations, Joe. Long may you enjoy your home, without the fear of a moving van rolling up to the door unexpectedly.