I'm so glad you have started this blog! Old Town Hall has stood unused long enough... however, there are issues...
Quite recently husband and I surveyed the building with the thought of following through with the theatre/retail/restaurant plan. The challenges were far too great for us to consider pursuing it.
We were inside the building about a month ago. Deterioration continues apace. One of the best historical elements of the building (the chandelier's plaster ceiling medallion in the theatre space) has been seriously damaged by water leaking through the roof. In addition, much of the plaster ceiling is water damaged.
The stage, while initially appealing, is not acceptable for live theatre at this time. There is no backstage space to speak of, and limited access to the downstairs space. There is no direct access from the outside to the stage area.
The building has no electrical system in place. Hanney's people strung work lights when he was using the building for storage, but other than this minimal service, there is none.
The building has no heating system in place. There is some antiquated furnace-like machinery in the cellar, but it is non-functioning at this time.
The building has no water system in place.
Its location is not conducive to retail activity. It is too far off the street and does not have the street presence or display ability necessary to draw people in. Therefore anything that went into that space would need to be a destination on its own. Like, say, a theatre. Hm...
The cellar has been mentioned as a place for a jazz bar. In order for anything to happen down there, the floor will have to be excavated by at least a 3-4 feet before it could be considered.
You mention a "raked floor" in your post. The only rake in the theatre space is in the small balcony, and it is very slight. The iron railing, though, is nice...
A conversation with Mr. Hanney revealed that he is anxious to get rid of the building, but is unwilling to take ANY loss on the investment. He wants to recoup not only the purchase price, but all the taxes he has paid on it as well as all other expenses incurred (maintenance, utilities, demolition, etc). This pushes his asking price way up.
Due to the ongoing deterioration, the buildout is now estimated to cost more like $4 million than the earlier estimate of $2M.
It would be a shame to lose this building. But as much as I long to preserve it, there are many obstacles to doing so. And they will all be very costly.
Quite recently husband and I surveyed the building with the thought of following through with the theatre/retail/restaurant plan. The challenges were far too great for us to consider pursuing it.
We were inside the building about a month ago. Deterioration continues apace. One of the best historical elements of the building (the chandelier's plaster ceiling medallion in the theatre space) has been seriously damaged by water leaking through the roof. In addition, much of the plaster ceiling is water damaged.
The stage, while initially appealing, is not acceptable for live theatre at this time. There is no backstage space to speak of, and limited access to the downstairs space. There is no direct access from the outside to the stage area.
The building has no electrical system in place. Hanney's people strung work lights when he was using the building for storage, but other than this minimal service, there is none.
The building has no heating system in place. There is some antiquated furnace-like machinery in the cellar, but it is non-functioning at this time.
The building has no water system in place.
Its location is not conducive to retail activity. It is too far off the street and does not have the street presence or display ability necessary to draw people in. Therefore anything that went into that space would need to be a destination on its own. Like, say, a theatre. Hm...
The cellar has been mentioned as a place for a jazz bar. In order for anything to happen down there, the floor will have to be excavated by at least a 3-4 feet before it could be considered.
You mention a "raked floor" in your post. The only rake in the theatre space is in the small balcony, and it is very slight. The iron railing, though, is nice...
A conversation with Mr. Hanney revealed that he is anxious to get rid of the building, but is unwilling to take ANY loss on the investment. He wants to recoup not only the purchase price, but all the taxes he has paid on it as well as all other expenses incurred (maintenance, utilities, demolition, etc). This pushes his asking price way up.
Due to the ongoing deterioration, the buildout is now estimated to cost more like $4 million than the earlier estimate of $2M.
It would be a shame to lose this building. But as much as I long to preserve it, there are many obstacles to doing so. And they will all be very costly.
Posted by Railroad Bill on behalf of: Kristina Brendel: UnknownNovember 14, 2012 3:48 PM