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'Save the Massac' Pays Off Debt, Looks Forward

'Save the Massac' Pays Off Debt, Looks Forward
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By Bill Hughes
Oct. 08, 2015 | METROPOLIS, IL
By Bill Hughes Oct. 08, 2015 | 10:17 PM | METROPOLIS, IL
The organization working to restore a Metropolis theatre has reached a significant goal.

Lisa Gower, president of Save the Massac, said the non-profit organization formed in 2009 made its final payment last week to the previous owner, who transferred ownership to the group in April 2013.  

"When we gained possession of it, we bought it from Larry Ward. He is the one who bought it from the city and cleaned it out and put the roof on it. So, for the last three years we have been making payments to Larry Ward," Gower said.  

Save the Massac raised $50,000 over that period, through bingo games, special dinners, and other events.  

The organization's next step is to work with architect Gail White of White and Borgognoni on a new floor plan and artist rendering of the theatre. The Carbondale firm did a feasibility study for the city of Metropolis and Save the Massac in 2010, before the city sold the theatre to Ward. That was also the year the theatre, built in 1938, appeared on the list of 10 most endangered Illinois landmarks.  

Gower said Ward replaced the roof and cleaned debris from inside the building in 2012, but there is one major repair still needed on the structure.  

"There's a brick wall on the interior that has to be repaired, and that's from the roof having collapsed and it just formed a rain chute. It was a miracle that the outside wall didn't buckle. So the building just needs that fixed," she said.  

Gower said the group has raised about half of the amount needed for that repair, and in the meantime, White and Save the Massac are attending meetings with others in the community who might use the remodeled building, getting a "wish list."  

"We're talking to the school system to get what their needs are, because our high school and junior high has no auditorium. We want to make sure we meet the needs of Harrah's, because they moved their casino into what used to be the events center, they have lost that space." Gower said.  

She said they are also visiting theatres that are similar in size, surveying what has worked well in those places, or what they wished they had done.

Gower said the theatre originally seated 727 people, but with new regulations for accessibility, their goal is for at least 600 seats when restoration is complete.

For more information on the group's progress, click one of the links below.

On the Net:

Save the Massac Facebook page
Save the Massac website
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