What once served as one of the oldest single-screen movie
theaters in the region, the defunct and iconic Boyd Theater on Broad Street in
Bethlehem, has been sold and will be restored.
Bethlehem-Boyd LP, a local developer, on Dec. 31 bought
the property for $1.35 million from Joyce Heydt, who had owned the theater
since 1970.
The more than 90-year-old theater had been closed since
mid-2011 when it was damaged by water from major storms. In September 2014, a
sign was posted on the theater indicating that it owed more than $27,000 to the
Bethlehem Area School District.
Lucy Lennon, Realtor for Boutique One Properties in
Bethlehem, represented the buyer and seller in the deal.
“She [Joyce] picked the developer that she thought would
do the best thing for the theater and the community,” Lennon said this morning.
Lennon is not certain what will be done with the
building, confirming that it will be restored and not torn down. Once the
developer figures out the details for the project, it will make an announcement,
she said.
“They [Bethlehem-Boyd LP] literally fell in love with
it,” Lennon said. “They are going to do something extremely spectacular with
it.”
Moravian College in October 2014 announced potential
plans to bring live theater to the Boyd. But last May’s rainwater damage led
the city to condemn the property, adding costs to the project, making it more
difficult to buy the building and raise the funds necessary for its renovation.
The college had been in partnership with Bethlehem and New Jersey developer
J.G. Petrucci and Co. to buy and renovate the property.
Bethlehem mayor Robert Donchez and Alicia Miller Karner,
Bethlehem’s director of community and economic development, were unavailable
for comment this morning.
Source: LVB
No comments:
Post a Comment