The End Is Near
If all goes according to plan, the demolition of the Winter Garden Theater on North Main Street will be under way by the end of this month.

That’s according to Jason Stronz, executive director of the Jamestown Renaissance Corp., who said ”everything is lined up and ready to go” for the redevelopment of the long-vacant theatre. He said he expects a contractor for the asbestos abatement and demolition to be chosen by the end of this week.

”It’s very good news,” he said. ”Structurally, the building is sound. It’s an eyesore more than anything else and there’s no real significance to it in terms of architecture. Nothing is going into that space that’s feasible or that will generate enough revenue to offset the costs of renovating it. It’s honestly a situation where we can do a lot more with it torn down than we can with it remaining on the property.”

On Jan. 27, the Chautauqua County Legislature approved a resolution selling the property to the JRC for $1 under the condition that it would demolish the theater and redevelop the property.

Acquired by the Civic Center Development Corp. in 1996, the property has more than $14,215 in property tax liens, penalties and interest associated with it.

Plans for the property are still preliminary, as nothing has yet been put before the city’s Planning Commission for approval. Even so, plans are ”drawn up and ready to go,” Stronz said. He will appear before the commission on Jan. 16 and seek approval for demolition plans.

First, Stronz said, the JRC must demolish the theatre, which it will do with about $100,000 in funding provided by the Gebbie Foundation. Once demolition is complete, a site plan will be submitted to the Planning Commission for approval. That site plan will detail what the property will look like once it’s redeveloped. Stronz said The Wine Cellar has plans for an outdoor expansion that will take up approximately one-third of the old theatre property.

”Our plan also includes the restoration of Mechanics Alley, which runs right behind The Wine Cellar and would connect to the old theatre property,” Stronz said. ”That alley will be redone and some parking will be built on the alley side of the theatre property with assistance from the city’s Department of Public Works.”

That phase will take place once demolition is complete, Stronz said. From there, The Wine Cellar will – with approval from the Planning Commission – be able to move forward with plans for its expansion and the JRC will move ahead with the construction of a public-use courtyard on the theatre property facing North Main Street.

”A lot of people have, over the years, looked at the Winter Garden with plans to renovate it or bring something else into that space,” said John Merino, executive director of the Gebbie Foundation. ”The problem is that the costs associated with doing so are simply insurmountable. There’s no sense in leaving a building like that sitting empty in the downtown area. (The board) looked at the JRC’s plans and liked them. I think it’s going to be a major improvement.”jamestown post journal

Tags | architecture, asbestos abatement, chautauqua county, civic center, county legislature, demolition, executive director, gebbie foundation, jamestown, jrc, planning commission, property tax liens, renaissance, wine cellar, winter garden