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Downtown Auburn redevelopment to include new arts campus and rebuilt Auburn Avenue Theatre
Summary
Mayor Nancy Backus outlined downtown projects: a new arts and theater complex anchored by the Postmark Center for the Arts, B Street Plaza enhancements, demolition of the old Auburn Avenue Theatre site and plans for a new state-of-the-art theater.
Mayor Nancy Backus said downtown Auburn will host a new arts campus, a rebuilt Auburn Avenue Theatre and public-space improvements intended to spur revitalization and walkability.
“By this time in 2028 and hopefully sooner, you should see a new state of the art theater in downtown,” Mayor Nancy Backus said, referring to plans to replace the former Auburn Avenue Theatre and to develop a connected arts district around the Postmark Center for the Arts.
Backus described the B Street Plaza improvements — lighting, seating and pedestrian enhancements — and said the city purchased a building (the Hills of Comics property) to be demolished and replaced with a downtown park that will connect to the arts facilities. Renderings shown at the address placed the Postmark Center, the new theater and Divine Court in a contiguous plaza design.
Speakers on stage and in recorded pieces emphasized the cultural value of the arts campus and the economic and community benefits of bringing a purpose-built performance space back to downtown. City staff and community members noted the longtime use of the old theater for local productions and performers and said the new venue will include amenities the old movie-theater-turned-performing-space lacked.
The mayor said walls and the ceiling of the old theater were demolished in late 2024 and that city leaders and arts advocates are working on design and funding for the replacement. The address did not provide a firm project timeline or a final construction budget.
