Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Main Street receives $2.5M to stabilize historic theater facade; board to demolish rear Quonset hut, preserve marquee
Summary
Main Street received a $2.5 million state appropriation for an East Pasco Cultural Arts Center. The plan presented calls for demolishing a Quonset-hut-style rear structure while stabilizing and restoring the historic façade and recreating the original marquee; Main Street will manage demolition and subsequent fundraising for interior build-out.
Council members asked questions about a Main Street project to convert the former theater into an East Pasco Cultural Arts Center after staff said Main Street has received roughly $2.5 million in state funding for acquisition, stabilization and planning.
What the funding covers: Staff said the appropriation included purchase of the building (purchase price cited in the meeting as $675,000) and funds for demolition of the nonhistoric Quonset-hut rear structure and stabilization of the historic façade. The grant terms require that certain cultural-arts functions (theater, meeting and exhibition spaces) be part of the final program.
Historic review and demolition: Council members asked whether the state historic-preservation reviewer and the state architect had inspected the site prior to grant approval; staff said the state program reviewed and approved the appropriation but could not confirm whether a site visit occurred. Main Street will contract and manage demolition and stabilization work; the façade and the front marquee will be stabilized and restored, and the rear portion would be demolished to create a shovel-ready site for future construction phases.
Fundraising and next steps: Main Street board members said they will seek additional funds to complete the interior build-out and install mechanical systems. Staff said the appropriation was intended to create a stable, shovel-ready condition and that Main Street will return with detailed plans and fundraising timelines as designs are finalized.
Council concerns: Members asked for copies of the state report and expressed interest in understanding whether a site visit occurred and how the replacement design will be handled; staff committed to provide the grant report and to continue coordination with the historic-preservation review process.
