Superior council refers theater study to committee

SUPERIOR — The Superior City Council on Tuesday, June 6 referred a proposal for a feasibility study of the Princess Theater back to the Historic Preservation Committee.

While the study would look at the artist demand and audience that would utilize the theater in Superior's downtown, councilors expressed concern about addressing the dilapidated condition of the building at 1310-1312 Tower Ave.

"The city's been quietly demolishing the structures through neglect," said Councilor Garner Moffat. "I was in the building about a month ago … there was standing water pools, the ceilings are collapsing, and you can actually go by the front of the building and see all of the rot on the wood in the window."

Moffat said the theater may provide too small of a venue at the risk of losing other more capable structures in the city.

The Princess Theater, which only occupied 1310 Tower Ave., was a 420-seat theater with a stage for vaudeville performances and screen where movies were shown until the 1950s. Frankie's Tavern, which opened in the theater in the 1970s, expanded to occupy the adjacent commercial building at 1312 Tower Ave.

Mayor Jim Paine said the choice to save the Princess Theater was made by the public during an open forum and through an online survey.

"It's just worth saying, the public's opinion is not optional," Councilor Jenny Van Sickle said.

"We took it at almost an emergency time," Paine said. "The city is in the process of protecting it as best we are capable, but that process means restoration, a contract with a builder to fix it."

Paine said the feasibility study wouldn't interfere with work being done on the building.

"We will be replacing the roof," Paine said. "We will be cleaning out the building, or if the council prefers, we can demolish it, but as I’ve mentioned before, that would just create another hole downtown and it would not be free. It would be hundreds of thousands of dollars to demolish a building that size to the detriment of our downtown."

Councilor Brent Fennessey asked why the city should spend $102,000 on a study to determine if a theater would be successful when it would still have a building that is in disrepair.

"We have to first start fixing these acquisitions and the buildings that we’re acquiring before we start looking a uses for them," Fennessey said. "We’re way ahead of ourselves here … we’ve got to hit the pause button and start taking care of the assets we have."

Fennessey said when the city purchased the Carnegie Library, they did so without a plan, and now they are working on a plan for the Princess Theater without putting any money into the building to repair it.

"Failing to do the study doesn't push the pause button; it pushes the stop button," Paine said. "We will still incur the cost of restoring that building … this is about whether we’re going to restore it as a theater or not."

Moffat said he would like to see the matter referred to the Historic Preservation Committee because he didn't believe members were aware of the damage done to the theater over the winter.

Leaks in the roof were discovered during a tour of the building in March.

"On the motion to refer, I’ll just say happy to refer it back to the experts working on this … I also want to point out that the Miller Hill Mall made national news this winter when its roof collapsed – not the Princess Theater," Van Sickle said.

The feasibility study will be on the agenda for the Historic Preservation Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14. The committee typically meets in Room 270 of the Government Center.

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