by KYW's Karin Phillips
A rally was held Thursday in center city Philadelphia as efforts continue to preserve the Boyd Theatre, the city's last surviving theatre from the Art Deco "golden age" of movie palaces.
The Boyd, known in recent decades as the Sameric, has been placed on the list of America's 11 most endangered historic places. Adrian Scott Fine is from the National Trust for Historic Preservation:
"It's really just putting the attention and focus and bringing everyone together at a critical point or juncture in the time of a building's threatened status."
Howard Haas and his organization, Friends of the Boyd, have been working to preserve the Boyd since the Sameric stopped operating in 2002:
"Hopefully, it means that the city and the commonwealth and other people like philanthropists might recognize the importance of the Boyd Theatre."
Haas (center of top photo) hopes a consortium of some sort will be able to underwrite the considerable cost of refurbishing the historic building near 19th and Chestnut Streets.
Michael Barnes, business agent of IATSE Local 8, which represents stagehands, says plans to turn the Boyd into a Broadway-type theatre would give his members much needed jobs:
"We have enough condos right now. We need to balance that with some things for people who live in those condos to do -- namely, go to the theatre."
Next week the Boyd's current owner, Live Nation, will be taking bids to sell the building. Preservation advocates are hoping the building will be protected, whatever its specific future.
(Photos #1 and #2 by KYW's Karin Phillips. Photo #3 -- Boyd in 1928 -- from FriendsOfTheBoyd.com)
E-Mail Story
Print Story
