Business & Tech

Senator Theatre Could Add 3 New Screens

A proposed restaurant is out; three new theaters are included in the latest redesign plans.

A revamped update of the historic Senator Theatre does away with a proposed restaurant and replaces it with three additional cinemas.

James "Buzz" Cusack and his daughter and business partner Kathleen Cusack, who operate the theater, made a presentation on the altered plans to the public at the Senator on Saturday morning.

Previous plans included a 75-person capacity restaurant in the 72-year-old art deco theater. The Cusacks have since decided to alter those plans because they felt it made more sense financially to have the additional theaters. 

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"From an industry perspective, the more screens the better," Kathleen Cusack told the audience at the meeting.

One additional theater will be built on the south side of the building along Rosebank Avenue. That theater will have 133 seats with a 14 feet by 26 feet screen, and will also house office and storage space. 

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The additional theaters will be built along the Senator's north side. One theater will have 117 seats and a 24 feet x 40 feet screen and the final theater will have 57 seats with a 15 1/2 feet x 35 feet screen.  

Although the restaurant has been eliminated from the redesign, the new plans still include a crepe shop and a wine bar.

The additions will also lead to the elimination of some seats in the historic art deco theater's main screen. As currently configured, the theater could hold up to 887 people. Under the redesign that seating capacity would be reduced to about 700 seats, Buzz Cusack said.

It was also announced that the construction of the additions would precede the restoration of the existing building. Buzz Cusack said they were reapplying for state historic tax credits to help pay for the restoration.

Late last year, , the state rejected the initial application for state historic tax credits for the Senator. 

In 2009, Tom Kiefaber, the theater's previous owner, lost the building to foreclosure. The city then purchased the building at auction for $800,000 and agreed to lease it to the Cusacks for $1 a year.

Kiefaber, prior to losing control of the theater, was trying to rally support to have the Senator run by a nonprofit, and use the building to host live entertainment, educational events and first-run movies.


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