Another recent incident of vandalism at the Penn Theater has resulted in discussion among members of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Butler about long term plans for the facility.
While making repairs to a broken piece of glass in one of the theater doors, an authority employee noticed what appeared to be a hole that had been kicked through the plaster near the doors to the brick behind.
The authority filed a police report and has a temporary repair in place but authority member Tom Donaldson would like to see a definitive plan for the future of the facility. One part of that plan would hopefully involve an investor coming forward to buy the property. The theater is not currently being actively listed with an agency but the authority is open to listening to proposals.
The authority purchased the Theater through an agreement with the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation at a cost of $250,000. The agreement currently in place adds an additional $15,000 in interest yearly for a current total of $325,000 owed. The Authority has been unable to make payments through this agreement for six years.
Members of several downtown Butler organizations recently held an informal gathering with the Penn Theater being one of the topics of discussion. This group hopes to come up with a plan for downtown that would include the theater but this process is in the very early stages.
