Tuesday, April 1, 2003
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Fund-raising efforts are under way to restore the Majestic Theater, a downtown landmark and former vaudeville theater, by its 80th birthday in 2005.
The theater has been in operation since 1925, though it was converted to a three-screen theater in the 1980s.
"Two of the present theaters are in the space that was the original theater," said Jean S. LeGros of Gettysburg College. "The third theater is on what used to be the stage."
The 900-seat theater is part of a complex that includes the Gettysburg Hotel, which was gutted by fire in 1983 and stood abandoned until the college and a group of investors bought the complex in 1989. The hotel reopened in 1991, spurring a downtown revitalization.
In 2000, the college announced that its plans for the building included restoring the theater to its former architectural grandeur. The space will be used for showing films and performances.
"We want it to be a gathering place for the community," LeGros said.
The entire project will cost between $8 million and $10 million.