Penn Theater purchaser lays out potential plans
When Butler City Council voted to condemn the Penn Theater at its Oct. 27 meeting, Mayor Bob Dandoy said the only way the theater could be saved, with all of its structural issues, would be for someone to purchase it and begin fixing it in a timely manner.
Bryan Frenchak, a former Butler resident who now lives in Houston, is in the process of purchasing the theater from its owners, the Butler Redevelopment Authority, and said he plans to schedule contractors to begin roof repairs as soon as Dec. 20.
Brian McCafferty, chairman of the Butler Redevelopment Authority, said Frenchak approached the board in August to begin purchasing talks. Soon, the board gave a tour of the theater to the business owner.
“It was structurally sound, but it did need repairs in the back and the roof,” Frenchak said. “It's probably going to cost a few million to renovate it and get it to work.”
In May 2001, the Penn Theater — which by then had been divided into a downstairs Penn I and an upstairs Penn II theater — closed. The final movies shown were “Driven” in the downstairs Penn I and “Joe Dirt” in Penn II.
The authority accepted Frenchak’s purchasing offer of $65,000 at its Nov. 10 meeting. The money will be paid to Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, the lending arm of Landmarks Community Capital Corporation, which originally loaned the authority $290,000 to buy the building in 2009. McCafferty said the authority will pay the remaining year’s taxes on the building.
Frenchak said it could be at least a year before the theater is ready for occupants, but he plans to turn it into a “multi-use venue.” In addition to fixing the building’s structural problems, Frenchak said he plans to rework the seating inside and revamp the screens.
“It'll never just be just a silver screen again — we might have concerts a couple nights a month,” Frenchak said. “We may have comedians, once a week maybe have the silver screen where people can watch older movies.”
Frenchak also said he plans to get involved with the nonprofit sector in Butler and use the theater as a resource for people who need help, such as those who are homeless.
“We want it to be like a combined for-profit and a nonprofit,” Frenchak said. “The main premise is it's going to be a thing to get the community involved with, as well. It can help people get on their feet and then be able to give back into the community.”
McCafferty said he is happy the authority was able to get the theater off of its financial books. However, he also said he is confident Frenchak has a good plan for the theater’s future.
“He is very excited and very passionate about bringing the community together and preserving Butler's last surviving theater,” McCafferty said.
Dandoy said City Council will need to rescind its condemnation order. McCafferty said the sale of the theater to Frenchak will be completed once contracts are signed.
Frenchak said he thinks the timing is right for the revamping of the Penn Theater, considering the development of the Rotary Cultural District and more happenings on Butler’s Main Street.
“It'll be something revitalizing a piece of Butler,” Frenchak said. “All these things were happening, so it just felt like the right timing.”
