The last pledge called at 11:36 p.m. in an effort to save a 68-year-old theater in the hamlet of Bedford Village. With 24 minutes to spare before its March 1 deadline, the Friends of Bedford Playhouse had raised $76 more than their $2.5 million goal necessary to move forward in negotiations with the property”™s owner.
“It was a photo finish,” said John Farr, the fundraising organization”™s founder and chairman. “But in fact we made it, and that speaks volumes.”
- The Bedford Playhouse at 633-647 Old Post Road in the hamlet of Bedford Village.
In about 10 weeks, the Friends group raised money from more than 800 individuals through its website and fundraising events that will most likely keep the Bedford cinema from becoming retail space and will help fund renovations and equipment upgrades, Farr told the Business Journal.
“What”™s most important is that it sends a clear message to the residents of the community and the surrounding community that we want this,” Farr said.
Bow Tie Cinemas announced in January that it opted to not renew its lease with the owner of the theater real estate, New York City-based Alchemy Properties. Bow Tie, based in Ridgefield, Conn., took over the space in 2013 when it acquired Cablevision’s Clearview Cinemas, the theater’s previous operator.
Alchemy set March 1 as the deadline to find a cinema operator for the ground-level and mezzanine space of the brick theater building at 633-647 Old Post Road.
Farr said the group is in talks with Alchemy and is “negotiating a long-term lease with a purchase option.”
Alchemy Properties did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
Early renovation plans include replacing the dual-screen theater with a large-screen theater showing first-run films and a small second theater, installing digital projectors and upgraded systems, and creating what Farr called a “community hub” that will provide movie screenings, small productions or concerts and other local events.
