The budget on the renovation of The Playhouse, a movie theater owned by the Town of New Canaan, has ballooned to roughly $7.9 million, more than twice its original $3.9 million projected cost.
The theater was built in 1923 and the town took over the property after the previous operator, Bow Tie Cinemas, terminated its lease in 2020 when the pandemic forced the closure of theaters. The NewCanaanite.com blog reported the project”™s higher than expected costs is due to the addition of a new HVAC system. The town originally planned to reuse the existing HVAC system, but that failed to meet new building code requirements and a new system is being installed at a $2.3 million cost.
More expenses were incurred when the interior demolition of the property revealed more structural work was required than originally forecasted. The property also needed the addition of a third floor to house the new HVAC system.
The town is in talks with CinemaLab, the theater”™s future operator, to see if it will help pay for new expenses. Board of Finance member Amy Murphy Carroll responded to the new price tag with the municipal government equivalent of sticker shock.
“When the cost of renovating this building””I”™m just saying, when it was brought forth, ”˜We”™re going to keep the building and this is what it could cost to keep it”™””I had no idea that there was going to be a major cost down the road on this,” she said. “I mean, it”™s just wow.”
Photo courtesy of Cinema Treasures