Penn Theater heads for final curtain
It looks like the curtain is coming down on any effort to renovate the historic Penn Theater. Butler City Council voted Thursday night to demolish the structure on Main Street rather than try to repair it.
The building has been owned by the Butler Redevelopment Authority since 2009. During that time, the building’s condition deteriorated to the point where it would be cost-prohibitive to repair it, according to Mayor Bob Dandoy.
Dandoy said a recent inspection turned up more than 40 different code violations that were reported to the redevelopment authority.
“The cost to repair it would be significant. I don’t believe the redevelopment authority has that kind of resources to make repairs,” Dandoy said.
And, he added, the city doesn’t have the money to demolish the building at present.
“It was a case of the cart and the horse,” he said of Thursday’s council decision. “Do we condemn it and look for the money, or do you get the money and then condemn it?”
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