Checking in on the progress of the Park Theatre will be much easier now, with the theater opening its doors to a new visitor center and office space.
The street-front space, located at 6 River St., will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and serve as the theater’s executive space for recently hired CEO Steve Jackson.
“This will be a great place for people to come by and ask questions,” said Park Theatre CEO Steve Jackson. “Interested parties will have access to videos, plans, and murals.”
The Park Theatre hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the space on Thursday, offering raffle prizes and popcorn to those who came by. Senator Kelly Ayotte even sent her outreach coordinator, Matthew Bartlett, to read a statement about the theater.
“I’m thrilled to see that the theater is being revitalized,” read the statement. “The Park Theatre is a testament to all that makes New Hampshire special.”
At the event, both Jackson and Board of Trustees chair Caroline Hollister fielded questions about a potential construction timeline, hoping to start construction in six to eight weeks.
“We are hoping to open be open by mid-2017,” said Jackson, before the ribbon cutting. “And I think that is dog-gone fantastic.”
Jackson also said that the theater has raised $4.5 million of its $5 million goal and hopes to have a groundbreaking ceremony this month.
The theater plans to offer space for movies, performances, conferences, and more. There will be two auditoriums within the theater, seating 475 patrons.
The Park Theatre first opened in 1922 as a movie and vaudeville house, until it was closed 54 years later in 1976. The theater was The Park Theatre, Inc. in 2006.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.