Local community stewards update the club have endeavor to save the historic theatre
From Nora Burdick, Monday Club Publicist,
At the November 17th meeting of the Monday Club, Dr. Barry Glickstein, President of the Babcock Movie Theater Preservation Society, expressed his gratitude to the former Mayor Randy Shayler and the Village of Wellsville Board of Trustees for saving Wellsville’s historic Babcock Theatre from being put up for auction.
The Village purchased the building in 2023, made roof and safety repairs, and recognized that a building project and a capable group of volunteers were needed to restore the building. The Board found the energy they were looking for when Angela Glickstein attended a board meeting and questioned the Board about the future of the historic building. Angela, known to the Board for successfully transforming the Municipal Building grounds into lovely garden space, was asked to initiate the exploration of potential development. The wheels were set into motion.
Angela, along with her husband Barry(pictured,) and Village Trustee Jeff Monroe began researching similar projects and available resources. They received substantial support from Steven Barth, Consulting Administrator for the NY Forward Small Project Fund in Wellsville. Barth recommended conducting an initial survey to assess community vision of the theater building. The Wellsville Sun facilitated this process by providing an online platform for the survey, while additional paper copies were distributed throughout the community. The initiative yielded over 900 responses, indicating strong support for renovating and reopening the building as a movie theater. A survey question concerning the naming of the venue revealed that “Babcock Movie Theatre” was the preferred choice among respondents.
Over several months, Angela and Jeff Monroe convened public meetings and formed a volunteer board to ensure sustained progress on the project. This new Board elected Barry as Chairman and went to work applying for 501(c)(3) non-profit status, thereby enhancing access to grant opportunities for historic building restoration. After an eight-month review period, the Board was successfully granted 501(c)(3) status.
Over the past year, multiple initiatives have been undertaken to enhance the Babcock Theatre. These included cleaning the facility, restoring the marquee, painting the entrance to the theater, and other initiatives. The Board has worked to draft a comprehensive needs assessment and has consulted with industry experts and relevant organizations in historic restoration to obtain informed recommendations.
The ongoing Babcock Theatre project is designed to deliver meaningful benefits to the local community. Work on this project continues to move forward with new energy as subcommittees are established to support the initiative. To meet requirements for grant funding, a capital campaign is under consideration. Stakeholders are invited to receive ongoing updates by following Babcock Movie Theatre Preservation Society on Facebook or visit their website, https://www.babcocktheater.org
Did you know you can rent the marquee for special messages and help fund the effort ? Just visit the website to get started!
