A non-profit organization called the Friends of the Loews is hoping to get a long-term lease in the coming weeks to continue running the historic Loew’s Theater in Journal Square. But whether the city allows them to be the lease-holders is up in the air.
The Friends of the Loews at the present time has a year-to-year licensing agreement with the city, which has owned the building since April 1993.
The theater closed its doors in 1986, and the property was sold to Hartz Mountain Industries, which intended to turn it into an office complex. But a group of local residents led by Colin Egan and Patti Giordan were interested in preserving the theater as a historic landmark and would eventually be known as the Friends of the Loews stepped in to fight the sale.
After several years of legal battles, the Friends and Hartz came to an agreement, and an effort began in earnest to restore the theatre. Since 1994, over 1,000 people have volunteered.
Mayor Glenn Cunningham, when asked about his position on the Loew’s Theater last week, said he had nothing but positive feelings about the Friends and stated that the group would have a role in the future in how the theater would be run.
But he did admit the city has been fielding proposals from various production management companies across the country on how the Loew’s Theater can be more self-sustaining.
“We all have the same vision. The point is, how do we get there?” asked Cunningham.
A proposed 20-year lease on the theater was put together by a subcommittee of the City Council responsible for overseeing the Loew’s Theater. It includes councilpersons Mariano Vega, Jerremiah Healy and Steve Lipski, and those on the Friends of the Loews board, including Pat O’ Melia, County Freeholder Bill O’ Dea and Patti Giordan. Giordan is also one of the founders of the Friends of the Loews.
A reading of an ordinance to present the lease in the council chambers could possibly occur at the council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, or a future meeting.
There has been a battle of visions between the Friends and some administrators in City Hall who believe the theater could be run more successfully by the city.
While those involved with the theater’s day-to-day operations admit there’s been more than enough time to bring the theater to a profitable level, they see the time expended in making the necessary improvements to the theater as indicative of the obstacles that had to be overcome.
Patti Giordan has seen the theater survive five mayors and consistent under-funding by the city to become a functioning arts and entertainment center, and believes that more funding by the city, which owns the building, could speed up improvement work to bring the theater up to code, such as building fire escapes and installing air conditioning.v Currently, the theater shows movies and holds events a few times a year. The Friends have been constantly at work fixing up the massive structure, which was constructed back in 1929 for the then-enormous sum of $2 million.
“There has been talk of professionals coming in to take over, but I have to wonder with over 15 years’ experience in this theater, when can we stop being called amateurs,” said Giordan.
She also pointed out that if the mayor and the Friends could sit down and have a frank discussion about what she called a “misunderstanding” in terms of how the theater should function, then the talk would stop about not approving the lease and wanting other management to take over the Loew’s.
Pat O’ Melia, who has been involved with the Friends for over four years, is leading an aggressive effort to make sure any opposition to a long-term lease will be quashed. O’ Melia, also the host of local political radio show, isn’t sure as to why Cunningham isn’t more supportive of the theater’s future, but he knows he will change his mind on this issue.
Will city be for it?
O’Melia is hoping that public opinion will sway the mayor.
“The Friends of the Loews is over 8,000 members strong, and many will be at the council meeting,” O’Melia said. “He doesn’t want the bad publicity.”
O’Melia planned to be at the meeting to present a petition signed by the Friends, as well as residents of Journal Square and other supporters in favor of the long-term lease.
The Friends are looking for a long-term lease in order to have an easier time raising funds to continue the rehabilitation of the theater, as well as to attract local promoters to help program live performances. They held an annual Abbott and Costello Film Festival last November.
Colin Egan, the other founder of the Friends, proudly pointed to the upcoming performance by the Brooklyn-based indie-rock group Bright Eyes, along with singer-songwriters Jim James and M. Ward, which he said sold out the 1,500-seat theater. He said the Loew’s can be a viable venue for live performances if promoters see stability in the venue.