Township Pursues Grant for Westmont Theatre - Westmont, NJ
N 39° 54.745 W 075° 03.228
18S E 495401 N 4418037
One of our golden jewels in Camden County is in need of rehab, and fast! Westmont applied to the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund for a site management grant ... and got it!
Waymark Code: WMBYRZ
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2011
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This article is the harbinger of what was to come. It speaks of the pursuit of a $50,000 grant from the state to study possible uses of the Westmont Theatre. In 2010, they were granted 50,000 big ones to renovate this theater.
The theater was opened in 1927 as both a vaudeville and silent film venue, with seating for 1,800 patrons. After closing during World War II, the theater reopened in 1948, with changes to the design of the marquee, entrance and interior. It closed as a theater in 1987 and housed a performance theater company during the 1990s. The township now leases the historic theater from the county, and plans to incorporate its restoration and reuse into the local redevelopment district.
The Trust grant will help fund planning documents to determine the feasibility of reestablishing a performance venue, along with recommendations for preserving the historic nature of the exterior and interior fabric. Structural stabilization of the theater will be a priority.