Neither the buyer’s name nor the price has been made public.
NORWAY – The Norway Opera House is under contract for sale, real estate agent Robert Bizier confirmed Friday.
Just a few weeks ago, the Opera House was called one of the “most endangered” historic properties in Maine by a statewide preservation group.
Bizier said it was too early to disclose who the prospective buyer is, and he could not comment on the final price.
The building was listed on the market for $225,000. Bizier said it has been for sale for a couple of years.
“As time progresses we’ll get more information on the happenings and be able to release it,” Bizier said. The prospective owner “plans on going in and renovating the stores and then get them rented. I feel good about the conversations I’ve had with the guy. He’s very upbeat and wants to do some good things.”
Bizier said there are some conditions that have to be met and that the projected closing date will be in September.
He said a local person had been interested in purchasing the Opera House, but the timing wasn’t right for him to do so.
The current owner is Ralph Doering Jr., who lives in Sheepscot.
“That building is the centerpiece of the town and it would be awful nice to see someone own it that would treat it with the care it deserves,” said Town Manager David Holt. “I’ve been disappointed by the efforts of the current owner and hope new owner would get building used again.”
The Opera House was built in 1894 by the Norway Building Association. The town bought it in 1920.
It has become a symbol of Norway as its image appears on the town’s seal.
The building was designed by E.E. Lewis of Gardiner. The pyramid roof that caps the clock tower was part of the original design. The town clock, which is an E. Howard design, was paid for by the town’s citizens.
The Opera House was sold for use as a movie theater in the mid-1970s. Its upper floor has remain unused since the theater closed a few years later.
In earlier days, its ballroom was central to the community life of Norway for many years, hosting concerts, traveling minstrel shows, theater performances, town meetings and high school graduation ceremonies.
The first floor had been home to several businesses throughout the years, but currently is unoccupied.
On July 3, the Opera House was designated one of seven of Maine’s Most Endangered Historic Properties for 2003 by Maine Preservation of Portland. Details are available on www.mainepreservation.org.
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