Residents vote to help a special theater called the Magic Lantern.
BRIDGTON – Owners of a beloved downtown landmark – a relic from the days of opulent cinema houses – won’t have to pay higher taxes after they rebuild the Magic Lantern Theater to be bigger and sturdier, the manager said Wednesday.
Tuesday night, Bridgton residents voted to create a special tax district for the theater, which means that the new theater will be taxed on the old theater’s valuations for the next two decades, even after the old building is knocked down.
“It’ll save $30,000 to $32,000 a year,” theater manager Tom Watkins said. “That is significant over a 20-year period. That’s why it needed to go to a town vote, so people could decide, Is the Magic Lantern important enough for the town? Is it worth it for what the Magic Lantern does for Bridgton?'”
Town officials said 129 Bridgton residents turned out for the meeting, and all voted to approve the special tax plan.
Selectman Robert Bell said people supported the initiative because it also helps the local economy. “I think (the new Magic Lantern) will be drawing in a lot of people to this area when they are open,” he said. “And it will be good for all the businesses on Main Street.”
Down East Inc., owned by the Howell family of Bridgton, reopened the 76-year-old theater in 1990 after it had been closed for two years. They shut it down Oct. 2 with plans to build a new version on more solid ground this spring, Watkins said.
“The building has been slowly sinking into the ground for decades,” Watkins said.
In 1929 when the theater was built, no one bothered to do soil preparation or test the dirt before constructing the heavy cinder-block building, he said. So the Magic Lantern sits on 20 to 30 feet of peat and other organic material, and over the years, has sunk 20 inches in some areas.
Plans for the new building, estimated at $1.5 million, include expanding it from two theaters to four, and adding more than 140 seats. One of the four theaters will be designed as a cabaret space with tables and chairs and can be used for more than just movie screenings, Watkins said.
The largest theater, which will have 220 stadium-style seats, will also house a small performance stage.
In keeping with the antique feel of the original Magic Lantern, Watkins said the four theaters will be named after various incarnations of the theater over the years, such as the New Meserve, Mayfair and Brookside Theaters. And each room will be designed to evoke the style and feel of bygone eras, Watkins said.
Demolition of the old theater will begin this winter. The new theater will be constructed on the same plot, but shifted slightly to firmer footing. Watkins said an optimistic opening date would be Christmas next year.
Watkins said these days movie theaters must compete with elaborate home systems and DVDs, making it imperative that the new Magic Lantern provide a unique experience.
“It needs to have something a little quirky and special about it,” he said. “There will always be a need to have that communal feeling of seeing a movie, but opening it up to live performances and community events will be more of a draw and make it part of the community.”
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