NORWAY — The Norway Opera House Corp. has hired Tony Morra of Bisco Properties on Main Street as the property manager for the 1894 building.

Bisco Properties has been providing rental services to the Oxford Hills region and Western Maine since 1998.

Advertising is expected to begin this week for the lease of five first-floor commercial spaces by the start of the new year. Morra will act as liaison between the tenants and the corporation.

Bruce Cook, a member of the Opera House Corp.

The three-story brick edifice built in 1984 and once the center of community activities has been vacant since a partial roof collapse in September 2007. The town took it by eminent domain in 2011 due to its unsafe condition.

Contractors began the first-floor renovations last month under general contractor H.E. Callahan of Auburn. The work is expected to be completed by the end of December.

Opera House Corp. member Dennis Gray said the rents will generally be about $1 a foot, slightly higher than some other commercial space now available in the area. The occupants will be responsible for the heating and electrical costs. But, he said, with a renovated space and a downtown location, the storefronts are expected to be a prime location.

“It’s a little bit higher, but these are completely new, renovated spaces,” he said.

Some businesses have expressed interest in the space, Gray said.

“Ideally, we’re looking for businesses for long-term commitment,” he said. In the past century, restaurants, flower shops, clothing stores and other businesses have occupied the spaces.

The Norway Opera House Corp. is continuing its effort to raise another $200,000 to help meet the initial $1.1 million renovation estimate.

To make a donation or for more information, go to to the website http://www.saveouroperahouse.org, or call Bruce Cook at 207-890-7920.

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