ANGOLA, N.Y. — The new Angola theater was opened in the 1920s and throughout its century-long history has taken on new names and became a movie theater. It was last closed in 2020, but the Mayor, Thomas Whelan said that he is looking forward to the theater re-opening and bringing more people to the village.
Whelan said, "Well we need to bring the whole village back and I felt that this was the way to do it, sell the movie theater and we could get people coming back here,".
Couple Gary Cerne and Myra Pinker bought the theater in 2022. With plans to re-open in the fall of 2024, they had to move that date back due to the building's age.
"We are a little delayed, because of some contracting things, we are getting there but it's a building that's old and it needed to have a lot of engineering studies with it being a hundred years old so we are a little behind schedule but we are hoping, maybe by valentines day would be nice," Cerne said.
Owner Myra Pinker, grew up in Angola going to the theater. When the Mayor asked her and her husband to buy and restore it, she knew she had to. She has redesigned some key elements, hoping to restore it to its former glory. Pinker said, "We are putting in a small bar, we are renovating the front of the marque, the lobby way, and expanding the stage for live music as well as movies,".