Sparta closes the theatre's curtains to open a new chapter

Sparta - Local movie fans will delight in the return of the Sparta movie theater, scheduled to open in spring of 2007. The building was purchased by Nouvelle Associates and was originally slated to be torn down and turned into office and retail space. At the urging of council and planning board members, the developers decided to retain part of the new structure as a movie theater. A ground-breaking ceremony for the project was held on Wednesday, May 31, with neighboring merchants and town officials in attendance. The gathering was held just hours before the building was demolished. “We heard from so many people in town who were concerned about the loss of the movie theater, so we’re very happy with the results of our working with the developer to ensure that we could still have the theater,“ said Sparta Mayor, and planning board member, Ailish Hambel. Council member Jim Henderson echoed Hambel’s enthusiasm for the project, stating, “We try to preserve a small-town feeling in our town planning and are pleased that we could bring this project together and retain businesses in town which fill a need and bring additional ratables. It works on all levels and continues to fulfill our town center mandate.” Weichert Realtor’s has been employed by Nouvelle Associates to represent the developer in leasing commercial and office space at the Sparta Theater Center location. Thus far, Weichert has secured tenancies by Panera Bread and Rita’s Water Ice, as well as the three-screen movie theater. “There will be 5,000 square feet of office space on the second floor that will be serviced by an elevator, and that space is presently available for lease,” said Terry Callahan of Weichert Realtor’s. The state of the art facility will be constructed on the existing site, and have a façade similar to the former building. “The importance of the theater to the town was not lost on us, but we also had to make it financially viable. Just refurbishing the building was not an option because it was in very poor condition and numerous safety issues were at play,” said developer Luciano Bruni.