By Connor Adams Sheets
The Ridgewood Theatre may be surging back to life in a new form if Michael Perlman has anything to do with it.
The movie house, opened in 1916 and landmarked in January, closed in March 2008 and has since been a financial black hole for its owners, Tony Montalbano and Mario Saggese, who have not yet found a way to bring it back to profitability.
Perlman, a Forest Hills resident and chairman of Friends of the Ridgewood Theatre, a group he founded to advocate on its behalf, has proposed that the pair look into finding a drama, performing arts or other cultural arts group to lease or purchase the space at 55-27 Myrtle Ave., thereby preserving its legacy as a house of art.
“I do believe that theaters are the ultimate cultural institution that bridge generations. We have lost so many gems, so this is a landmark opportunity,” he said. “It’s time to open a second chapter and the second chapter is to redevelop this gem adoptively and creatively, and it can really grant prestige for any future owner or even the current owners if they redevelop it with a creative vision.”
He has been in contact with the Greek Revival building’s owners since it attained landmark status with his help and is working with them to find a great fit for the space they hold in such high esteem.
At first the owners were looking to add a retail component to the theater in order to maintain its original character while bringing in enough money to support it. But the economic crisis helped put a damper on that plan at least for the time being.
The new plan, as Perlman sees it, is to find a tenant to respectfully occupy the space.
“I’m corresponding right now with a few potential tenants and a few potential buyers. A few parties are interested in buying and they would lease at first with an option to buy,” he said. “I’m willing to help any tenant pursue their ideas as long as they’re sensitive to the theater’s historical character. There are many possibilities here.”
Perlman is also working to secure landmark status for the theater’s interior lobby, which was in use from 1916 to 2008, making it one of the country’s oldest first-run operating theaters at the time of its shuttering.
Anyone interested in speaking with Perlman about possible opportunities for the historic Ridgewood Theatre should e-mail him at unlockthevault@hotmail.com.
Reach reporter Connor Adams Sheets by e-mail at csheets@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
