| Former theater seen as a centerpiece for Baltimore arts district |
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The Baltimore Sun February 6, 2012
nside the once-bustling movie theater on North Avenue, moss thrives on shattered marble walls. Broken tiles hang from the ceiling. Rainwater pours through the roof.
But this derelict structure is now seen as a future centerpiece for the growing midtown arts district. A nonprofit developer, backed financially by the Maryland Institute College of Art and a private foundation, envisions the Art Deco building as the home of film screenings, music venues, artists' studios, galleries, a playhouse and a restaurant.
"And probably much more," said developer Charles B. Duff, president of Jubilee Baltimore Inc.
The building would be the latest addition to the burgeoning Station North Arts District, which is anchored by MICA's $20 million Graduate Student Center, the old Jos. A. Bank-Morgan Millwork factory on North Avenue near Howard Street. MICA made a $50,000 loan on the projected transformation of the Centre Theater, at 10 E. North Ave.
"The loan may be unusual for MICA, but it is consistent with our commitment to the arts district," said Fred Lazarus, president of MICA.
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