Monomoy Theatre Demolition Proposed; Likely To Be Replaced With Commercial Development

CHATHAM – The owners of the former Monomoy Theatre property are asking for permission to tear down the playhouse that served as a home for summer theater for more than 80 years.

 In a filing with the historic business district commission (HBDC), owner Chatham Productions said that the building is in “severe disrepair” and cannot be converted to a different use due to its design as a theater, specifically because of the slanted floor and stage. The owners indicated that commercial and retail uses are likely in the property’s future.

The HBDC will hold a hearing on the demolition request next Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 4:30 p.m. at the annex. 

 Even viewed from Main Street, it is clear that the theater structure has deteriorated significantly and is in poor condition. HBDC members and other town officials attended an onsite inspection Monday. Historical Commission Chair Frank Messina, who attended the session, said it was clear that the building had been neglected. The blame for the poor condition of the structure can be spread among the previous owner, Monomoy Theatre officials and the current owners, he said.

 “Unfortunately, this is a prime example of demolition by neglect by the present and former owners,” he said. Multiple police reports also note frequent break-ins at the theater, the most recent on Sept. 28.

 After purchasing the property in 2019, Chatham Productions initially proposed renovating the theater building and the adjacent Washington Taylor House into a performing arts center. A number of proposals to facilitate that goal fell through, including rezoning the property and securing federal and state historic tax credits and building single-family homes on a portion of the land to finance the theater renovations. 

According to the application, Chatham Productions will return to the HBDC with plans to renovate the Taylor House and is also “considering the addition of another new structure or structures on the site for commercial and retail use.”

Because the property is located in a commercial zoning district, the HBDC has jurisdiction. While the historical commission can impose delays but cannot prevent a historic building from being razed, the HBDC has wider authority and can prohibit demolition; it can also impose delays or seek renovations that preserve a historic structure.

 Assessing records date the theater building to 1934, but the lobby section was originally a barn that dated from the late 1800s. 

 Previously a toy factory, the building first hosted summer theater productions in the 1930s. Beginning in 1958, the theater hosted a summer training program run by Ohio University and later by the University of Hartford. 

After the town found health and safety violations and the then-owner was unwilling to make necessary upgrades, the program shut down at the end of the 2018 summer season. Newton developer Gregory Clark’s Chatham Productions bought the 2.7-acre property in September 2019 for $3.6 million. It has been vacant since then, as has the Taylor House.

 The application claims that attempts to list the property on the National Register of Historic Places failed. No documentation is included to back this up. The application claims that an attempt by the historical commission to get the entire parcel recognized as historic by the Massachusetts Historic Preservation Office in 2019 was rejected. However, Messina said that while the commission began preparing a request to determine the property’s eligibility for listing on the National Register based on a consultant’s advice that it was historically significant, it was never submitted because the property was in the process of changing hands.

 “We never did that,” Messina said of pursuing eligibility. After Clark bought the property, Messina said he met with the new owner who told him he would pursue a historical designation in order to secure state and federal tax credits to finance restoration of the Taylor House and the theater building.

According to the application to the HBDC, Chatham Productions went through “multiple iterations of applications” to the state historical office, but “our contact informed us that there was not enough significance for these structures to be recognized.”

One of the criteria for National Register listing is being associated with a historic event or association with significant persons. Alan Rust, who was artistic director at the Monomoy Theatre for more than 30 years, said a number of significant people associated with the theater world performed on the Monomoy stage, including Julie Harris and Pat Carroll. At least nine Monomoy alumni are currently on Broadway, he said. The theater has also been a significant part of the town’s cultural history, he added.

Although it’s probably not possible for the Monomoy Theatre to return in its original format — with students living on the property and mounting eight productions over the summer — a civic auditorium on the site would be an asset to the community, Rust said. 

 “It would be a shame” to tear down the theater, he said, urging the HBDC to reject the request. “I don’t think he’s interested in the town or in history,” he said of Clark.

In 2022, plans to turn the theater and the house into a year-round entertainment venue were approved by the HBDC, but failure to get approval for single-family homes at the back of the property, which would have financed the restoration, ended that plan. Because the land is zoned commercial, residential use requires a special permit from the zoning board of appeals. Plans for houses on the Depot Road side of the property were twice rejected by the ZBA.

 “Subsequently, opening a year-round theater is no longer our goal with this property,” the application reads. “Converting this structure into a new commercial space would be an impractical feat as the floors are slanted for seating and the stage portion of the structure is unusable for commercial space.”

 There was no response to emails to Chatham Productions seeking comment.