Local non-profit seeks to restore Romina Theatre

A theatre that exists only in pictures and old news articles may yet again rise in downtown Forest City.

Sue Fair, who has created the non-profit Tri-City Arts, is currently working to raise money to renovate and restore the Romina Theatre. The Romina, which opened in 1929, closed as a theatre in 1960s, and more recently served as a retail space.

"This organization is going to refurbish the Romina to bring it back to the Art Deco style that it once was," Fair explained.

Once completed, the theatre will provide a performing arts space with state-of-the-art equipment as well as classroom and community space.

Fair, who is an adjunct professor at Gardner-Webb University, said the idea to renovate the theatre came after a conversation with her husband, who mentioned there needed to be more offerings downtown.

"One morning I woke up and said 'I guess it's time.'"

Timing, she continued, was perfect.

"It just happened that when I decided to do this, Jim Griffin, who owns the building, had decided he was going to sell it. He had put a sign up above the door, and my friend told me there was a theater for sale in downtown," Fair said. "I've been on a bullet train ever since."

A Hendersonville native, Fair's career has been spent in theater and theater education. She is an instructor, designer and managing director in the Theatre Arts Department at GWU.

"I've been doing this sort of work for years," she said.

A family member who is a construction consultant will help with the renovation, she continued. He was a part of a group that restored the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, which suffered destruction during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

From outside the building, it's hard to imagine the beauty that lies within.

"There is kind of a time capsule in the building," Fair explained. "When they put the floor in upstairs, they left all the tin roofing. The original colors and designs from the 1920s are there, and it hasn't been touched since the 1960s. You feel like you're in a different era."

Prior to work beginning, Tri-City Arts has to raise $37,000 to cover the cost of the architectural plans. Fair has been working in the community to raise awareness of the project and its mission.

"The community has been 100 percent on board," she said. Donations for the project have already come in from local businesses, like Hardin's Drug, which was once located in the building.

Once that funding is in place, the remaining funding for the $4.5 million project will come through grants and donations, Fair said.

"Our finish date is December 2017," she added. "Our hope is to have all the renovations finished and have a holiday play or variety show."

With new businesses and restaurants opening in Forest City, Fair said she believes the restored Romina will "tip it over the edge."

"I think this is a moment in time for a big change for Forest City and the whole county."

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to Tri-City Arts for the Romina Theatre Project, contact Fair through the Tri-City Arts Facebook page or email tricityarts2016@gmail.com. Additionally, those who would like to purchase a theatre seat in memory or in honor of someone may do so. Seats in the balcony will be $500; those on the floor will be $1,500 for the back and $2,500 for the front.