The deadline the City of Salida set for the current owner of the Unique Theater to correct violations for health and safety is this Monday, August 30.
After Monday the Salida City Council will have to decide whether to spend City money on one of the following alternatives:
- Stabilize the building by correcting building code violations, thus allowing time to develop alternatives.
- Partial demolition – tearing down the theater portion in the back which is the area of concern for health and safety. (This option may endanger the landmark status of the Unique)
- Complete demolition.
Historic Salida Inc. (HSI) urges the City Council to take the first approach because it buys time, costs less taxpayer money, maximizes the future development potential for the building and saves an important historic building in our downtown.
The Unique Theater, built as the Salida Opera House in 1888 was designated a local landmark because it has played a significant role in the city’s cultural and social history as a theater. Demolishing this building would have a profound negative visual effect on the entire downtown – particularly on one of the primary entrances to Salida. In recent years the downtown has seen substantial rehabilitation, including the spectacular A.T. Henry Building. We at HSI know that preserving the historic character of downtown encourages economic vitality and demolition does not.
Estimates for demolition of the Unique are much higher than stabilization due to the painstaking brick by brick removal necessary to save shared common bearing walls of adjacent buildings. We urge the City Council to proceed with plans to stabilize the building to allow time to plan for its future, thus preserving the historic fabric of First Street, and to save our precious taxpayer dollars.
HSI is willing to assist in any way in this endeavor, including applying for grants and fundraising.
If any reader wants to join this effort, email savetheunique@yahoo.com. To become more involved in Historic Salida, Inc. check our website at www.historicsalida.org.
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