BAI Fundraising Hits Goal
By Bob Audette,Brattleboro Reformer, August 10, 2009
BRATTLEBORO -- In less than one year, the Brattleboro Arts Initiative’s Campaign for Community, Culture, and Commerce received $150,000 in donations for the renovation of the Latchis 4 theater. Much of that, $100,000, came from the Tommy Thompson Trust, while the remainder came from the community at large. But people in the region ponied up much more than that.
In total, donations to BAI added up to $400,000, $250,000 of which went to pay down some of the Arts Initiative’s debt for the 2003 purchase of the Latchis building.
"We’re very pleased, especially in the current economic climate," said Gail Nunziata, the initiative’s managing director. "We are ever grateful to the community for the way they come together for things such as this."
It will cost almost another $100,000 to completely renovate Latchis 4.
"To make up the balance we have applied to the United States Department of Agriculture for a $50,000 grant and a $36,000 low-interest loan," she said. "We are hoping to hear soon."
While no actual construction work has begun on Latchis 4, much of the preparation work has been done, including architectural plans and the issuance of a request for qualifications to find a contractor just right for the job.
Latchis 4 will be more than just a place to show movies. It will also be the location of lectures, presentations, art showings and events.
The Latchis Building was built in 1938 by the family of Demetrius Latchis. In its earlier years, Latchis 4 housed a luncheonette, a fine dining restaurant and a bar. Since then, it has been the location of several regional mainstays, including Jade Wah restaurant and the New England Youth Theatre.