Latchis Restoration Project Receives Major Challenge Pledge
By Eric Pero, The Original Vermont Observer, December 19, 2008
In a birthday wish come true, the Brattleboro Arts Initiative (BAI) recently announced its largest pledge to date for the Latchis' "Campaign for Community, Culture and Commerce" - a $150,000 challenge grant from the Thomas Thompson Trust. The money comes during the Latchis' 70th anniversary, and will be used for the design and installation of Latchis 4 - a key portion of the campaign that includes work on the marquee and façade. The money will also go towards purchasing the Latchis building and for other capital improvements.
"This campaign is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to preserve a Vermont landmark and create a first-rate venue for the arts in downtown Brattleboro," said Pam Matweecha, campaign committee co-chair and ex-officio BAI board president. "Like the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington or the Paramount Theatre in Rutland, the Latchis is already becoming a cultural magnet and galvanizing the local arts community. It's an enormous asset to our downtown's image and economy." Latchis 4 will become a 99-seat multi-purpose, state-of-the-art venue providing a fourth screen for movies as well as space for performing arts, educational and business presentations, and nonprofit organizational programming like fundraisers. A minimum of $100,000 of the award will go towards Latchis 4.
The pledge is a 1:1 challenge, meaning the Phase 2 campaign must raised $150,000 to receive the funds. Organizers are confident the money can be raised because of the "loyal support" of the community. "The Brattleboro community tends to attract people who are willing to become involved in their town and to generously support worthy causes and organizations, said Jim Maxwell, BAI board member and campaign committee co-chair. "We believe a truly vital Brattleboro depends on the well-being of all of the town's major non-profit institutions." The Latchis Hotel and Theatre Building, completed in 1938, was built as a memorial to the life and work of Demetrius P. Latchis. A Greek immigrant, Demetrius had developed Latchis Enterprises from a single fruit stand in Brattleboro into a family chain that at one time included 15 movie theaters and three hotels along the Connecticut River Valley. After his death, his four sons decided to honor their father with a building that would be incomparable to any other in the region.
The four-story block on Main and Flat streets featured an Art Deco exterior and an interior that honored the family's heritage with murals of Greek mythology, reproductions of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, statues of Greek gods and goddesses, and a canvas ceiling featuring all of the Zodiac constellations. The Latchis flourished with a screen montage of movies, a stage filled with bands and live performances, and a ballroom swirling with dancing. It was once touted as "The House of Distinctive Attractions," and it lived up to its name.
For more information about the Brattleboro Arts Initiative, visit www.brattleboroarts.org or call 802-254-1109. For more information about the Latchis, visit www.latchis.com or call 802-254-6300.