Donors Inaugurate Brattleboro’s Newest Venue
Downtown Cornerstone
Brattleboro Reformer, June 9, 2010
BRATTLEBORO-- Perhaps a little under the radar, Latchis 4 held
its grand premier last night, inviting various members of the community
and donors to help inaugurate Brattleboro’s newest downtown venue. There’s no way to understate the importance of something like the
Latchis complex to our downtown. "We think that we serve two purposes in the town," Gail Nunziata,
managing director of the Latchis, told us on Tuesday. "Culturally ...
the building is beautiful," she said, pointing out both the interior and
exterior as pristine examples of art from another era. "There’s also
the economic impact because of the hotel and the work we’ve done there
... 10,000 people a year stay here and when they do, they have to eat
and shop."
Indeed, the multi-pronged benefit of the Latchis, from the theaters to the hotel to the space for rent and retail areas, can be felt through the community. And we aren’t the only ones to notice. As reported last summer, it took less than a year for the Brattleboro Arts Initiative’s Campaign for Community, Culture and Commerce to raise $150,000 in donations for the renovation of the Latchis 4.
With it now complete, add Latchis 4 to the impressive list of
downtown arts and other event venues. More than just a place to show
movies, organizers also aim to host lectures, presentations, art
showings and events. The additional screen means that organizing events
and bringing in more varied movies just got a little easier, too.
Due to contractual obligations with film distributors, BAI is required to show three movies at any given time at the theater. Making the main theater available for community events has always been a juggling act, BAI board member Jim Maxwell told the Reformer, and the addition of a fourth theater will make the main auditorium, which has played host to events as varied as the annual "Spell Check" spelling bee for adults to the popular a cappella concert, more a part of the cultural life of the community.
Image Provided By ibrattleboro.com
And, with all this recent talk about the historic aspect of downtown’s facade, keep this in mind: The Latchis Building was built in 1938 by the family of Demetrius Latchis. In addition to keeping downtown vibrant, BAI is also keeping Brattleboro’s history alive. In years past, 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. The arts initiative purchased the theater in 2003 after raising $1.6 million in donations, along with the help of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, Community Loan Foundation and the Vermont Community Fund.
With all of the negative news which usually dominates headlines, it’s good to take a moment and applaud the positive, too.
"All of these parts of Brattleboro need to be functioning together," Maxwell told the Reformer in 2008. "It requires generosity, but there’s a huge payoff to the community."
There sure is ...