Senator Jack M. Martins and Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro recently toured the site of the Westbury Theater to see the progress being made on the renovation project. Accompanying Senator Martins and Mayor Cavallaro were Andrea Lohneiss of the Empire State Development Corp., former Assemblyman Jerry Kremer and property owner Cyrus Hakakian.
The Westbury Theater is an historically significantly project in Westbury. In was built in the 1920s and was a main attraction in the village for several decades until it was closed in July 2001. It is currently being renovated to include a two-screen art cinema, a multi-purpose event space, a casual theme restaurant and artist studio lofts.
“Mayor Cavallaro and the Village of Westbury have done a great job on revitalizing the downtown. I look forward to seeing the theater open,” Senator Martins said. “It will be one of the cornerstones of a vibrant downtown in the Village of Westbury.”
In addition to the theater, Westbury’s downtown revitalization efforts included renovated storefronts with vintage signage, a paved piazza with a fountain, antique-style streetlamps and repaired streets featuring brick accents on crosswalks. The village has also adopted measures to improve safety and add parking along Post Avenue in recent years.
“The theater redevelopment project is important to Westbury, and is a capstone for our downtown revitalization efforts. We are grateful for Senator Martins’ assistance and support, and we look forward to working with the State Empire Development Corp,” Mayor Cavallaro said. “The performing arts theater will bring a new type of cultural venue to our community that we hope will make Westbury an arts, culture and dining destination in central Nassau County.”
The project is being considered for an economic development grant.
