There's been a lot of uncertainty about the future of Fort Worth's Ridglea Theater ever since its owners filed for bankruptcy last summer.
For a while there, it looked like Bank Of America was going to purchase and remodel the historic theater--and they had every right to, seeing as the theater is not officially a historic landmark.
But now, The Ridglea Theater may be in the clear.
Earlier today, as Preston Jones over at Dfw.com reports,
Gas Pipe smoke shop owner Jerry Shults has signed a contract and put a
down payment on the place. And his first priority? He wants to get the
city to designate the Ridglea Theater as a historic landmark.
After
that, he plans to remodel the entire theater and return it to its
original condition. That means the balcony will be reopened, the marquee
will be fixed, and a number of other problems will be addressed.
But
the biggest sigh of relief comes when Shults talks about the future of
Ridglea Theater concerts, which, for the past few years, has been
dominated by metal acts. Though he has no immediate plans to start
booking bands, he hopes to make the Ridglea Fort Worth's answer to Dallas'
Granada Theater.
