The Town of St. Marys has purchased the old Mercury Theatre building.
In a release, the town says they are hoping to once again turn the historic building into a local hub for arts and culture. The Town of St. Marys finalized the purchase of the building located at 14 Church Street North on February 16th. The longtime home of the former Mercury Theatre, the old brick and limestone structure has been sitting vacant since 2006. St. Marys officials state in the release that they have a plan to “preserve the building’s heritage value and as a potential site for cultural activities, library and leisure programming, and administrative space.”
The old theatre happens to be located right across the road from the town hall and public library, which also inspired the town to purchase the building. The next step will be to hire a planning consultant and establish a steering committee to determine the most appropriate use of the new property. The town notes a municipal modernization grant from the Provincial government will fund that process. People interested in sitting on the steering committee can apply later this year.
“This is a unique opportunity for the Town to own and offer a campus of services from three neighbouring properties,” says Brent Kittmer, Chief Administrative Officer. “We hope it will encourage even more people to explore and experience our historic downtown core. We know how much our residents and visitors value our heritage buildings. We look forward to collaborating with the community as we develop a vision for this new municipal facility.”
The town says they hope to have the building open for use in 2025 or 2026.
