Benefactor makes final effort to save Islip Theater

The final credits may be rolling on Islip Theater. After a failed attempt to convert it into a performing arts center, the vacant and unkempt cinema could soon be slated for demolition to make way for a day care center, if the property owner's application to the Islip Town planning board is approved.

[Colonel Sanders]

How about a KFC on this corner? It would be finger lickin good!

[N0-Bama]

DEMOLISH the theater.....make way for new companies!!!!!!

[John]

SAVE THE THATER!!!!! The proposed Day Care Center at the Islip Theater Location is right behind the Fire department. Children and parents entering and leaving the day care center would be in imminent danger of racing fire trucks. There are already 4 sufficient daycare centers in the immediate area including one run by a church. Do we really need to bully these small business out of town.
THE PROPOSED PLAN to renovate the theater back into a movie theater and a performing arts center would house a symphony orchestra and be a venue where top legendary recording artist of all different genres could perform. Prior efforts to do something at the theater in the past failed because the people running the theater were undercapitalized and inexperienced. They had local kid rock bands and their followings just hanging out, not paying rent and making a mess out of the whole situation.
The person planning to buy the theater if the Day Care Center is rejected has the experience, capital and wherewithal to turn this building into a mini Radio City Music Hall/ Movie House. The town of Islip and its merchants would surely benefit from increased revenues due to people from all over the Island coming to see these shows and spending there money in the town.
This has been done before with great success at two nearby theaters. The Bolten Center in Bayshore and The Patchouge Theater.
The people in the Town of Islip were not made aware of the plans to destroy the building a few small signs were inconspicuously posted one week before the town meeting on the theater door and now it is almost to late. I started a petition to save the building and in about six hours got about 500 names of people in favor of saving the building. 99% of the people I spoke to were unaware of the plans to destroy it. They have very fond memories of the building and want the building saved. The problem is that it is very late in the game if I had more time and help I know I would have over 10,000 names on that petition. It would be a sin and a tragedy to knock this Landmark down which has been woven into the fabric and hearts of the people of Islip for many years. You can show your support by signing the online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveislipt...

[John]

Save The Islip Theater. Go to this website to sign the online petition to keep OUR ISLIP THEATER from being demolished and to stand for generations to come as a Performing Arts/Movie Theater . http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveislipt...
Call or write the Town to voice your opposition.
Town of Islip Planning Board 655 Main st, Islip 11751
Att: Vee Bobelis or Call Dave Genoway

[Enough]

Can't knock this place down. I got my first hj in this building.

[Levy needs to leave]

And when you save it name it the Steve Levy theater! Or better yet, the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad theater.
There just like each other and kind of look alike!

[savethetheatre]

Just like in Northport which is a successful performing arts center now!

[open minded]

Once it's gone, it's gone forever. The theater added charm to Main Street Islip. It needs to be brought back to life.....but most importantly with input from everyday people.....making it a unilateral gathering place.
Input from the arts, input from the parents and input from the youths that roam the streets cause there's nothing to do.
There are 7 days in a week that can hold 7 different venues..........just my $.02 cents

[Pine Tar]

Jeez, save the historic buildings!

[N0-Bama]

Demolish this building NOW!!!!!!!

[InkedAndPierced]

Small time theaters like this one are becoming hard to find. Demolishing it would add a lot of unnecessary congestion to the area. Why can't they find a buyer for it who can rehabilitate it into something more useful than a daycare center? As if we needed another daycare center on the island.

[SAVE ISLIP THEATER]

God from Birthday Parties, to just chillin at the theater with friends.. there are jsut way way way to many wonderful memories there and to make it into a childcare center is absolutlty CRAZY!!!
Fix it up and get that theater rocken again...

[one less]

There is enough traffic in that area. We don't need more. Get rid of the building.

[InkedAndPierced]

one less wrote:

There is enough traffic in that area. We don't need more. Get rid of the building.

The demolition would add traffic. Then the construction of a new building would add traffic. And then the planned day care center with crosswalks and possible crossing guards for child and parent safety would add even more traffic. It's easier to fix the existing building and make it into something beneficial to the neighborhood.

[knock it down]

N0-Bama wrote:

DEMOLISH the theater.....make way for new companies!!!!!!

Business is hard enough now. Anyone who opens a new business today is out of their minds. Wait till Obama is out of office.

[Jimmy Crack Corn]

But where are we going to store all the anchor babies if we don't build this place?

[InkedAndPierced]

Jimmy Crack Corn wrote:

But where are we going to store all the anchor babies if we don't build this place?

I hear they're all camped out in the woods near the Hamptons. I wonder how long before the wealthy grow tired of their pristine neighborhoods becoming illegal alien shanty towns.