Villa Theatre Sold; Will Become Rug Gallery

There was a Salt Lake Tribune article on Sunday:

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/may/05232004/utah/168935.asp

You can also check the villatheatre.com article list:

http://villatheatre.com/History/ArticleList.asp

Here is part of an e-mail I received from Hamid Adib this morning:

"I salute people like you who also recognize the value of our historical land marks and actually do something about it. . . You and the rest of the Villa fans are more than welcome to visit and enjoy the Villa atmosphere anytime. We will create a museum like environment that members of the community can visit and won’t feel like they have to purchase something every time they come in. I would also like to tell you that we will have a section in the Villa that will be dedicated to the Villa information and history. . . The Villa is beautiful but unfortunately is in a very poor condition. I will do everything in my power to preserve it as much as possible and yes Villa will stay in place for a long time. I am receiving a few calls a day from developers that have many destructive intensions for the building. Some of the other groups that competed against us were also thinking to demolish the building to develop office buildings. We completely reject that idea and I would like to assure you this will not happen. . . "

That's great news, Grant! It's heartening to learn the Villa's new owner appreciates the theater's beauty and is taking steps to preserve it.

May you have success in all your endeavors, Grant. My husband and I purchased a building (see the Port Theatre in Port St. Joe, FL) that was in terrible condition when we purchased it. It had been vacant for almost 30 years at that point, and had lost most of its roof ten years prior to our purchase. We gained alot of public support and affection over reversing the condition of the building. It's still got a long way to go, but meanwhile, it has been a really good home for our business. Sometimes I get a little sad about its restoration taking so long, but I know that in good time, someone else will come along who can take it further than we could (financially). Perhaps one of the reasons developers want theatre properties so much is their typically prime locations. Again, good luck and hope all goes well for you.

Grant, thanks for keeping us up to date on the fate of the Villa. I enjoy visiting your website and reading up on the Villa's history. Whenever I look at the photos, I just want to jump into the picture and experience what it must have been like to visit the Villa in it's heyday. You have an amazing website, and I hope you will continue to host it for a long time to come.