Afton Theater

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen on April 8, 2012 at 8:40 am

PLEASE CHANGE ADDRESS TO:

42 AFTON PARKWAY

THANKS

Chuck1231 on January 25, 2011 at 11:04 am

From an article I found dated 7/15/2010
PORTSMOUTH
The vacant Afton Theatre, a breeding ground for rodents and a sad reminder of a long ago era, could be nearing its demise.
The owner of the theater in Cradock was given until today to come up with a plan to renovate or demolish the building. If the owners don’t take action, city leaders say, they will explore the lesser expensive option of fixing up the theater or tearing it down.
“We don’t want to have to do that, but we can’t just sit there and let it remain in place,” said Doug Smith, who oversees permits and inspections. He added that tax breaks are available to the owner for renovation.
In the interest of saving the building, the city is willing to give owner David Beachler more time, Smith said, adding that he was told Beachler plans to meet with a developer Friday to discuss options.
The theater opened in 1937, closed in the 1970s and has been condemned for years. Recent changes in the law give localities power to set deadlines on owners of derelict structures to fix them up, Smith said.
City officials sent Beachler a letter March 25 explaining that he was required to submit a plan for renovation or demolition. Smith then met with Beachler and his business partner, Anne Singleton, in April. They run a property management office, Dan Management, not far from the theater.
In the April meeting, city leaders discussed the 90-day deadline with Beachler and Singleton. The theater has been without a roof for at least 10 years.
In fall 2000, Beachler and Singleton said they planned to renovate the theater and hoped to have it open by fall 2002. In hindsight, she and Beachler both said they wished they had not b ought the property.
“Neither of us even lives in Portsmouth,” Singleton said Wednesday. “We were trying to do that for the community. The community wanted it."
A nonprofit called Afton Center for the Arts, with Singleton as its agent, was formed to raise money for restoration. Singleton said the amount raised was "nothing significant."
Bev Sell, president of the Alumni and Friends of Cradock, spent every Saturday evening at the Afton from age 8 to 15. She said she’s surprised that the city has given the owner a pass for so long.
"Since they don’t live in the area, maybe it’s time that they turn it over to the city,” she said. “There are rats and there are snakes and there are everything else in there, and that is not healthy."
Dave Jones has lived next to the Afton for 14 years. He said he’s had enough.
A tree growing into the top of the theater provides a walkway for rats and possums to get into his yard, he said. He traps the larger rodents and releases them at Paradise Creek.
"I’ve even called Richmond E P A and lodged complaints with them,” he said. “It’s a health hazard,” he said. “I believe that land could be put to better use than having a rundown, dilapidated building in there."
Said Kenneth W. Whitley, an accountant next door: "If it’s not going to be restored, something needs to be done.”

ghamilton on October 15, 2009 at 6:54 pm

I drove by the other day.Looked in rear stage door.(had a stage)The sight I saw was truly heart breaking.The roof had now collapsed over the main auditorium.The mees was MASSIVE and unneccessary.This place could have been saved and become the center peice of an area with a lot of potential,rather than the sleazy aura it radiates now.