Brook Arts Center

djben1 on August 21, 2009 at 8:43 am

from 8/21/2009 courier news
The Brook Theatre, a cultural hub that has been flooded twice in the past decade, will re-open on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Floyd.

The theater organizers will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony 6 p.m. Sept. 17 which will include a program commemorating the anniversary of the flood which deluged the downtown section of the borough under six feet of water.
“It just seemed like a very appropriate day for a new beginning, to put the past behind us and to look forward to a magnificent future for the downtown area and the entire Bound Brook community,” said Lynn Fazen, vice chairman of the The Brook Arts Center and administrator of the Bound Brook Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Brook Theatre has had a difficult decade. It was flooded by Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Months after it re-opened, it was flooded again during a nor'easter in April 2007.
Crews have been working through the summer, polishing the floor in the lobby, installing carpet, painting, and repairing the electrical system.
Bob Fazen, who is serving as the historical consultant on the project, said flood insurance funded the bulk of the renovations. Other work has been paid for by Somerset County and state grants.
This time, however, Bob Fazen (also chair of the borough’s land use board) said, the seats in the theater will be mobile so if there is the threat of another flood, they can be moved to higher ground.
Lynn Fazen said the flexible seating is also a plus because the theater will be a mixed venue featuring movies, music, concerts, comedy, and other entertainment.
Mayor Carey Pilato said the Brook Theatre is an asset to the borough. He said the theatre along with the Bound Brook train station and other transit development projects, are economic drivers.
Bob Fazen’s goal is to bring the theater back to the splendor of the 1920s – when the Brook Theatre was compared to Broadway.
Officials are hopeful about the theater’s renovation, especially because the Green Brook Flood Control Project could be complete by late 2010 or 2011. The series of walls and levees, infused this year with $33 million in federal Recovery Act funds, is designed to alleviate chronic flooding in the Bound Brook area, according to John O'Connor, Army Corps of Engineers project manager for the project.
Other events planned at the Brook Theatre this fall include: A theatre organ concert and silent movie Sept. 18; storytelling events recounting the history of the flood Sept. 19 and 20; and a wine tasting in partnership with the Bound Brook Area Chamber of Commerce Nov. 14.
Kara L. Richardson: 908-243-6621;

[Deleted] on October 9, 2009 at 9:58 am

It’s great that the Brook Theatre has been restored in spite of all the past flooding. Kudos to everyone involved in its resurrection. I’m assuming the organ has been fully restored at this point and is still being maintained by the Garden State Theater Organ Society.

spectrum on January 18, 2010 at 4:18 pm

Sorry, here’s the third one:

View link

And as a bonus: a ten minute scene from the original “Phantom of the Opera”

View link

markp on March 14, 2010 at 7:52 pm

Theatre has again flooded. 3rd time in 11 years. Go to “www.thnt.com” and click on bound brook flood to view photos.

djben1 on July 29, 2010 at 9:13 pm

Contribute to the Restoration

A contribution to the Brook will help restore the Theatre to its original Victorian glory and provide quality entertainment, cultural, and educational programming for all ages.

Financial support of the Brook Theatre through the Somerset County Cultural Arts Center, Inc., from individuals, businesses, foundations, and government is critical
to the restoration and programming initiatives of the Theatre.

As a 501©(3) non-profit organization in the early stages of development, contributions provide a majority of the income for the Theatre. Support of the efforts of the Board will allow the Brook to become the finest and most beautiful venue of the arts and education in New Jersey.

ALL MAIL OR Contributions may be mailed to:

Somerset County Cultural Arts Center, Inc.
Post Office Box 387, Bound Brook, New Jersey 08805

Brook Theatre is located at:
10 Hamilton Street, Bound Brook, New Jersey 08805
Phone: 732-469-7700