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Woodbridge eyes Fords Theater’s past with hope for future
posted by
Michael Zoldessy
on
September 25, 2009 at 9:54 am
FORDS, NJ — The long shuttered Fords Cinema may be making a comeback as locals investigate the possibilities.
Today, the nearly 100-year-old building sits vacant and gutted — it’s seats torn out, parts of the roof caving in and paint crumbling to the floor. Its owner, Shah Associates of Woodbridge, has used the building for storage over the years and is looking to lease two store fronts on the first floor.
But now the township and Middlesex County are spending a combined $150,000 to have engineers examine the structure and create preliminary designs for a new or repaired Fords Theater — if they get permission. Officials took the first step toward that last week, giving the owners a draft agreement that would let an evaluation take place.
Read the full story in the Star-Ledger.
Comments (1)
I know the Fords Theatre quite well. As a child I went there often when my father was a projectionist. A few years ago when my wifes foot doctor leased space in one of the stores, I managed a peek inside. Construction items filled the auditorium space. And the shop keepers had told me that at that time (about 3 years ago) that the entire projection room had been stripped and everything trashed. As it sits right now, it looks nothing like a theatre, and I live in Woodbridge, so I wish them well. I hate to say it, but I think its just a pipe dream.