The Rees Theater in Downtown Plymouth may soon be getting some upgrades. The nonprofit Wythougan Valley Preservation Council announced plans Thursday to take over the building in early 2017. The group will then work to collect private donations and secure grant funding for the building’s restoration.
Helping with the effort are Randy and Eleanor Kacmar-Danielson, owners of Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, who presented a check to the Wythougan Valley Preservation Council during a press conference Thursday afternoon. The Danielsons say the site holds a special significance, since it once housed the business they now own.
The property was converted into a 600-seat movie theater in 1940 and remained in operation until 2006. Jim and Judy Vinall and Brian and Lori VanDuyne took ownership of the building in 2013 and have been maintaining it since then.
Project organizers say they haven’t decided yet how the building will be used, and they continue to seek input. Their first goal is to bring the theater’s marquee back into operation, possibly by this summer.
