The vacant 59-year-old theater, which recently was listed as a condemned building by the city, may be on the fast track to demolition after the Salisbury, MD Historic Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to authorize the removal of the theater.

"In an ideal world, we would love to see it be saved, but it is what it is," Salisbury Historic Commission Chair Randy Taylor said. "The decision was difficult, but we took the necessary steps to do due diligence in proving that the building was in poor condition."

The Historic Commission's demolition approval is the first step in a process that next requires the owner of the theater, attorney and developer David Moore, to file for a demolition permit with the city. The merit of the permit would then be analyzed by the city's Finance, Public Works, and Building, Permits and Inspection offices before a decision would be made.

Building, Permits and Inspection Department Director Bill Holland said it would also be necessary for the developer to have a soil erosion plan approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment. He estimated the whole process would take a month.

Moore, who is also the owner of Manhattan Square Lofts and Condominiums -- a development project replacing the old Manhattan Shirt Factory -- said he plans on filing for the permit the middle of next week.

If he receives the demolition permit, Moore said he will try to expedite the demolition process.

"It's better for everyone that way," Moore said. "The building is condemned, there are significant structural problems: Why not sooner than later from a safety issue?"

The Salisbury City Council only permits the razing of a historic building in one of its three designated historic zones -- the other two include areas in Newtown and Camden Avenue -- as a course of last resort, Director of Neighborhood Code and Compliance Tom Stevenson said.

Outwardly, the theater's facade looks sound, but an interior inspection revealed that the roof and flooring system are caving in, Stevenson said.
Moore said he plans on constructing in the theater's place a mixed-use building, which will likely have commercial units on the ground floor and residential units above.

When it opened June 27, 1947, the Boulevard Theater was the largest of its kind on the Eastern Shore, boasting two box offices and several state-of-the-art technologies. Thousands of films were shown in its history, but the first was a specially-produced film by Maryland Gov. William Preston Lane Jr., who served from 1947 to 1951.

The theater continued showing movies until it closed in 2000. At that point, the Salisbury-Wicomico Arts Council attempted to revive the theater and convert it into a performing arts center, but those efforts failed.

Strott joins others who will miss the theater, but say the time has come for it to be torn down.

"It's unfortunate we're losing that building, but it was cost prohibitive to repair or make it into a performing arts theater," Strott said. "It's just a reality that we have to live with."

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