FORKS — A hub of social life for nearly 50 years, a long-abandoned and aging movie theater near the center of town is drawing attention from city officials.
And it’s not positive.
Olympic Theatre, located on Division Street just off Forks Avenue, is “kind of an eyesore,” said Dan Leinan, city clerk/treasurer.
“It isn’t quite to the point where it’s ready to fall down, but we do get complaints about it.”
Last week, Mayor Nedra Reed wrote the property’s owner, Rich Hsu, asking him exactly what he planned to do with the building that was built in the 1930s and served as the local movie theater until about the early 1980s.
While Hsu admits the building is in bad shape, he says he’s not going to rush into any decision about what to do with it.
Hsu on Monday night was scheduled to speak before the City Council about a number of options for the site as a way to start the planning process.
“We are in the consulting stage,” said Hsu, a West End businessman who bought the Olympic Theatre property in 2000.
“If worse comes to worse, then we are going to put a ‘for sale’ sign on it and walk away.
“But right now, we don’t have that plan. We will do our best to renovate, remodel or convert it into some other kind of business.”
The building, which is boarded up and has suffered serious damage to a rear storage room as well as interior water damage, has been renovated a number of times during its lifetime, Hsu said.
“In Forks, this building holds a lot of memories for a lot of people,” he added.
“That why we’re taking a really cautious approach.”
