Renovation of iconic St. James Calderone Theater gets boost with new grant

The first phase of a plan to restore the historic St. James Calderone Theater on Second Street is expected to wrap up this summer, as the operator seeks to transform the nearly century-old building into a more energy efficient, cultural arts hub.

Celebrate St. James, the group that runs the theater, received a $211,000 grant recently from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, a Riverhead nonprofit. The funding will cover the first phase of the center’s plan to renovate the facility, now known as the St. James Community Cultural Arts Center. 

The St. James nonprofit’s plan is to convert the building into a community arts hub while preserving its iconic elements. The building was originally a venue for vaudeville performances before the Calderone theater chain took it over. The Calderone family operated other theaters, including the storied Calderone Concert Hall in Hempstead on North Franklin Street.

Celebrate St. James and other grant recipients will sign their grant award agreements with the foundation in a ceremony on June 23, according to a letter from the foundation.

The Riverhead foundation funds projects that promote Suffolk County's heritage and preserve “local historical collections and structures,” according to its website.

Natalie Weinstein, founder of Celebrate St. James, said in an interview officials were “very excited” to learn they had received the grant. Weinstein purchased the building in 1985 with her now late husband, Bernard.

“I think they saw the quality of the people who are invested in this project, who are doing this all pro bono, and the result is pretty amazing,” Weinstein said. “It’s a big thing for us and it’s a big thing for the town.”

The Town of Smithtown recently finalized a deal to purchase the building for $900,000. Celebrate St. James operates it and holds arts programs there.

The first phase of the project will involve fixing the building’s roof, which has not been replaced in several decades. A new roof will also accommodate the planned installation of solar panels.

Inside the theater, memorabilia from the theater's early days is in several display cases, including old newspaper clippings detailing key dates in the building's history. There are cutouts of 1920s and 1930s movie icons such as Charlie Chaplin and Judy Garland, and portraits from artists as well as space for art exhibits.

The solar panels are part of efforts to make the building more energy efficient to cut annual energy bills, Weinstein has said.

The plan is to remove a wall inside of the building which will allow for stabilization of the building’s performance stage, which has been there since the building opened. 

"The original stage is blocked by the wall," Weinstein said. "So if you go in where you'd be sitting as an audience and look up, you won't see the stage because it's blocked by the supporting wall for the second floor."

Weinstein said the nonprofit is working to raise money for the second phase of renovations.

That's expected to include improvements that could make the building more energy efficient, along with interior upgrades. Once finished, the building will be able to offer more programming, including shows and plays, and other events that cater to children in the community.

“Right now, the focus is on making this real, for people to see and understand the value of what a community center — which we don’t have in St. James — would mean to the community,” Weinstein said.