Westbury theater remodeling gets under way
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, Village of Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro and Developer Cyrus Hakakain unveil the rendering of the remodeled Westbury Theater on Post Avenue. Credit: T.C. McCarthy
Westbury village officials broke ground Friday on the renovation of the Westbury Theater on Post Avenue as part of an effort to revitalize the strip.
The project has been in the planning stages for the past six years since Lowe Properties bought the deteriorating theater building at auction for about $1.7 million. The Tudor-style theater built in 1927 will be remodeled into a performing arts theater.
“I saw many a movie here,” said Louis Corte, who was born in 1927, the year the theater was built. He is a lifelong resident of Westbury. “We have been waiting for the past 10 years, believe me it’s about time.”
Jim Mollitor also grew up in Westbury. He said he had seen some of his first movies at the old theater, including “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Mollitor, who just purchased a business on Post Avenue, said “I’m very excited for the avenue, I think it could be a very positive thing.”
Village Mayor Peter Cavallaro said part of the reason it took so long to break ground on the old theater was because of a concern that the village lacked adequate parking on Post Avenue.
“We took a creative approach,” he said, explaining that the village has two large parking lots that are little used at night. He said the village will lease the lots to the theater’s owner at night when shows are being put on.
Cavallaro expects the work to take about a year, and he sees a grand opening ceremony about this time next year.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Bridget Zaino, another lifelong resident of Westbury.
