SANDUSKY, Ohio ― On June 10, a powerful storm ripped through the Sandusky State Theatre, causing it to partially collapse.
Now, residents are coming together to save their historic building.
What You Need To Know
- The board of directors of the Sandusky State Theatre voted to rebuild the iconic venue
- Donation drives will be needed to get the State Theatre back
- The famous chandelier was not harmed during the storm
“We basically put into a declaration that says we have to repair the theater, so we made it legal and we are obligated to repair the theater," said Sandusky State Theatre Board Member Ryan Whaley.
Whaley owns the area's Paddle & Climb shop and is a member of the Sandusky State Theatre Board. He says the board had an emergency meeting to discuss ways of bringing back the 92-year-old theater.
"Donations from the community are starting to happen. One of the things with this resolution that we made, it allows us to really focus on working with the community, working with donors to collect even more money to not only get the theater rebuilt, but to make sure it continues with the programming once it does get rebuilt," said Whaley.
Sandusky residents say they are very happy the State Theatre is going to be renovated and hopefully restored back to its original luster so that everybody can still enjoy it.
“Well, it’s a good draw for downtown, brings a lot of individuals to music, shows and again, it benefits downtown. There’s a lot of great things happening here and the State is just one of those things that brings people down, so we are glad for it,” said Connie Harris, a Sandusky resident.
“The theater is an iconic building downtown. It brings so many people to our area. It’s historic, it's beautiful. I’m really excited that they are considering rebuilding it and establishing what it was to the city or is to the city,” said Kelly Vancawenbergh, a Sandusky resident.
Now that we know the 92-year-old State Theatre will be back, it’s just a matter of when.