Demolition of historic theater set to begin

Pigeons survey the work of Dustin Cunningham, city of Livingston maintenance worker, as he works to take down the sign on the Court Theater in Livingston on Friday. (1-3-14) BEAAHBECKCASSONbahbeck@mercedsunstar.com|BuyPhoto

LIVINGSTON By this time next week, the historic Livingston Court Theater will be just a memory in the minds of longtime city residents.

City officials couldnt save the landmark theater from demolition, but they took steps Friday to begin saving a few of its iconic features the marquee, the sign and the ticket booth.

It was important to save these elements of the Court Theater because theyre historic relics that can be used in the future when a new facility is built, said City Manager Jose Ramirez. The pieces will be stored in the citys public works yard, he added.

Ramirez said demolition of the Livingston Court Theater, built in 1945, will begin Tuesday. The building has been vacant since it closed in 1977. The city bought it in 2001 for $120,000.

The city once planned to restore the building, but thats an unlikely prospect with repairs estimated at $6 million to $7 million and a $150,000 shortfall in Merceds proposed budget.

Whenever you have an iconic building, and theres a lot of history and culture behind it, you always look at how you can save it, Ramirez said. Sadly, we couldnt save it because of financial constraints and health and safety issues.

The demolition will take about a week, Ramirez said. A large excavator will be used to knock down the theater piece by piece. The empty downtown site will then be filled with soil.

The cost to raze the building is not to exceed $30,000, according to city documents.

The City Council voted to enter into a demolition agreement with Jim Brisco Enterprises Inc., a Merced-based general contractor.

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Demolition of historic theater set to begin