Great Barrington — The Save the Triplex community group, led by residents Nicki Wilson and Hannah Wilken, announced on Monday, July 24 that they have purchased The Triplex Cinema from Richard Stanley.
The theater is located on 70 Railroad Street and was owned for 28 years by South Egremont resident Stanley.
The group was formed back at the beginning of April after a previous attempt to purchase the movie theater by the New Jersey-based company Cinema Lab failed.
A GoFundMe campaign was subsequently started by the group and has raised $360,456.
According to a press release issued by Wilson, over 800 individual donors donated to the group to help it purchase The Triplex.
Funds were also used from the sale of photographer Gregory Crewdson’s prints through the Aperture Foundation, which was cited by the group as a “major contribution” to its campaign to purchase The Triplex.
Wilson, who is the group’s president, told The Berkshire Edge that the sale price of The Triplex was $1 million.
“Richard is holding a five-year mortgage with us at a very fair price,” Wilson said.
When asked, Wilson said she did not want to comment on further details on the mortgage, including its interest rate.
In the meantime, Selectboard member Ben Elliott has been named as the new managing director of The Triplex.
“What an amazing moment for the Triplex team and the entire town of Great Barrington,” Elliott said via the group’s press release “This theater changed the course of my life, and I’m thrilled to help lead its transition into a nonprofit that will provide a rich, diverse experience for our community.”
“When we first began, I couldn’t imagine a Great Barrington without a movie theater,” Board Vice President Hannah Wilken said via the group’s press release. “Now I can’t imagine the town without this new iteration of the Triplex. We can’t wait to bring diverse programming back into the heart space of Great Barrington.”
After the signing, Wilson said that the group plans on “renovating and rejuvenating” the theater.
“There needs to be some updates that need to be done inside the building,” Wilson said. “We’re going to do it in phases as we fundraise for the projects. We are going to start with things that we feel that are the most important, and are not necessarily cosmetic.”
Wilson said that the group is working with Allegrone Construction of Lenox to determine the scope of the work.
As for when The Triplex will open again, Wilson could not give an exact date but said that it was possible to have movie screenings and live events in the fall, and possibly a regular schedule of movie screenings during the holiday season.
Wilson added that the group will soon announce a fundraising event which will be scheduled for early August.
