This issue with the Beach Theatre in Cape May is getting really tense.
Long story short: the Beach Theatre was a classic Jersey Shore movie house. It is one of the very few remaining today. The owners wanted to sell it, and there were plans to put condos in its space. Housing crisis hit. Non-profit came together to save the theatre, and started using it for different events and functions. But now the owners are back to trying to do it all over again (with lawsuits involved).
The issue right now seems to be whether or not the Beach Theatre is a historic building. It is much younger than the other historic properties in town, but those for saving it say it still meets the standards to fall under the town wide National Historic status.
What concerns me here is that Cape May was put on the "watch list" with the National Park Service. If they allow the theatre to be demolished, it could be another blow step toward losing their historic status. Combined with dings for the modern design for the new Convention Hall, those ugly vinyl lighthouse things put up at the entrance of town that called quite a stir...this could be a problem.
Will it be worse toward historical status than the demolition of the Admiral Hotel. I don't know, and the National Park Service is being tight lipped.
But it seems an awful lot to risk.
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