Restoration


	The History and Restoration of the Lyric/Town Theatre into the Endicott Performing Arts Center

The Lyric Theatre was constructed in 1917 on the corner of Washington Avenue and Monroe Street in downtown Endicott by Benjamin Dittrich. Initially, the showplace/theater was named "The Lyric Theatre" and catered to vaudeville acts. With the advent of silent movies, the theater began to offer this form of entertainment as well. Movies with sound eventually replaced vaudeville acts, and the theater became strictly a movie house. Special events were periodically held at the theater, including movie premiers with visiting celebrities such as Irene Dunne, beauty pageants, concerts, and the like.

There is even a legend associated with the theater, that the ghost of a pregnant woman haunts its many rooms and hallways!

The Carrol's Corporation purchased the theater from the Ditttrich Family, and in 1993 it closed for business due to competition from local mall movie theaters. During the time that the theater was closed, from 1993 to 1998, the heating system broke down, the roof leaked, pipes burst, and the theater fell into terrible disrepair. The theater remained unused from 1993 to 1998, when it was purchased by a trio of Endicott natives dedicated to it regaining its former glory: Bob Corwin, Pat Daglio, and her husband Steve Daglio. Shortly thereafter, Pat Foti, Lou Ligouri, and Sue Dunlap joined the team.

Pat Foti & Lou Ligouri headed up the theater restoration project and with the help of many dedicated volunteers have brought the "new" EPAC Theater back to its former glory.

Here are some pictures of the restoration. Click on one to get a larger version.

And, as they say, the rest is history!

Source: Lou Ligouri

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