Structural engineers have alerted the owners of the Roxy Theater in Holbrook that with the replacement of one portion of a wall, the theater will be structurally sound and safe to reopen.
When the long-vacant Ivah’s dress shop on Hopi Avenue collapsed unexpectedly on Aug. 4, it sent debris crashing in all directions, including into the building nudged up against its western wall–the Roxy, located at 153 W. Hopi Drive.
Roxy co-owner Amber Hill said engineers mandated late last week that a 10’x30’ section of the northeast wall of the theater, where the building sustained the most damage, be replaced.
As of Sept. 4, the Roxy had been closed for a month, causing theatergoers to miss out on the tail end of the summer blockbuster season.
In addition to the wall replacement, Hill said the entire east side of the theater would be re-plastered and sealed, as it has never been an exterior wall before. The Roxy was constructed in the early 1950s, a few years after the neighboring structure was built.
Since the theater was cleared for repairs, the City of Holbrook was able to remove the final wall of the Ivah’s building. City Manager Ray Alley had waited to remove the wall until it was determined the Roxy was structurally sound and wouldn’t tumble when the last wall was torn down.
Prior to removing the wall, the city had spent $15,000 cleaning up and hauling away the collapsed building. When Alley has the final costs from the clean up efforts, he will issue a bill to building owners Mike and Ivah Sample and put a lien on the property.
Repairs on the theater wall are underway. A reopening date has not yet been determined.
The Roxy Theater in Holbrook is receiving repairs to an interior wall after suffering damage from the collapse of Ivah’s on Aug. 4, a building that was adjacent to the theater. Additional work will be done now that it will be an exterior wall of the theater.
