Diane Romano, President of the Cherry Grove Community Association, Inc. (CGCAI), announced on December 12 that, on December 11, New York State awarded an Economic Development Grant in the amount of $334,863 to the Cherry Grove Community House and Theater for much-needed renovations and repairs. The Community House was declared an historic site earlier this year by both the New York State Historic Register and National Register of Historic Places as “the oldest continuously operating gay theater in the U.S.”
“This is that Grant that [CGCAI’s] Board worked on this past summer. Every member of our Board was involved with this effort! What a great team effort it was! I must acknowledge the extraordinary effort on this from Toni Cesta, Joyce Yaeger, Jean Jerome, Richard Reilly, John Adams[,] Frank Borsas and Joshua David,” Romano said in an email.
The grant money, combined with $600,000 already raised as part of the Save Our Community House effort by CGCAI and the Arts Project of Cherry Grove, will be used “to complete the first floor renovation next winter,” as well as continue work on “the new roof that is currently under construction!” Romano went on.