Nearly 20 people attended to press conference at the Rees Theater Thursday afternoon as participants discuss the purchase and sale.
Kurt Garner, president of the Wythougan Valley Preservation Council said, “This is kind of a historic day for Plymouth.” He asked what the first movie shown at the Rees was, and without any answers he said, “Remember the Night.” Garner then said, “I think we will remember the day that we were all here for this momentous occasion.” He then introduced Eleanor and Randy Danielson by saying, “They are making a tremendous gift to the City of Plymouth.”
The Danielsons gave the Wythougan Valley Preservation Council enough money to purchase the property along with current owners, Jim and Judy Vinall and Brian and Lori VanDyne donating a portion of their asking price to allow the sale to happen. The Vinalls and VanDynes purchased the building about 3 years ago and have been working to keep its integrity by using their own money to make repairs.
While plans are to bring the iconic building back to life in the downtown area, Wythougan nor the Danielsons released any details of their plans are for the property. In fact, a Community Conversation about the building and preservation will be held by the Preservation Council on February 2nd at Wild Rose Moon beginning at 5:30.
Randy Danielson said, “This building is a significant part of the Plymouth landscape and we want to make sure it remains a significant part of the Plymouth landscape.” He continued, “What it will be is yet to be revealed. There will be a project committee that will work toward this and we’re going to listen to ideas from the community.” Randy said they plan to set in motion a business model that will make this thrive well into the future.
Danielson closed his comments by saying, “Eleanor and I are really encouraged about the many great things happening throughout Plymouth and around the area. And it’s with that that we feel encouraged to invest in this location.”
The Preservation Council will seek grants for the renovation project but will need the support of the community with hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and support to make the project successful.
