The City of Medicine Hat is in the final stages of selling the Monarch theatre to a local service club..--NEWS FILE PHOTO
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
The City of Medicine Hat is once again in talks with an unknown potential buyer for the Monarch Theatre.
Leah Prestayko, director of community development with the city, revealed it is currently in negotiations with a party in response to a request for proposals regarding the sale of the downtown landmark.
She says the process has been positive but has taken longer than expected. Both parties are working to ensure the best possible outcome and are hopeful that soon the Monarch will again be a vital part of Medicine Hat’s downtown community.
The city bought the theatre in June 2021 from the dissolving City Centre Development Agency to prevent the asset from being transferred to the province. The theatre has sat shuttered since, with the exception of opening for Alberta Day 2022.
The city never had any intention of operating the theatre and has from the beginning sought to sell it or have it operated by a tenant or contractor. Since then, the city has been in a number of negotiations with a potential buyer or tenant but negotiations have always fallen through.
Luke Fandrich of Editing Luke recently completed a documentary on the theatre called Your Cinema Needs You. Ideally, the film will premiere at the Monarch this fall and Fandrich remains optimistic that will happen.
