Village Squire, 1979-09, Page 29THEATRE
Polley 's Livery Stable, over 100 years old and looking for a new life.
Goderich residents
aim for _new
arts centre
If it hadn't been for swift action it might
today be a pile of rubble on a vacant lot. If
support keeps coming it may soon be the
long-awaited answer to a dream in
Goderich, a centre for the arts.
The building had been owned by a local
developer who had used it as part of a
building supply business before he moved
on. He wanted to either sell the property or
have the building demolished but local
residents hated to see the old landmark
disappear. It was declared a historic site
and a demolition permit was delayed in an
effort to give those wanting to save the
building the time to act. At the last
moment when other support had not come
forward a local resident Mrs. Dorothy
Wallace stepped forward and provided the
money to buy the building and buy time for
the people who wanted it kept.
Today Mrs. Wallace is the chairman of
the Goderich Performing Arts Foundation,
the organization trying to turn the building
into an arts centre that has long been
envisioned for the town. For many years
organizations such as the Goderich Little
Theatre have worked under trying
conditions in other locations around the
town. The GLT has made its home at
McKay Hall for the most part but
sometimes has performed at the local
secondary school. Other groups have been
similarly homeless or at least working
under other than the best conditions.
Several plans for some sort of arts centre
have been discussed in the past, from an
entirely new sports and culture to a theatre
built in one of the excercise at the Historic
Gaol. None has ever got past the discussion
stage.
The present plan seems the nearest to
reality although it too has a long way to go
before the old livery stable becomes the
home of culture for Goderich. Original
projections for the completion of the
building seemed very optimistic and have
been toned down a shade since then. The
group has just had a feasibility study
completed by Robert Bailey of Bailey
Consulting Associates Ltd. of Toronto in
order to answer some of the questions
members were being asked when they
September 1979, Village Squire 27