Westbury Performing Arts Center on Track for Fall 2012 Launch

The new Westbury Performing Arts Center is set to replace the abandoned Westbury Movie Theater on Post Avenue in the heart of downtown Westbury.

When the 8 year old dream of Cyrus Hakakian & his partners is finally realized, Westbury will have "a unique arts center which will offer a full range of live performances – Broadway and popular music concerts, jazz concerts, family programming, live telecasts of major opera, dance and theatrical events and a host of other activities. As well, the community will have a gorgeously appointed venue for special events from charity fundraisers to weddings to business conferences.

"To fulfill his vision for the restoration of the Art Deco theater, he retained one of the area’s leading architectural firms Hoffman Grayson Associates whose clients include scores of prominent institutions, businesses, as well as medical, hospitality and retail projects such as WinStar Communications, Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, The Davis Building & Promenade at Northport, John W. Engeman Theater, Crest Hollow Country Club and Hofstra University. In the team of Neal R. Hoffman, GLen Grayson and Michael S. Vandrei of Huffman Grayson and designer Kara Nykreim who have had extensive experience in the re-purposement of historic buildings, Hakakian found simpatico partners who shared his vision of creating a performing arts center that would become the linchpin of the village’s downtown revitalization plans which include renovated storefronts with vintage signage, a paved piazza with a fountain and waterfall and antique style streetlamps.

"The theater with its Broadway size proscenium stage has perfect, unobstructed sightlines from every seat in the house which can seat 406+ on the main level and 300 in the balcony, making it one of the largest theaters on Long Island. The theater will be an ideal venue for the live concerts and Broadway style presentation the Hakakians envision. As well, the space can also be transformed into a cinema for the screening of classic films and special live broadcasts of opera, classical music, dance and one time only events. For special events, receptions, trade shows and exhibitions, the venue can accommodate up to 1,500 people."

The owners are currently firming up programming with major artists and producers and hope to announce the full slate in early Fall. Additionally, they are in talks with several well known restaurateurs to launch a high end restaurant and a European style coffee house in two separate spaces in the complex.

Like other refurbished theaters across America, the new space has already had a tremendous economic impact on the community. The construction process alone, says Hakakian, has created numerous jobs and workers frequent Post Avenue businesses, injecting some $3 million into the village economy during the development and construction stage alone.