The group, comprised of Downtown Las Vegas champion Michael Cornthwaite, Life is Beautiful founder Rehan Choudhry and First Friday Las Vegas managing partner Joey Vanas, will use crowdfunding to assist in raising the first level of capital needed for the project. Funding will likely require a mix of private investment, historical preservation dollars and alternative sources of financing to get the entertainment venue back up and running.
Initial estimates suggest the project could end up in the $12M-$15M range with the initial fundraising goal of $150,000 from crowdfunding.
“The reality is that we’ve received a ton of excitement and momentum, but we’ve reached a point where we need this additional start-up capital required to move forward; without local community buy-in it just won’t happen. And the time to make the commitment is now – we need to show everyone that there is a want and a need in Las Vegas to bring back this amazing venue,” said Joey Vanas, who lives in the John S. Park neighborhood just a few blocks away from the theatre.
The group plans to return the iconic building to its original glory and more, restoring its place as Las Vegas’ favorite venue for live music, performing arts and cinema. Also included in the early discussions are a food and beverage outlet, a music education facility, a permanent exhibit curated by the Huntridge Foundation to preserve and continue the history of this cultural landmark, and flexible-use spaces for community-driven programming.
To support these efforts to bring the Huntridge back to life, the public can make a contribution and learn more about the campaign at www.TheHuntridge.com.
Volunteers for the Save the Huntridge movement is led by former Huntridge employee Nicole Sligar.
“Like many locals I spent some of the best years of my life in that place. I feel like these guys have their hearts in the right place and I am giving them 100% of my support! As a community, we need to rally behind them if we are going to save our old friend,” said Nicole Sligar - previously known as “Nicole Huntridge” because of her long-time employment and connection to the theatre.