NORWALK -- On the outside, you will never know that a building in Norwalk has been a cultural center of the city for almost a century.
It’s been a dance hall, a concert venue, even a vaudeville house in the 1920s, hosting acts from New York City. Since the 1990s, it was closed, ready to be torn down. But thanks to redevelopments by a non-profit group, the Wall Street Theater lives once again.
It took a lot for that to happen said Artistic Director, Billy Blanks Jr.
"When they brought me in, it was like a dirt hole. I remember coming in thinking 'I'm going to be the artistic director of this???' ”
But now, new technology is taking a 101-year-old house, and modernizing it for today’s acts. According to President Suzanne Cahill, "This theater, gives emerging artists, as well as traditional artists, the ability to mix technology with the arts."
With one rule, they had to keep a blueprint to proudly display its history, to show off everything old, that is new again.
"We had to get down to the base walls, and when we did, we noticed some coloring behind the wall, so we stopped and we looked, and under there were artistic murals on canvas, dated back to 1915. We’ll be affixing them back to the walls as part of our historic renovation," said Cahill.
At a gala Monday night, Broadway stars will grace the stage as they plan for it to be everything from a concert hall, to a community theater destination. They also hope that the Wall Street Theater won’t just be Norwalk’s new star, but a star for a state rich in theater