Town Hopes New Theater Proposal Will Spur Downtown Revitalization

FRANKLIN, MA-This town is hoping that a proposal to turn an old furniture store into a performing arts theater will play a role in its effort to revitalize its Downtown area.

The Franklin Arts Performing Co., a nonprofit community theater group, would like to transform the 15,000-sf former Franklin Furniture store into an 800-seat theater. The 100-year old building has sat vacant for years and town officials here would like nothing more than to see a vibrant regional theater establish itself here.

“The town is very supportive of this plan,” Daniel Ben-Israel, assistant planner for the town tells GlobeSt.com. “The restoration of the Franklin Furniture store is part of the revitalization of Downtown.” According to Ben-Israel, there has been an ongoing effort to effect a Downtown revitalization here. “We’ve held a number of meetings, we’re fixing up façades and we’re doing street improvements,” he says. The town is also exploring adding a second level of parking at the MBTA station, which would double capacity, to about 400 cars.