KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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The Friends of Englewood Theater nonprofit has adjusted its plans to revitalize the historic Englewood Theater on Winner Road in Independence.
The original plan was to buy and revitalize both the theater and the neighboring Ben Franklin Five and Dime. But costs have proven too expensive for the nonprofit to take on both properties. That is why it has made the decision to no longer move forward with the Ben Franklin building.
The nonprofit still needs extra space for restrooms and other amenities. The new plan is to build an addition onto the side of the theater in the alleyway. To move forward, the group needs to find a contractor, a construction loan, and more community support.
Brent Schondelmeyer, president of the Friends of Englewood Theater nonprofit, said:
"We're looking for somebody who wants to have naming rights. We're looking for somebody who might want to be a tenant on the second floor in the mezzanine, because when it opened in 1949 there are professional buildings up there. So we've gone from the gosh, isn't it nice, and we now own it, to more kind of intentional looking for the things that we need to do."
The proposed expansion would extend further into the alley beside the theater, which would require changes to the parking entrance for the Englewood Arts Center next door. Schondelmeyer said the nonprofit and the arts center are in talks about acquiring the property.
The nonprofit has been working since 2024 to purchase the theater and find a new purpose for it. The Englewood Theater was previously placed on the National Historic Registry.
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