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Sep 08, 2023

A New Life: Inside the Strand Theater Before Its Transformation

The century-old Strand Theater building in downtown Binghamton has seen some

The century-old Strand Theater building in downtown Binghamton has seen some tough times over the last few decades but the place is about to get a new life.

The property at 27 Chenango Street was acquired by Chenango Flats LLC of Brooklyn for $100,000 last September, which also purchased the neighboring Stone Opera House for $900,000.

Plans call for the buildings to be converted into housing. The development would include 92 dwelling units with a total of 204 bedrooms. There also would be four commercial tenant spaces.

Project manager John Current said the apartment units would be in one, two and three-bedroom configurations.

Workers have started gutting the former Strand building to prepare for the first phase of the redevelopment. The projection room and other remnants of the old movie theater have been removed, along with what had been a restaurant on the street level.

Current said the project's architectural and engineering team will be able to develop a design plan once the building has been cleared out. He said the building was in "pretty bad shape." He said roofing problems and other issues had resulted in a significant amount of deterioration.

Current said the apartments in the Strand structure could be ready for occupancy by the third quarter of next year. After that, attention will turn to redeveloping the neighboring building.

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: [email protected] or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.