Neighbors and motorists passing by the Foster Theatre on Youngstown’s South Side in recent years probably know it mostly for its seedy, run-down image.

But it always hasn’t been that way, and we are hopeful that new plans being laid by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to reinvent the theater soon will help ring in a new perception not only of the building, but also of that part of the community, triggering new visitors and new growth.

YNDC, a planning and development organization that provides housing and neighborhood stabilization services in Youngstown, last month announced it had purchased the 800-seat theater at 2504 Glenwood Ave. for about $100,000, with plans to close it to pornographic movies and preserve the structure for other uses.

Steven “Shags” Shagrin of Walnut Creek, California, recently relayed a story to Vindicator reporter Ed Runyan about his grandfather’s vision to be the first to build a theater in Fosterville, then the city’s suburbs, in the 1930s.

Predicting the expansion of business into the neighborhood long before shopping centers became popular, Joseph Shagrin Sr. built and operated the Foster from 1938 until 1965.

Realizing the importance of art films, Steven’s grandfather made the Foster one of the leading art theaters in the country, particularly for a city the size of Youngstown. Back then, the Foster Theatre provided wholesome entertainment for all of the family all of the time, said Steven, a Youngstown native who moved to the West Coast in 2006.

Not surprisingly, Joseph and his twin brother, Max, knew well the Warner brothers of Youngstown — Harry, Sam, Albert and Jack.

The Shagrin twins were classmates of Jack Warner, and Joseph Shagrin even gave Jack of Warner Bros. fame his first job in the entertainment business.

Max Shagrin later worked for the Warner Brothers, becoming zone manager for 14 Warner Bros. movie theaters in Los Angeles. According to Joseph Shagrin’s 1974 obituary, Max later became one of Hollywood’s best-known agents.

In the years after Joseph Shagrin’s retirement, the venue was converted to an X-rated film house, showing pornographic films for many years as the neighborhood also declined.

Now, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., has taken ownership with big plans to renovate and restore the building, changing its perception and hopefully creating a new neighborhood attachment.

Buying the theater is just part of YNDC’s ongoing plan to improve the Glenwood Avenue corridor, a densely populated area with many surrounding neighborhoods.

“We’re having a substantial impact on residents in the corridor. Each of these projects are a small piece of the bigger picture of improving the quality of life in the neighborhoods of Youngstown,” Tiffany Sokol, YNDC’s housing director, said.

Bravo!

Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director, said the Foster Theatre building is worth saving because it has an architectural style that is “atypical of the Mahoning Valley.” He said YNDC plans to restore the theater’s marquee and facade, but it has not decided yet how the building will be used.

Many people do not realize that the building was designed to have a theater in the center, and to have two businesses on the left and right of the theater entrance. Steven Shagrin recalled it having a florist on the left side and a candy store on the right.

No doubt, the project won’t be inexpensive (Beniston estimates it could be in the “seven figures), and funds already are being raised for the undertaking.

Kudos to YNDC and those involved in working to improve the image of that building and the perception that goes with that part of town. We feel confident that upgrading the theater’s seedy image will be welcomed by nearby residents and businesses, and we encourage donors to help fund this important project.

We are hopeful the effort also will trigger new growth and economic development to the area that we hope ultimately will become viewed as a nearby extension of the city’s downtown.

editorial@vindy.com