Colonial named to National Register of Historic Places

LACONIA — The Colonial Theatre complex has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation was announced Thursday by the state Division of Historic Resources.

The Colonial is currently in the final stages of a $15 million restoration, and the 750-seat theater is expected to open sometime next year.

“It’s an honor, a sign of more progress for downtown,” said Justin Slattery, executive director of the Belknap Economic Development Council, which sponsored the request for the historic designation, and is overseeing the restoration project.

Applying for the historic designation was required as part of the financing for the 51,000-square-foot restoration, one of the largest rebuilding projects ever undertaken in the state. Being named to the National Register is a required step for a property to be eligible for federal tax incentives.

Built in 1914, the Colonial Theatre complex is the largest of several mixed-use blocks that were built in downtown Laconia in the first quarter of the twentieth century, according to the Division of Historic Resources. With its primary entrance on Main Street, the complex is made up of the Piscopo Block, Colonial Theatre and Canal Street Annex.

The theater’s entrance and lobby retain a majority of their original historic finishes and decorative details. The theater space still has its original layout, with an overhanging balcony, orchestra pit and two-tiered box seating at the front of the auditorium. Restored details include the original gilded plaster ornaments, frescoes, high coffered ceiling decorated with images of high arts and floral designs, woodwork and a “1914” medallion centered above the stage.

The restoration work of the theater began late last year and is expected to be finished either by late December or early in January, Slattery said.

Meredith hotelier Rusty McLear is investing more than $1 million to build at least eight market-rate housing units on the second and third floors of the Piscopo Block.

“I’m totally thrilled,” Laconia Historical and Museum Society President Pam Clark said upon hearing the news. “It’s long overdue.”

Listing to the National Register does not impose any new or additional restrictions or limitations on the use of private or non-federal properties. Listings identify historically significant properties and can serve as educational tools and increase heritage tourism opportunities.