Lakeport Opera House to be new home of Daily Sun

LACONIA — Businessman Scott Everett has purchased the 134-year-old Lakeport Opera House and plans to lease the ground floor to The Laconia Daily Sun.

This is one of a number of properties that have recently changed hands near the intersection of Union Avenue and Elm Street in what appears to be “great news” for the area, City Manager Scott Myers said.

“Some of the store fronts in Lakeport were not utilized or were very under-utilized for many years,” Myers said. “So, someone coming in looking to invest dollars into commercial and potentially residential and improve housing stock and options for the city is very positive.”

Myers said there have been preliminary discussions about using a portion of Sanborn Park, about a block from the Opera House, to boost parking in the Lakeport area. The basketball court and playground at the park would not be affected.

The Laconia Daily Sun has been looking for a new home for the last few months. Mike Baron is selling property at 1127 Union Avenue where the newspaper is now based.

Everett said the area around the Opera House, 781 Union Ave., has great potential and that he is looking forward to the project.

“Lakeport is incredible,” he said. “The building is absolutely beautiful. It’s unbelievable, parts of the theater are in perfect condition.

“We may open the theater if possible — all to try to help build interest there.”

Adam Hirshan, publisher of The Laconia Daily Sun, said the building seems well suited for the newspaper. Final details involving parking and floor plan are still being worked out.

“After an extensive search, we determined that moving to Lakeport is right for us,” he said. “The building will be fitted for our use and there will be enough space. We’re also excited about being part of the redevelopment of Lakeport.

”It will be bright and open like our customers and employees are accustomed to.”

Plans are being drawn up to allow sufficient newspaper customer parking at the building, with employee parking nearby. There is also a parking lot across Union Avenue from the Opera House.

According to city property records, Everett’s Antaeus Holdings LTD purchased the 13,792-square-foot Opera House from Stonerick LLC on June 24 for $150,000. The same day, he purchased a home at 27 Clinton St., which is behind the Opera House, also for $150,000, from the same seller.

The residential property could be used to help with parking.

All told, Everett acquired 11 Laconia properties for $3,716,000 last month. Most of these properties are apartment buildings. He didn’t immediately release his plans for property other than the Opera House.

Everett also owns a number of other pieces of real estate around the city, including another in Lakeport, at 41 Elm Street, which he purchased for $250,000 late last year from Fred Wernig.

The building adjacent to the Opera House, 777 Union Avenue, at which Jilly’s Bistro once operated, was purchased in April for $102,000 by a company called Rockshow II LLC. People who were refurbishing the 2,772-square-foot single-story brick building declined to say on Monday what business will be operating there.

Meanwhile, Lakeport Landing has put a boat showroom on the corner of Elm Street and Union Avenue in a project that includes an old city fire station that was on the site. The company also recently erected a new boat storage facility nearby.

The Opera House sits on a 0.2-acre lot and was originally constructed in 1885. City property records show the first floor at 4,552 square feet and the upper story at 9,240 square feet.

Several years ago, a previous owner, Gerald Horne, said a community theater group looked into restoring the theater, but abandoned the project when it learned the cost of renovation alone was $1 million.

The Grand Drape, which is about 20 feet wide and 13 feet high, was previously recovered from the Opera House. It was painted by John Gannon of Boston in 1907 and depicts a scene of treeless mountains, a church near the water with a castle-like structure atop a mountain in the center of the scene. In the foreground, a young woman is carrying an armful of sticks along a winding road.

The theater once seated 350 people.

Historian Warren Huse said the Lakeport building was originally owned by Joseph Moore and his son, David.

He said the second-story stage hosted plays by local groups as well as traveling companies, minstrel shows, concerts, vaudeville shows and local social events.