Treasures of the temple

Luzerne County Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo uttered “amazing” when he stepped inside the historic Irem Temple in Wilkes-Barre.

Councilman Brian Thornton described it as “awesome.”

Neither had been there before, and they joined colleagues LeeAnn McDermott, Tim McGinley and Gregory S. Wolovich Jr. last week as part of council’s ongoing tour of federal American Rescue Plan recipients.

The visits are being scheduled to show the public the uses of $55 million in American Rescue awards to 113 outside entities.

Council earmarked $500,000 toward the project to restore and repurpose the North Franklin Street structure to house an open-floor music/event venue and a museum showcasing local history.

The nonprofit Irem Temple Restoration Project Inc. owns the property, and several board members walked council through the space while showing them artist renderings of how they are confident it will look someday.

Constructed in 1907-08, the facility served as the primary performing arts venue in Wilkes-Barre and the Wyoming Valley region throughout the 20th century.

Through this project, the Irem will offer 6,000 square feet of seat-free flat space appealing to performers that demand this type of venue, such as jam bands, electronic dance music performers and heavy metal/hard rock bands often focused on younger audiences, the nonprofit says.

The 460 balcony seats will remain intact.

Other possibilities for the main hall are weddings, trade shows, a winter farmers market and flea markets, board members said.

“This is how we’re going to pay the bills,” the nonprofit board’s Chairman Christian Wielage told council as they entered the main hall.

A kitchen is not planned, which will provide opportunities for caterers and local restaurants, Wielage said.

Nick Dye, of D&D Realty, is helping the nonprofit as an unpaid consultant due to his company’s proven experience renovating and repurposing old structures in the city’s downtown.

“Standing here, you can really see what it could be,” Dye told council members.

The group proceeded to the high-ceiling basement and other areas slated to feature a time-lapse “living map room” and exhibits of local historic artifacts and memorabilia — including many objects stuck in storage by preservationists due to a lack of display space, said Wielage and nonprofit board treasurer Dale Parmenteri.

The nonprofit is involving local high schools, higher education institutions and historical societies in creating museum content, they said.

While the concert/event space is expected to bring in the lion’s share of revenue, the museum will “bring foot traffic all day” to the downtown area, Wielage said.

County American Rescue funding is covering roof repairs that are more than half completed and will wrap up by the spring, at latest, Parmenteri told council.

The nonprofit is seeking a $300,000 casino gambling-funded grant to install an elevator and new windows.

Parmenteri has said the total budget to restore the building has been set at $10.5 million. If the committee receives all the funding it has applied for, it will leave only a $1 million gap to finish the project, he has said.

Council reaction

Standing before the stage, Lombardo was pleased to verify the original ornate fixtures and finishes will be restored, when possible. Murals of desert scenes and other artwork above the stage is largely intact.

“It was really nice to know something like that, which was surely a labor of love, will be brought back to life,” he said.

He also was impressed with the plans to reuse each space.

Preserving local history and structures was one of his campaign priorities when he ran for the council seat, saying this architecture makes the area unique.

Thornton said he looks forward to attending events at the building.

“I’m very excited about it. I can’t wait until it’s done,” Thornton said. “It looks like it’s going to be a tremendous building and destination spot for Wilkes-Barre that will be great for the city and whole region.”

McDermott vaguely recalls being in the building for an event in grade school.

“It’s a shame to see it in the state it is in now, but like they said, the bones are good,” McDermott said. “The biggest thing was repairing the roof, and the county was able to help with that.”

While the project cost is daunting, McDermott said the board members appear certain they will obtain an affordable mortgage and bring in enough revenue to make the plan sustainable.

“Seeing it and hearing what they have to say, I think it’s a wonderful thing for the area,” McDermott said. “I can’t wait to see it when it’s done. I really can’t.”

Like Lombardo, Wolovich is a history buff and wholeheartedly supports the museum concept and plan to retrofit a landmark structure for both current entertainment and recognition of the past.

“Many people don’t know the amount of history we have in our area,” Wolovich said.

Looking beyond the peeling paint, McGinley said he was impressed with the building itself.

“I think there’s great potential there. I think it’s very workable, but it will take a lot of hard work and, as always, money,” McGinley said.

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, also participated in the tour and told council members the structure is a distinctive surviving example of the Moorish revival style of architecture.

The brick, mosque-like structure has towering minarets and is topped with a dome distinguished by decorative markings. The facility served as the primary performing arts venue for the Mecca Shriners, a Masonic organization.

Pashinski said the project will draw tourists to the city and show how this region stood out historically.

“People forget that Northeastern Pennsylvania coal energized the country for over 100 years,” Pashinski said. “This region played an important role in history. It’s something to be extremely proud of.”