Burton Theatre gets more neighbors inside quickly filling old school building

Joel Landy's one busy guy. As reported in Model D last week, he is currently transforming several vacant buildings on Cass Ave. south of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. into viable commercial buildings. Meanwhile, the developer is working to fill the Burton School with tenants -- one of which, the Burton Theatre, is already fairly well-known around these parts.

Former classrooms are filling up, with seven now occupied by artists, no-profit associations and a computer company. There are 33 classrooms in total, along with other usable space such as a kitchen. "These are the most comfortable, workable art studios you've ever been in," says Landy. "The building is turning out really well." A recent improvement was the addition of wheelchair access.

Landy, who had always dreamed of operating a movie theater, found a "marriage made in heaven" with the quartet that is running the Burton Theatre, and has hopes that the school's gymnasium eventually becomes a second screen for the operation.

Source: Joel Landy, Cass Avenue Development
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh