SAFFORD — The Safford Downtown Association is one step closer to finishing renovations of the Historic Safford Theatre, thanks to the United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties.
The local United Way was at the Theatre Wednesday to present the Downtown Association with a check for $180,000.
“I think it will complete the construction, and get us within 5 percent of our final goal,” said Danny Smith, board president for the Safford Downtown Association.
After construction is complete, the final work will focus on audio and video components. Total cost of the project is estimated at about $1.1 million.
The Safford Theatre began life as an open-air theatre in 1911, eventually adding a roof, before closing for good in 1975. IN subsequent years, fire and vandalism destroyed much of the building until the nonprofit Gila Valley Historic Preservation Committee stepped in to try and save the Downtown feature.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
The committee fund-raised for about 12 years before merging with the Safford Downtown Association in 2019, when Smith took over as lead on the project.
“Credit (the late) Bill Lewis especially, for keeping the project alive and not letting it be completely torn down,” Smith said, adding that Susan and Dave Duros also deserve credit for donating the building for preservation.
Also moving the project forward is the contracting firm Kouts and Sons. Led by the late Safford Mayor Jason Kouts, Kouts and Sons has been performing the construction work at cost, and returning the building to an open-air theatre, to reduce the financial burden.
The United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties makes grants to nonprofit, educational and governmental organizations thanks to donations from Freeport-McMoRan and Freeport employees, employees of the City of Safford and Graham County, and individual donors.
Editor’s note: Reporter David Bell is a board member of the Safford Downtown Association.
