Revitalization of former Calderone Theater in St. James takes a step forward

The revitalization of the historic St. James Calderone Theater, an early 20th century vaudeville venue, continues with a second phase in efforts to transform the building into a vibrant arts hub.

Now called the Celebrate St. James Center for the Arts, the theater is in the midst of a multitiered rebuilding effort. Last summer, Celebrate St. James, the nonprofit that runs the theater, completed the first phase of renovations using a $211,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner  Foundation, a Riverhead nonprofit. The work included replacement of the building’s leaky roof with a new metal one, where solar panels will be added. The theater also installed a lift elevator. 

A second phase is underway, which undertakes $200,000 in interior upgrades. The centerpiece of the plan is a new movie museum. The work will be funded by a private donation, nonprofit officials said.

Built in the early 1900s, the theater on Second Street has roots as a vaudeville venue that featured comedians, magicians, musicians and other acts. The Calderone family, which operated a chain of theaters on Long Island, later purchased the theater and ran it for decades. 

Natalie Weinstein, executive director of Celebrate St. James, said in an interview that work will start in August to replace heating and air conditioning systems, add new bathrooms and create the framework for the museum. The theater will be closed in August, Weinstein said.

The hope, officials have said, is to convert the decades-old building into a more energy efficient structure. The nonprofit had struggled with deteriorating heating and cooling systems as well as rising energy costs. 

The museum will feature the historic sites of St. James and highlight the hamlet's links to theater and the arts, officials said. An interactive exhibit of the St. James train station will be featured, according to Weinstein.

St. James, she said, has “always been a vaudeville and theater town.”

“It will be really highlighting the vaudeville life and the music history, and also the historic sites," she said. "It’s so exciting that we’re actually catching up to the history that was in this building.”

Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week that renovating the theater “is a major component for what will be the renaissance of St. James.”

The hamlet has been the focus of several town initiatives. Infrastructure upgrades include new sewer mains and roadwork along Lake Avenue.

The town finalized plans to buy the building in 2024 using Suffolk County JumpSMART funding. Smithtown owns the building, while the nonprofit maintains and operates it.

Wehrheim said the renovations “and every effort that we took and everything we did will benefit the St. James community and the Smithtown community at large.”

 Before the ribbon cutting last week, the nonprofit previewed several of its plays and musicals as part of a special program: The Lighthouse Repertory Theatre Company performed a part of “South Pacific" and previewed “Shadows Rise,” an original rock musical about the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution. 

There have been seven successful shows since the renovations began, with another five planned for later this year. Once the renovations are complete, Weinstein said she envisions the new theater becoming a thriving arts hub that anchors the community.

“What we hope to achieve will be a more comfortable, clean, air-conditioned place to meet. But it’s going on right as we speak,” Weinstein said.