news-record.com

GREENSBORO — The Community Theatre of Greensboro wants to buy the downtown Masonic Temple and turn it into a performing arts center.

The non-profit theater company has an option to purchase the historic building at 426 W. Market St. from the Masons, Community Theatre executive director Mitchel Sommers said Thursday.

Community Theatre would use the building for shows, rehearsals and offices. It also hopes to make it available to other nonprofit community arts organizations for office and performance space.

The theater company will decide by year's end whether to exercise the purchase option, Sommers said. He declined to reveal the asking price, but said that the group will have to raise the money to buy it.

Although Community Theatre has offices and rehearsal space in the downtown Greensboro Cultural Center, it does not have its own performance space. So it rents other venues for its shows.

It first became interested in the temple in 2005, when it presented "Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in its Egyptian-styled Scottish Rite room.

"I told them that we absolutely loved the building, and if they were ever thinking of selling it, call us," Sommers said.

Contact Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane at 373-5204 or dawn.kane@news-record.com. Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com