Efforts to transform the nearly 100-year-old Polaris Theater into a high-tech movie theater and entertainment venue just got a $50,000 financial boost from two local groups.

The Port Orchard Rotary and South Kitsap Rotary each gifted $25,000 to the Port Orchard Historic Theatre Foundation, the nonprofit that is upgrading the Polaris, at the former site of the Dragonfly Cinema, 822 Bay St. The $50,000 will be dedicated to revamping the 80-foot alley that abuts the theater — where trash containers now sit — into an attractive downtown destination.

“It’s dumpsters, cigarette butts and mud right now. It’s gross and ugly,” foundation president Joshua Johnson said.

Upgrading the space will involve installing landscaping and open seating. The area will be resurfaced and equipped with new lighting, Johnson said. Downtown visitors will be able to grab a sandwich or coffee from one of the local cafes and come there to sit and enjoy lunch, he added.

“There will be a small stage there, providing the opportunity to have acoustic musicians play,” he said, adding that food trucks could also park there and sell offerings like barbecue and shaved ice.

Once the Polaris opens, the revamped alley will be used as a breakout space during special theater events. “If we are renting the theater for private events like a film festival or a red-carpet wedding, the space can be used for a beer garden or a reception.”

To enhance the aesthetics, foundation officials plan to add “night-sky-themed” artwork. “I am working on securing funding for a mural the size of the building that goes from corner to corner,” Johnson said. “It will be one of the biggest pieces of public art in South Kitsap.”

The mural will be two stories tall and span from 80 to 100 feet. The cost of the wall art is expected to be in the range of $30,000 to $40,000, with funding coming from grants, he said.

Refurbishment of the outside area is expected to be completed in six to 12 months. “It will be an amenity that people can enjoy as soon as it’s done,” Johnson said.

The alley will be completed before the Polaris Theater opens its doors sometime in 2024, Johnson said.

“Any talk of timetables is like shaking a Magic 8 Ball at this point. There are not only issues [in] fundraising and grant writing but also with the supply chain. We put earnest money down on an HVAC system last winter that is still in a supply chain delay,” Johnson said.

An additional $500,000 to $1 million still needs to be raised to cover the theater’s interior renovations, the foundation president estimated.

Once opened, the theater will show first-run movies, cult classics and film festivals. The building will also host an array of events ranging from conferences and live comedy to musical acts and e-gaming tournaments, Johnson noted.

Interior progress

Work done so far in the theater has largely involved demolition. “The entire interior space is down to cement and studs,” Johnson said. Much of that work was accomplished during work parties in which community volunteers pulled up the carpeting and unbolted theater seats from the floor, he said.

Still on the “to-do” list is installation of a high-tech movie screen, and sound and lighting systems, Johnson said. A new stage also will be built for live performances. Fire safety improvements also are being made.

“The old theater was extremely dated. The last time it was renovated was in 1980. It felt like a theater that had paint jobs and Band-Aids put on for forty years. When people walk in [to the Polaris], they are not going to recognize it,” Johnson said. “It won’t resemble a movie theater,” he added, but the venue’s layout will be similar to that of the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton. It will sport a combination of conventional seating, and table and lounge elements.

“We will retain some of the historic seats but there will also be booths to accommodate big groups and small-top tables that will be intimate for dates,” he said.

The lobby will feature higher ceilings and a deco-inspired wine bar. “Even if you are not attending a movie, the lounge will be open so you can come in and get a drink, do a happy hour or have a nightcap,” Johnson said.

The Polaris Theater project began when Brigadoon Ventures LLC, a private development group owned by Johnson, his parents Coreen Haydock and stepdad Steve Sego, and his wife Sarah Johnson, purchased the building in June for a reported $400,000. The Johnsons also own Serotonin Creative, a public relations firm that created the “Imagine Port Orchard” promotion to raise the visibility of the city’s South Kitsap Community Events Center. Sego and Haydock are co-owners of the Dock Bar & Eatery on Bay Street.

After purchasing the theater, the owners of Brigadoon Ventures formed the Port Orchard Historic Theater Foundation to shepherd the building renovation. The eventual plan is to have the nonprofit purchase the Polaris and operate the theater, Johnson said.