The Boyd Is Back In Town...Almost

The Boyd Theater was once a magnificent movie palace. However, for the past six years it has been shuttered and rusting in its snug spot at 1908 Chestnut Street. Live Nation owned it last and ceased its planned renovations in 2006. Now, the Inquirer reports that there's a new buyer in the mix, and they have big plans for the crumbling theater.

According to a report that should be music to the ears of members of the Boyd advocacy group Friends of the Boyd, local development company ACHWheeler has reached a sales agreement with the Boyd's previous owner that would put the building in their hands by late November. After that? A 30-story hotel, two restaurants, live acts booked by Live Nation, and convention-style events.

The plans could really turn the decrepit building into the rug that really pulls the room together (to paraphrase The Big Lebowski) when it comes to Chestnut Street between Broad and the Schuylkill River. Retail venues and a somewhat rotating menu of bars and eateries dot the stretch now, but nothing really stands up and takes charge of the scene the way a renovated, expanded Boyd would. But, as any Friend of the Boyd will tell you, hope has manifested itself before, only to evaporate into the humid Philadelphia summer. So don't hold your breath until you see the gnarled traffic that's so familiar to Philadelphians caught in Center City construction zones.

Image via Flickr user kchbrown.