Metuchen Buying The Forum Theatre

METUCHEN, NJ — The Borough of Metuchen has entered into a contract to purchase the historic Forum Theatre, something Mayor Jonathan Busch called a "significant step" in the creation of an Arts District.

The purchase of the theater is just one step in what's likely to be a lengthy process. The Borough is also looking to purchase the adjacent gas station, and said formal negotiations on that will likely start once the contract on the Forum is finalized (the deal is still under contract and subject to the review process before the sale is closed).

Metuchen will pay $1.399 million for the theater, Busch said.

"This agreement was reached after months of constructive and ultimately productive negotiations and we are grateful to [previous owners] the Loewy family for their service to our community for 37 years. Over the next couple of months, a variety of experts will carefully inspect the theatre as part of our due diligence effort to identify any possible issues that might require further investigation," said Busch.

Middlesex County had previously approved a $3.5 million grant to help pay for the development of the district. Some goals include refurbishing the theater, and possibly building a restaurant.

"The idea would be for the Forum to be run by a professional theatre management company to host live music, film, family programs, live comedy, dance, lectures and many other art forms. Whenever necessary, the Forum could also host large town hall-type public meetings and be available for private rentals and special events," Busch said when the idea for an Arts District was first announced.