For years, the Harbor Theater on 2nd Avenue in Two Harbors has sat vacant, while community members and local performing arts groups have wondered about the future of the building. The theater originally opened around 1940 and closed in the 1980s. Though it opened again for a brief window of time between May 2014 and June 2015, the Harbor Theater hasn’t heard the sound of excited moviegoers or smelled the buttery scent of popcorn for far too long.
Now, however, this historic theater has another chance. Two-tour Army Veteran (Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait) Matthew Unzeitig recently purchased the building, with the goal of restoring and turning it into a “multipurpose gathering and entertainment space for everyone in the community.” Unzeitig moved to the Two Harbors area with his two sons, ages five and six, a few years ago. He has a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, years of experience as a karaoke DJ, live sound engineer, and in restoring abandoned houses. Currently Unzeitig is halfway through restoring his third house.
When asked why he chose to purchase the theater, Unzeitig replied, “Fun! And Two Harbors needs more things to do. Especially families and especially in the winter.” Unzeitig likes to “save buildings from falling down. I love live sound and karaoke. I love old movies that have cultural and moral value. I want to help make our world a better place. It just made sense for me to have this place [the Harbor Theater]. The previous owner sold it to me because he liked my vision.”
With the goal in mind of creating a multipurpose gathering and entertainment space, Unzeitig is asking the community to fill the space with content. While he has some ideas, and plans to rent the space for private parties, he would like to see “a lot of youth activity…youth are the most susceptible to getting in trouble if they have nothing to do.” Besides youth, Unzeitig wants family events, and “maybe the city band wants to do a winter concert series?” In the future, he hopes to add housing units to the building for long-term financial stability.
The first step in the restoration process is a new roof. After the roof is installed, Unzeitig needs to finish up a few other construction projects before he can “get back to working on the theater.” Just a few of the things that need to happen include new siding, restoration of the front entrance to how it looked decades ago, new carpeting, and new paint.
“I’d like to see Two Harbors step up and help me get the place ready to open to the public,” Unzeitig said. As new life is being poured into a treasured building, Unzeitg invites anyone who would like to help to give him a call – his phone number is posted on the front of the theater; or visit the Harbor Theater Company facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/people/Harbor-Theater- Company/61562025952953/.
