1920s South Bend theater facing demolition

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — A downtown South Bend theater dating from the 1920s could soon be demolished to make way for a library expansion project.

The South Bend City Council voted 7-1 Monday night against a proposal designating the boarded-up Avon Theater as a landmark. Preservationists argue that many of the city's older buildings have been torn down and that the theater could be rehabilitated.

The South Bend Tribune reports library leaders say the theater is structurally unsound after being vacant for decades.

Library director Don Napoli says designating the theater as a landmark would have blocked plans for expanding the library. The library is paying a contractor nearly $70,000 to remove terra-cotta tiles from the theater's facade for possible reuse.