he Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is exploring options for a proposed movie theater in downtown Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

With plans to convert the former Bally Total Fitness Club property on Sixth Street near the Renaissance Hotel, the project could cost $11 million, estimated Kevin McMahon, the Cultural Trust’s president and CEO, according to the P-G. The location was once Gateway Theater until closing in 1980.

The organization has approached Landmark Theatres, Bow Tie Cinemas, and Rick Stern, owner of the Manor Theatre in Squirrel Hill, the P-G reports.

Landmark, co-owned by Mt. Lebanon native and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, operates 53 theaters with 255 screens in 27 markets. Bow Tie operates 50 locations with about 400 screens.

Bow Tie’s CEO Joe Masher also is board president of the Theatre Historical Society of America that in January bought the Hollywood Theater in Dormont.

The Cultural Trust recently received a $750,000 state redevelopment assistance capital grant for the theatre and has applied for a $2.25 million state grant, according to the P-G.

As funding is still being put in place, no construction date has been set.

By Stacey Federoff – Digital Producer, Pittsburgh Business Times

PITTSBURGH, PA – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is in discussions with three separate entities about returning a movie theater to Downtown Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the organization has had talks with several entities about operating the theater. They include:

Landmark Theaters, co-owned by Dallas Mavericks owner and Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban.
Bow Tie Cinemas, whose CEO is Joe Maher, board president of the Pittsburgh-based Theatre Historical Society, the group that recently purchased the Hollywood Theater in Dormont.
Rick Stern, owner of the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill.
The trust would like to convert the former Bally fitness club on Sixth Street next to the Renaissance Hotel into a first-run multiplex. The site once housed the Gateway Theater.

But trust president and CEO Kevin McMahon told the newspaper there’s no timetable for starting construction or choosing an operator.