Gallagher slated for demolition in wake of Student Union renovation

Gallagher Theatre may be forced to close down after 28 years to make way for Memorial Student Union renovations.

Bill Fannin, manager of the on-campus theater, said that although the closure has been in the works for a while, he is now convinced it will "definitely close."

With renovations of the 46-year-old Student Union expected to begin next July, this may be the last year the theater will be in operation.

"Our revenue has definitely been dwindling off over the past five years or so, but we have always made money or broken even," he said.

Tucked between the third and fourth floors at the east end of the building, Gallagher Theatre lacks the steel reinforcements to support the Student Union expansion.

"I think the primary reason why Gallagher needs to go is that they really need to add a floor structurally," Fannin said, adding that the UA Associated Students Bookstore may occupy the space in the future.

The architects hired to patch together plans for the new Union have already recommended that the theater be demolished, said Gilbert Davidson, last year's Associated Students president and an intern in the office of the University of Arizona's senior vice president for business affairs.

Home of brown-bag lunch lectures and midnight movies, Gallagher's lobby originally served as a women's physical education room and the auditorium as a men's basketball gym.

Marissa Rangel, a communication sophomore, emerged from the theater last night with tear-stained cheeks - though it was from the movie "Hope Floats."

"It's going to be weird not having it here," Rangel said, but added that the renovations are necessary.

Austin Brown, a wildlife sciences senior and Gallagher employee, said the UA is making a mistake by shutting the theater down.

"Gallagher is really unique - not many college campuses have a theater on campus," he said.