The Elma Theater is set to get a makeover and will be restored to its original appearance both on the inside and the outside. Closed since 2013, the theater’s new owner, Edna Porter, hopes she can bring the theater back to its glory days and provide the community with an arts venue they can be proud of.

Porter grew up in Portland and lived in Vancouver before moving to Elma in 2015 to be near her daughter, Tracy Miner, and her family. She first got wind of the Elma Theater when preparing to move to Elma and said she has wanted to provide a service to the theater ever since.

“Before I moved to Elma, I was intrigued by the Elma Theater. Stagecraft was a significant part of my high school years,” she said. “I spent much of my free time working behind the scenes on many school productions. Ever since then, the theater and theaters have been important to me.”

Porter learned this spring that the theater was for sale. The theater, which opened in 1927, had been up for auction last December but received no bids. She got the chance to walk the theater before deciding to purchase and noted the poor condition it was in.

“It was a very sad sight,” she said. “The roof caved in several years ago. As a result, the stage floor has rotted and also caved in. There is severe water damage throughout the building — not only the auditorium but the two storefronts as well.”

Porter also said the theater’s metal surfaces have rusted and that mold covers almost the entirety of the theater including curtains, backdrops, costumes and seats.

“Even so, through all the rust, rot, mold and muck, the original grandeur of the theater is evident,” Porter said. “The art deco style of the interior has extensive stenciling across the ceiling, the walls and the proscenium that frames the stage.”

She bought the building for about $9,300.

She plans on refurbishing the theater in a way that will retain its original look both inside and out. The first step in doing so is to make the needed repairs.

“The first priority is to replace the roof,” Porter said. “Then, the entire interior of the building will need to be gutted. All that art decoration will be destroyed. The theater will have to be rebuilt from the ground up.”

That means wiring, plumbing, lath and plaster and anything else one could think of, according to Porter. Before the construction work can begin the building must be inspected by a structural engineer. Porter is currently searching for someone qualified to perform the inspection.

Porter said she’s never done anything like this before but expects the most challenging part of the endeavor to be funding the Historic Elma Theater Restoration Project. She said it will be set up as a charitable nonprofit organization and that the project will need help from grant writers who have experience on similar projects.

“My goal is to restore the theater to its original standing and function in the community as a venue for performing arts, live theater, concerts, cinema and dance recitals,” Porter said. “That includes bringing back events that were important to the community in the past.”

Porter is encouraging community members to share photos, videos, posters and memories of events that took place at the theater. Insight from the community will go a long way in planning the reconstruction, Porter explained. For more information or to relay photos or memories contact silkpainter89@hotmail.com or send photos to The Historic Elma Theater Restoration Project, P.O. Box 1422, Elma, Wa 98541.

Porter hopes the renovations can be completed by Oct. 1, 2027, which would mark the 100 year anniversary of the theater’s opening in 1927. However, she noted the sooner the work is done, the better.

“The community needs to know that this will be their theater,” Porter said. “I want people to feel a sense of ownership. That will be accomplished by people, young and old, getting involved in the project.”