The North Park, the landmark theater marquee on Hertel Avenue, is about a month away from being lighted again.
The theater is dark right now, with paper covering the glass areas in the front doors as work goes on inside.
Lawyer Thomas Eoannou and restaurateur Michael Christiano have had workers inside since June doing everything from plaster repair to installing large sections of new seats.
"It was in much worse condition than we expected. It's an old theater," Eoannou said.
"It's a labor of love and we're restoring all the plaster and we're loving every minute of it, right down to the original color."
As the people who have spent years repairing the landmark Shea's Buffalo Theater know, rehab like this doesn't come cheap and can be something of a moving target. On Hertel, the work has cost more than a half-million dollars already.
Eoannou says the changing technology means a very expensive new electronic projector ($96,000) is replacing film projectors.
"We will go hat-in-hand to the state and ask if they will help us because there is some art funds out there but most of the money is coming from Mike Christiano and myself."
Small and landmark theaters across New York are out raising money for the new projectors because film goes away in January and it will all be computer projections.
