The Victory Theater closed its doors in 1978 and has been slowly deteriorating ever since. In September 2008, the city of Holyoke transferred ownership of the theater to the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MIFA). The group plans to renovate it, reopening it as a performing arts center.
Photography workshops by Abandoned America and photographer, David Manch, of Silver Crescent Photography have been held there to raise money for the project. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop recently, and we were led to believe that it might have been the last, as construction for the new center is under way.
Here are some shots…
