This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Like other vintage, one-screen movie houses, the Avalon Theater at 3605 S. State St. has had to reinvent itself in recent decades to survive. Former owner Art Proctor built a stage in front of the screen and hosted hypnotist shows in the 1990s.
Then, in February, Corey Adams and a partner bought the nearly 60-year-old Murray-area theater and turned it into an all-ages concert venue and community church. But less than a year into the new venture, Adams says he is weeks away from being run out of business by the City of South Salt Lake.
City officials say Adams has been told repeatedly the theater violates building and fire codes, and they are working with him to bring the structure into compliance.
The theater's doors already have been closed for almost two months, forcing Adams to move his concerts to Salt Lake City's Club Sound and In the Venue. The Avalon was shut down after South Salt Lake Fire Marshal Bruce Shoemaker found attendance at an Oct. 27 concert exceeded, by 328 people, the building's maximum occupancy of 500.
Shoemaker also discovered that seats - which dictated the occupancy - had been removed. Raising the occupancy level would require expensive upgrades with fire sprinklers and a smoke-control system, Shoemaker says - so he asked that seating be returned.
Because the old, red theater seats had been discarded, Adams installed plywood benches to appease the city. But he's been asked to submit more detailed plans so South Salt Lake can determine if the floor plan meets safety standards and is wheelchair accessible.
City inspectors also have complained that the building has no heat - Adams removed a furnace he says was not functional - and that other work has been done to the structure without the proper permits or approval.
The city wants Adams to obtain a business license for the concerts he holds, but his application is on hold until he complies with the city's other requests.
"Every time they come in here, they put new things on the list. It's a merry-go-round," says Adams, who has been in concert promotion for 15 years and also is part-owner of Saltair, a concert venue on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake.
"We've complied with every request they've given us," he says. "They are running us out of business, and I would love to know why."
Although the alcohol-free venue has never had a fight or an arrest, Adams says South Salt Lake doesn't want to have a place in town where youth congregate at night.
Deputy City Attorney Janice Frost says the city is not pursuing these actions to put Adams out of business.
"Our biggest concern is that we need to have a safe venue for the kids to go to," Frost says. "We do not want a reoccurrence of what happened in Rhode Island" when nearly 100 people at a heavy-metal concert perished in a 2003 fire.
The community church - it hosts a few different religious groups on Sundays - and the concert venue will be able to resume operations once Adams has presented complete, detailed plans for work he has done and intends to do on the building, Frost says.
"He's kind of put the cart before the horse: doing the work and then wanting the city to approve it," she said.
Steve Auerbach, general manager of Salt Lake and Sandy branches of the Paul Green School of Rock Music, has used the Avalon to stage his students' concerts. He hopes the theater is able to open again soon.
"Kids need a positive place to go for shows," Auerbach says. "If the Avalon's out of the game right now, the only place that offers that is The Circuit in Midvale.
"Salt Lake City is in dire need of an all-ages venue - I mean dire. Even though The Circuit is a fantastic venue, . . . we'd like to be able to do stuff uptown."