Regent Square Theater bought by Concept Art Gallery

The lights in the Regent Square Theater are back on. The movies are not.

Concept Art Gallery, a next-door neighbor on South Braddock Avenue, has purchased the former theater. The gallery plans to use the additional space to expand operations, including two project spaces for emerging and established artists.

The 85-year-old theater is still intact. There are seats and a screen but all of the projection equipment has been sold. The theater had closed and reopened its doors more than once and has been idle since late 2019.

Alison Oehler, who co-owns the gallery with Sam Berkovitz, said the deal was finalized on Thursday. The price paid for the building was not disclosed.

The Regent Square Theater, which opened in December 1936, was most recently owned by the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media and operated by its Pittsburgh Filmmakers arm. In November 2019, PCAM closed the theater and ceased operations at the Harris Theater in Downtown, as part of financial distress.

Oehler said she was excited about acquiring the property while also feeling sad about losing a place that showed art house movies.

“The space would allow us to expand our business a bit if it was going to stay closed. If it was going to reopen, we would have been thrilled about patronizing the theater,” Oehler said.

As it stands, Oehler said Concept Art Gallery will use the newly acquired space to increase its footprint in Regent Square.

“It is exciting to envision the possibilities that this additional space will afford us,” said Oehler. “We’re excited to do some exhibitions with some emerging artists and local artists. The hope is that we can use the lobby space and potentially some of what is the existing theater space as additional exhibition space. The actual theater space we hope to use as an additional photo studio.”

The gallery will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022, making it one of the longest running commercial gallery spaces in the U.S. The gallery exhibits the work of regional, national, and internationally recognized artists.

“At the 50-year mark, and especially during the past year with the pandemic, we feel fortunate to be in a growth phase,” said co-owner Sam Berkovitz. “Our business has changed and adapted multiple times since 1972.”