Varscona Theatre could see demolition next year

The Varscona Theatre may be partially demolished next year, says the organization that runs the iconic Edmonton theatre.

Jeff Haslam, with Varscona Theatre, confirmed that they asked the city to partially fund a project that could lead to the replacement of parts of the existing building.

"We want to build for them something that respects what weve had in the past, our beautiful fire tower and a lot of structure which is pretty sturdy and replace some of the stuff thats really falling apart," Haslam said.

Haslam said the building is due for some major renovations.

"[It has] hugely leaking roofs and antiquated systems," he said. "We had a big rain storm in May and it literally soaked the lobby, but they built these old fire halls pretty sound so theres a lot of structural things that will stay."

The theatre is asking for $6 million, with $2 million coming from the municipal, provincial and federal government.