save the St. james
calderone Theatre
HISTORY WORTH SAVING
History....more to come
Originally built as a theatre for live performances
It is believed that ground was broken for this, the third venue in town to bear the St. James Theatre name. The stucco fire-proof structure was built at a cost of $25,000 for John Brennan by Westerbeke Builders of West Sayville. Henry Kost, operator of the Sayville Theatre, leased the property for five years to expand his theatrical interests. Around the 1940’s, the St. James Theatre was acquired by the Calderone family and closed around 1950.
Purchased in 1985, in disrepair, the building was restored by its new owners, Natalie and Bernie Weinstein, for their business properties. The original tin ceiling remains and there are remnants of the stage and dressing rooms.
Celebrate St. James
Past-Present-Future
PAST
The St. James Calderone Theatre has been the location of the Celebrate St. James organization since 2017 and has been home to many events, performances, guest speakers, historical themed events, art gallery shows, a movie museum, and much more.
PRESENT
Celebrate St. James has been very active in the community during the COVID-19 quarantine of 2020 and has recently raised major funds to build Celebrate Park on land provided by the Town of Smithtown, breaking ground in the late spring of 2021. It will become a gathering place in the hamlet of St. James and a spark for revitalization of the main street and business district of Lake Avenue.
