AUGUSTA — In 1913, when the Colonial Theater opened, it was a hub of life downtown.

Silent films showed in the original building, regularly bringing hundreds to Water Street. Then, more modern films whirred in the new version of the theater, built in 1926 after a fire burned the first.

But Augusta’s only downtown cinema has sat mostly vacant since the late 1960s.

Not for much longer, nonprofit organizers hope.

“We’re ready for this thing to get going,” Cathy Milojevic-Kaey, the executive director of the Colonial Theater’s supporting nonprofit, said Friday in the theater’s lobby space.

The sound of drills and hammers punctuated her comments. Work continued on a new entrance area near the much larger, performing-friendly stage, now in its final stages of construction. An award of $1.5 million in congressionally directed spending, a windfall for the theater, kickstarted a new phase of renovations.

When the nonprofit’s work began in earnest in 2017, the theater was in dire condition. A leaky roof, deteriorating walls and a complete lack of upkeep left the theater in disarray.

City leaders even briefly considered demolishing the building after receiving complaints from nearby property owners. The structure was so decrepit that, for a time, the city’s firefighters were ordered to stay out of it for fear it could collapse.

Renovations, which began in response to those dire structural concerns, have been ongoing for about a decade.

Original cost estimates of about $8.5 million have been blown away, and new sources of funding have had to be identified.

Alicia Gaudet, chairwoman of the nonprofit board, said the organization has had to readjust its timeline and funding expectations; now, the hope is simply to make progress as the money becomes available.

The nonprofit soon plans to launch a $16 million capital campaign for the next phase of construction, which will include a new accessory building on Water Street, directly connected to the northern side of the theater. That new building would house the primary entrance, along with office space for staff, bathrooms and concessions space.

The goal of the expansion, Gaudet said, is to maximize space in the existing 1926 building; she said the plan is to hold 1,000 seats by construction’s end.

Gary Peachey, chairman of the nonprofit’s building committee, said that kind of capacity “opens up the doors for the type of performances that you can get,” from touring shows to comedians to musicians.

Gaudet said the impact of a capacity that large extends beyond the theater itself.

Hundreds would dine and shop downtown before and after shows — especially, she said, given plans for the theater to use downtown Augusta’s extensive existing parking capacity. That’s millions for the local economy.

“That’s been our big pitch: This could be a game-changer for downtown,” she said. “We’ve had a strong revival, but we need more. This is the renaissance we need.”

In the meantime, work has steadily marched on, as funding sources trickle in.

Private fundraising helped the building recover from imminent structural concerns, including the deteriorating condition of its northern wall and a leaky roof. The Parkhurst family, in particular, helped fund the theater project in its infant stages.

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, which has helped the project qualify for grants it may not have otherwise received.

In more recent years, doors and windows, the Water Street-facing brick wall and the metal adornment on top of the facade, have been replaced.

In 2022, the theater hosted its first ticketed show in more than 50 years. Magician Kent Axell, who grew up in Manchester, performed there to a crowd of 300.

The Colonial has also hosted silent film showings in recent years, including a showing of a film that premiered in the theater in 1920.

Transforming the space from a movie theater to a performance space has required creating a stage. When Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office secured $1.5 million in funding for the new stage with the support of the delegation, it made possible the construction of the foundation that was completed recently by contractor JF Scott.

When Gaudet walked into the theater and saw the new stage for the first time, she was stunned. The newer stage extends more than 27 feet further forward, Peachey said, to accommodate bigger performances.

“We were like, ‘Oh my God — it looks so great,'” Gaudet said.

The congressionally directed funding didn’t actually become accessible to the nonprofit until last year, but volunteers had been hard at work on securing designs and contractors for the work. Peachey has led those efforts on the building committee, where volunteers have had to contend with rising costs in materials — more than when the grant was awarded in 2023.

But that money is keeping the project flowing now, Gaudet said. She said she’s been impressed with the work of JF Scott — both in efficiency and quality.

“The good news is, so far, we’ve been coming in under budget and ahead of schedule, which is unheard of,” Gaudet said.

The nonprofit has posted advertisements for a development director position, who would run the upcoming capital campaign. Then, another fundraising campaign for a third building on the site, which would include studio space and a new restaurant.

Progress is being made, Milojevic-Kaey said, but getting to the finish line will require significant community support.

That support should be worth it, she said, for the revitalization of one of Augusta’s most historic buildings.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify the theater’s deteriorating northern wall did not collapse.