Bay Street Theater Finds a New Home in Sag Harbor

In Sag Harbor, The Bay Street Theater has announced it will build a new, permanent home at its recently acquired property at 22 Long Island Avenue . The purchase of the property, with a 15,000-square-foot, mixed-use building, officially closed last week close to its $13.9 million asking price. Douglas Elliman’s  Enzo Morabito  and  Adam Rothman  represented the property since it went on the market in July and handled the sale. Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center will be the nonprofit professional theater’s first purpose-built home. Multiple theaters are planned, including a main stage, and it will feature dedicated space for Bay Street’s year-round educational programs for children and adults. The facility will also include a center for new work development, a shop and scenery storage, special events, and professional development initiatives, as well as outdoor performance and public spaces. Now in its 30th year, Bay Street also serves thousands of students each year and partners with more than 30 local nonprofits annually. The Friends of Bay Street and Sag Harbor Redevelopment, a separate nonprofit organization, has been created to oversee the site’s development, which included the property purchase. The group will also oversee financing, fundraising and design. Friends of Bay Street will work with the nonprofit theater and its Board of Trustees on the new building’s development. The location of the new complex will offer residents and visitors access to the revitalized waterfront and even more space for productions and community offerings,” —Adam Potter, Founder and Chairman of Friends of Bay Street. Groundbreaking is not expected until mid-2021 and completion is slated for 2023. “The creation of a permanent home for Bay Street has long been a goal for all of us at the organization, and I’m thrilled that, along with the Friends of Bay Street, we are able to build upon the work of our visionary founders Sybil Christopher, Emma Walton Hamilton and Stephen Hamilton, to make that dream a reality,” said Tracy Mitchell, Bay Street’s executive director. “I’m incredibly grateful to Bay Street Theater’s Chairman, Steven Todrys and the entire Board of Trustees for their support and leadership at this incredible juncture as we enhance the artistic contributions we make to the field and the home we provide to our wonderful community.” “Today is a foundational next step in the history and ongoing trajectory of Bay Street Theater as well as for the Sag Harbor community. The location of the new complex will offer residents and visitors access to the revitalized waterfront and even more space for productions and community offerings, expanding the Theater as a hub for engagement and creativity,” said Adam Potter, Founder and Chairman of Friends of Bay Street. “Not only is the project an investment in the future of both Sag Harbor and non-profit theater, it allows Bay Street Theater to expand its role as a major cultural, civic, and economic resource in the region.”