A historic movie theater in the Park Place neighborhood will become the permanent home of Team Norfolk Boxing in the coming years, city officials announced.
Norfolk plans to purchase and renovate the 1940s-era Rosna Theatre on 35th Street. The city will buy the theatre for $712,000 with an additional $2.4 to $3.2 million for renovation costs, according to a release.
The 12,500-square-foot property is owned by Riverview Development Group LLC. Property records show Richard Levin is the manager of the entity. The property is valued at $391,300, according to city real estate assessment records.
“The 35th Street corridor is one of the most exciting redevelopment areas in the City,” Jared Chalk, Norfolk’s economic development director, said in a statement. “Bringing youth and athletics together within the community and in close proximity to additional amenities such as Old Dominion University and the Virginia Zoo is a way to enhance and grow this neighborhood.”
The 750-seat Rosna Theatre opened in 1942. It became a “Cinerama” theater with a curved screen and showed films such as “My Fair Lady” and “Zorba The Greek,” according to published reports.
The space will house the boxing program, allow for the potential expansion of a wrestling program and offer private events, the release said.
The city is proposing to revamp the space with two regulation boxing rings, training equipment, teaching space, exercise equipment and a footwork area. In addition to the boxing club, the space will have a lobby to host Team Norfolk Boxing meetings, community meetings and youth programs.
Norfolk also includes plans for a new restaurant in the same building with windows to view the boxing club.
Team Norfolk Boxing is temporarily operating at Park Place Multi-Service Center. It was moved from Harbor Park in June.
The boxing program is globally recognized, with two Olympic medalists as alumni — the late Pernell Whitaker, who won gold in 1984; and Keyshawn Davis, who captured sliver in 2020 — and two others who were Olympic coaches.
Norfolk officials have other improvements in store for the Park Place neighborhood. They announced plans to redevelop a strip mall on the 27th block of Granby Street.
The City Council will consider several options for redevelopment there, according to a release. The purchase price for the property is $1.15 million.
The property is owned by Chao And Yun, Inc. and valued by the city at $838,000, according to real estate assessment records.
“Today’s announcements highlight our ongoing efforts to strengthen the Park Place neighborhood,” Mayor Kenny Alexander said in a release.
“There is no question that Park Place is experiencing a resurgence thanks to efforts from residents, civic groups and private corporations. We are happy to complement those efforts and we look forward to making similar strategic investments across the city,” Alexander added.
Daniel Berti, daniel.berti@virginiamedia.com
