Dollars rule in new owner’s plans for 1 Kelley Square

The Vernon Theatre -- a long-closed silent-movie theater once eyed by a group of local film and theater buffs for renovation and revival -- will likely be converted into apartments by its new owner.
That is a disappointment to a group of local filmmakers and theater performers, who had hoped to convert the space into a community gathering spot where films could be shown, plays could be seen, and poets and writers could discuss their work.
In 2013, the group, led by Barbara Guertin, a Worcester producer, actress, founder of American Classic Theater and co-founder of the local theater group ACT IV, had a plan to bring live theater performances back to the Vernon.
But it was apparently not to be.
Edward J. Murphy, principal of a limited liability corporation called Baystate Investment Fund, Inc., purchased the building at 1 Kelley Square and an adjacent 50-car parking lot for $1 million.

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