Paul Revere Williams, "architect to the stars," designed the former church in 1939. (Reno/Tahoe Visitor.com)

In Reno, Nev., sometimes land is worth more than what's on it.

The owner of a church designed by African American architect Paul Revere Williams thinks it has found a way to raise money to renovate its 1939 building as a theater: Move the National Register-listed building and sell the empty lot.

In December, the nonprofit Lear Theater Inc. offered the 1.25-acre riverfront site for sale for $22 million. To replace the church, California-based developer Marcus & Millichap, which is marketing the property, has proposed a 372-condo tower with shops, a restaurant, and a 50,000-square-foot space for the theater group.

"By [potentially] moving the theater across the street, we solved a lot of problems," such as the building's oft-flooded basement, says Dan Rosenblatt, executive director of Lear Theater Inc. "With the money we were going to get from the sale of the property, we would be able to restore the old building 100 percent."

It could cost roughly $9 million to move and restore the former First Church of Christ, Scientist, Rosenblatt says. The group, which paid the church $1.1 million for the building in 1998, has been planning to open the theater for almost a decade and has raised almost $9 million from donations, including $1.1 million from Moya Lear, the theater's namesake.

Lear Theater Inc. wants to move the building 500 feet east to city parkland. Rosenblatt has met with city officials, structural engineers, and the state historic preservation office, and all are supportive of the relocation plan, he says.

If and when a developer buys the land, Rosenblatt says it will take only a year to move and open the theater. In the past two years, the nonprofit has replaced the church's roof, repainted the exterior, and removed its lead paint. "It's a gorgeous building," Rosenblatt says. "The money, if it happens, is going to allow us to get the theater done."

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