Dreamland entrance altered for disabled access
DEVELOPMENTS
BY PETER B. BRACE INDEPENDENT WRITER
The Historic District Commission has ruled that disabled movie patron access to the theater through its main entrance on South Water Street is more important than preserving the negligible historic character of an eight-inch step.

Dreamland owner Haim Zahavi agreed to lower the main entrance of his theater to the sidewalk by removing an eightinch concrete slab installed in the 1950s. He no longer needs a variance from the state's Architectural Access Board for what was to be a ramp..

The commission voted 4-1 last week to allow Dreamland owner Haim Zahavi to, among other changes, lower the level of the main lobby to the sidewalk so the disabled can get in and out of the building with the same ease as non-disabled movie buffs.

Mickey Rowland, chairman of the Nantucket Commission on Disability, said he was pleased that the HDC recognized the need for fairer access to the Dreamland over an architectural element that was installed in 1950s.

"I'm very happy with it; it's exactly what I wanted," said Rowland. "My only focus there was the access. It has nothing to do with the rest of the property. It's just getting in the front door."

Bedar's previous design, which the HDC and Rowland did not like, was an entryway split in half with a ramp on one side and the concrete step on the other with half of the entrance remaining as is. Because of the hurried congestion that ensues once a movie ends, Rowland worried that disabled patrons could be injured leaving the theater.

The one dissenting voice on the commission, HDC Chairman Dirk Roggeveen, said he sees the logic of lowering the lobby floor to sidewalk level, but not if it sacrifices the historic appearance of the 177-year-old-building.

"I voted against it on a very small issue," Roggeveen said. "I thought that making the entrance handicap-accessible, but maintaining how able-bodied people entered the theater was important and [because of my] memories of going into the theater, I felt that lowering the building changed the whole presentation of the theater. "I think there's varied interests here that takes balancing and I think there's merit to that."

Needless to say Zahavi's Architect, Andy Bedar of BKA Associates of Brockton, Mass., was very happy with the HDC's decision. It means he no longer needs a variance from the state's Architectural Access Board to make the entrance accessible to disabled persons.

In order to get going on the building - Bedar is hoping work can begin in about three weeks - he must secure a connection permit for the Dreamland's sewer line before getting a building permit from the Building Department.

"What happens now is we have a sewer fee to pay," said Bedar. "We have an existing six-inch sewer line and we have to qualify that and then it goes to Marcus Silverstein. Once Marcus looks at these drawings - three to five days - we still need an AAB variance for access to the restaurant on the Easy Street side and the unisex bathroom in the theater lobby on the main floor."

Bedar said on Friday that he is very confident about getting these two variances from the AAB. He met with the contractor that day, which Zahavi has yet to formally hire and added that together, they will take great pains to ensure the project is done correctly by including HDC Administrator Mark Voigt and Building Inspector Bernie Bartlett on all onsite meetings and salvaging and reusing any building materials they can.

"The idea is not to rush these things," he said. "The idea is to do these things properly. We're going to have 1,000 eyes on us, so we want to go first-class

on this in terms of communications." I