The Somerset County Cultural Arts Center, an organization formed the same year as Hurricane Floyd, has agreed to buy the 14,000-sf theater building and an adjacent 3,000-sf warehouse and turn it into a performing arts showcase. And because it's part of the community's effort to rebuild itself, the project has plenty of government backing.

The US EDA, for example, is providing $2.4 million in hurricane recovery assistance, according to SCCAC executive director Gerry Appel. The New Jersey EDA, meanwhile, is providing a 10-year, $600,000 loan at an initial interest rate of 3%, with interest only due for the first 12 months. The Somerset County Board of Freeholders is also kicking in a $200,000 grant, according to Appel.

Opened in 1927 as a vaudeville house, the Brook Theater later became a movie house. SCCAC's proposed uses include professional and amateur theater productions, dance and music presentations and arts incubator activities. Completion and reopening of the facility is slated for early 2005.