The original structure, at 24242 San Fernando Rd., was built inthe 1940s as a furniture store and later used by an auto-partsretailer. It was closed after suffering major damage in the 1994Northridge earthquake and soon became home to transients, officialssay.

The nonprofit Canyon Theatre Guild purchased the building a fewyears ago for $1.2 million and began a massive overhaul thatincluded seismic repairs and the rehab of its interior. The outsideof the building also got a makeover and now has a Western/Victorianfaçade.

Though the Theatre Guild's first live production in theremodeled complex is "Scrooge: The Stingiest Man in Town," Newhallofficials hope developers will be generous when it comes toproposing additional projects for their CBD. Though DowntownNewhall was the Santa Clarita Valley's primary business districtfor more than a century, it has suffered over the past few decades,as new residential and commercial projects popped up in surroundingareas.