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The Guild Theatre, at 829 S.W. Ninth Ave., is finally getting some needed attention. As part of a larger renovation of the adjoining building, the theater and its entrance will be altered to provide compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Portland Design Commission sent the project back for more study on replacement windows for the adjoining building, but was receptive to the proposed theater changes.

鈥淲e are preparing it for a new tenant,鈥� said Eric Li, project architect for TVA Architects.

The largest change in this early stage is to make the pitch leading to the building low enough that an exterior ramp won’t be needed. The biggest changes people might notice will be cosmetic ones to the exterior.

鈥淲e are not changing the storefront,鈥� Li said. 鈥淓verything is being patched and repaired. The marquee is being brought back to its original condition. We are adding ADA(-compliant) restrooms and a ramp.鈥�

The building was designed by Luther Lee Dougan and built in 1927. It originally operated as the Taylor Street Theatre before becoming the Guild Theatre in 1948 after J.J. Parker purchased the building. It was last renovated in 1956.

The 5,000-square-foot building hasn’t been used since its previous tenant, the Northwest Film Center, vacated in 2007. A new, unnamed tenant has leased the building but plans for use have not been released.

The developers told the Design Commission that plans to restore the building to its original condition were 鈥渘ot in the offing.鈥�

Architects with Peter Meijer Architect, the firm designing work on the adjoining building, told the commission that plans are to keep the theater and storefront unchanged as much as possible and then wait to see what other changes must be made.

They told the commission that the new tenant has 鈥渆xpressed some exciting ideas,鈥� but nothing has been finalized.