Naming Rights For Old Ritter's Diner Up For Grabs Through Fundraiser
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IRWIN (KDKA) -- The old Ritter's Diner is in need of some repairs, so the new owners are offering an interesting prize in exchange for donations.
One of the great honors a person can have is to have a building named after them, whether it be an auditorium, stadium or medical center.
You have a chance to have something named after you, if you are so interested. It's a diner.
It sits, like a ghost from the past, perched on a cement pad next to the Lamp Theater – the old Ritters/Station Square Diner from Pittsburgh relocated to Irwin.
"Now that it's here, we have to do something with it," Lamp Corp. President John Gdula said.
The not-for-profit Lamp Theater and Irwin Project acquired the monument to art deco to fill a need: expand the theater's concession area into the planned courtyard. But the diner, which was purchased for about $100, needs some work and cash. That's where naming rights come in…
"Right now, the naming rights for the diner itself go for $25,000," Gdula said.
Individual or with a group, that money gets the name you want in lights. Don't have $25,000? That's OK. Smaller donations can have the heating system, some décor, or even the seats emblazoned with the title of your choice.
"That money will all be poured right back into the diner," Gdula said. "The actual roof needs reworked here. Some of the underpinnings need redone, and then the actual fitting of the furniture inside the diner will have to be purchased … Can't wait to see what we can do, but we have to start with the money first."
The Lamp Theater's incredible renovations are bringing national acts in, which means more people visiting Irwin. Planners see the brushed aluminum diner as another jewel in a growing crown, and if all goes well…
"If everything goes right, we will have this open June 15 of 2018," Gdula said.
If you're interested in donating or possibly having the diner named after you, visit the Lamp Theater GoFundMe page: GoFundMe.com/lampdiner
