Planet Fitness Is Taking Over the Upper West Side's Old Metro Theater

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After months of speculation, West Side Rag has confirmed that Planet Fitness will be taking over the old Metro Theater on Broadway between 99th and 100th streets. Vacant since 2005, Upper West Side residents hoped it would eventually become an arts center for the community after the Alamo Drafthouse, a Texas-based theater chain, gave up on its theater plans for the space (they're headed to Downtown Brooklyn instead)

"After working on this for more than a year, we're extremely disappointed that Metro Theater will not come back to life as an arts space. However, I'm relieved that the building façade will be restored in an historically sensitive way and that this space will not continue to sit vacant," Councilman Mark Levin told the neighborhood blog.

He didn't go into further detail on how a $10-per-month gym will go about this "historically sensitive" restoration, so neighbors will just have to wait and see.