NEW ORLEANS — The Bywater’s century-old Happyland Theater has built a cult following since it was resurrected in the last ten years. Now, it is asking the community for help as it raises funds to repair weather damage. The City of New Orleans is threatening hefty fines if it does not.
“It spooked me, for sure,” said Jeff Mattsson, Happyland Theater’s owner. Earlier this month, he said he received a letter from the City listing several code violations, including damage to the building’s siding.
A spokesperson from the Mayor’s Office told WWL Louisiana the City “has not identified this a property for demolishment.” If Mattsson is not able to make the repairs in time for the next hearing date, however, he could face regular fines and other consequences.
Happyland Theater opened on Burgundy Street in 1914 as a cinema. Movie posters from the era are still pasted above the rafters and tatters of the original curtain still hang above the stage. In 1957 it closed and was then used as a storage warehouse for decades.
Then, in the early 2000s, Mattsson was biking by and noticed the door open. He asked whether it was for sale, and soon bought it. He spent the next ten years clearing out the variety of junk that had accumulated. “A Chinese restaurant had closed down in Eunice and they stuck everything in here, the chairs, the deep fryers,” he said.
In 2015, the theater held a “soft opening,” and now hosts a wide range of music and other artistic events. “The Puppet Festival every year,” said Co-Owner Melissa Clark, “we’ve done swing dance, we’ve done a bazillion things over the years.”
The theater is also unusual in that it relies on community donations. Benjamin Lyons, a music producer involved with Happyland, explained that it gives musicians more freedom to perform “what they want.” “There’s very few spaces left like that because of real estate pressures,” he said.
The profit structure also means Happyland is looking to the community for help to fund the repairs. The worst damage is on the side of the building, where some boards have completely worn through. “It’s mostly letting water in, and looks bad,” said Mattsson. The City also told the theater to repaint some parts of the exterior and cover up graffiti.
The property’s next hearing date is set for November 11th. If Mattsson does not make the repairs by then, the City spokesperson told WWL Louisiana he “will be fined by the administrative hearing officer” and could have a lien placed on the property. If they are still not made two months after that, he “will have to face a Daily Fines Hearing where a $15K fine/lien will be further assessed.”
A GoFundMe for the theater has raised thousands of dollars already out of its $20,000 goal. The theater’s Instagram page says there are also benefit concerts in the works. “I’m optimistic,” said Mattsson, “we’ve had a lot of support from the community at large.”
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