Mar 28, 2016 2 min read

Preservationists are seeking an injunction in Washington County Court to halt the sale of the historic Coyle Theater in Charleroi to an economic development group.

Charleroi Area Historical Society and two of its members, Nikki Sheppick and Kenneth Thompson, filed the motion for a hearing on the injunction request Monday, claiming the pending sales agreement with the Middle Monongahela Industrial Development Association violates the bylaws of the charitable organization that owns the property, court records show.

The plaintiffs believe the building’s owner, the Mid Mon Valley Cultural Trust, has a charter that does not allow its assets to be sold to a third party whose goals do not include preserving the theater, which was built in 1891 at 331 McKean Ave. as a burlesque house.

The screen in the 1,000-seat theater went dark in 1999.

The lawsuit originally filed Feb. 8 also names as a defendant Donna Vesely, who was president of the trust when the sales agreement was reached in late December with MIDA. Sheppick and Thompson were also members of the trust and were allegedly ordered by Vesely to stop their efforts to restore the theater.

MIDA announced last week it merged with the Mon Valley Progress Council under a new name of Mon Valley Alliance.

John LaCarte, who was president of MIDA at the time of the tentative sales agreement with the trust, declined to commment.

Sheppick, who is chairman of the historical society, declined comment on the petition. Vesely could not be reached Monday.