JOHNSONBURG, Pa. -- In its time, the Elk County opera house was a one-of-a-kind building between New York City and Chicago. When it originally opened in the 1940s it was used as a movie theatre.

It shut down in the 1960s and was transformed into a storage garage.

Roman Blashaw bought the building from his parents and now wants to open up the entire building. Blashaw told Channel 6 News he would like to turn the basement into a bar and grill. He also wants to reopen the opera house as a convention center used for live performances.

Blashaw is now in the process of finding investors or grant funding to pay for the project. He hopes to have the project off the ground within a year or two.