Honda of America Mfg., Inc. has awarded a $225,000 grant to assist in the renovation of the Avalon Uptown Theatre in Marysville, Ohio.

The Marysville Uptown Theatre LLC (MUT), a non-profit 501(c)3 entity, has a primary mission to renovate The Avalon Uptown Theatre, creating a “must experience” movie theatre and community event center in the heart of historic Uptown Marysville.

The Avalon originally opened in 1936 with a seating capacity of 510. Over the years, a number of groups operated the movie theatre, most recently Marysville Cinema, which closed in 2009.

Last fall, the MUT established a fundraising goal of $2.6 million, and began fundraising and community awareness efforts after receiving building estimates from a local architectural firm.

“We are pleased to support this local effort to enhance Uptown Marysville, and again offer residents and visitors the experience that a theatre has to offer,” said Bobbie Trittschuh, manager of community relations at Honda of America Mfg. “Honda has supported restoration projects for historic theatres in our region, so we are pleased to be able to include the Avalon project in our community support.

With the Honda grant and other funds raised to date, the organization has raised 25 percent of its goal for the theatre renovation.