The Arcadia Fund

After the Arcadia Theatre burned in June 2006, BelmontNA contacted the owners of the building with a very unusual request...

Give BelmontNA the surviving marquee sign. We will use it to raise money for community projects such as Resident Parking Only. The funds could only be used to improve the quality of life for residents within the BelmontNA.

In late November 2007, just two weeks before the theatre was to be demolished, Dunhill Partners gave BelmontNA permission to remove the sign. Shortly after the sign was put in storage, the Kilgore & Kilgore law firm contacted BelmontNA about buying the sign for installation on the facade of the MADI Museum in Uptown, which also houses their offices.

The sign was sold to the MADI Museum for $7,500, plus all expenses including renovation of the neon lighting and removal/installation. The total value of the transaction was $10,000. The sign was rededicated on March 30, 2007 during a special event hosted by the MADI Museum and Kilgore & Kilgore.

In addition to the funds provided by Kilgore & Kilgore, United Towing donated $500, and another $750 was raised in a raffle featuring donations from businesses all along Greenville Avenue. An online contest was held to choose the young person would pull the switch. Ariana Ladd, who lived in the Lower Greenville area at that time, was the winner.

To date, the Arcadia Fund has been used to pay for

• The Association's IRS Non-Profit designation 501(c)4




• Digital video camera and editing software




• Website expenses




• Printing expenses for events and neighborhood notices




• Resident parking only for nearly a dozen streets in the BelmontNA neighborhood