NATCHEZ &045;&045; The Historic Natchez Foundation is shooting to have renovation of the Ritz Theater, once a 1930s Art Deco-style movie house, complete by the end of 2005, according to the foundation’s Mimi Miller.

Work is almost complete on rebuilding the inside walls of the structure &045;&045; work that is necessary before a roof can be installed. The next task will be to restore the front of the building.

&uot;We’re talking to neon restorers, and we’re trying to match the glass&uot; that once decorated the front of theater, said Miller, director of preservation and education for the foundation.

Once that is done, it’s not yet clear what type of roof will be installed on the building, since it’s not yet clear for what purpose the building will be used, Miller said.

The Ritz, once a commercial building dating from 1869, was rebuilt as an Art Deco-style theater in 1935. Foundation officials have said it is important both for its architecture and its place in Natchez history and the memories of locals

It closed as a theater about 20 years ago, although part was later used as a jewelry store. The roof of the building, which had fallen into disrepair, was damaged by severe weather in February 1998, and the back part of the roof caved in three years later.

Natchez businessman David Paradise and real estate investor and Native native Burk Baker bought the Commerce Street building and donated it to the foundation for renovation.