Gala To Honor Paramount Theater Owners

Huntington Historical Society’s 28th annual “An Evening of Wine Under The Stars” fundraising gala will honor The Paramount owners, from left, Dom Catoggio, Jim Condron, Stephen Ubertini and Brian Doyle, in recognition of their adaptive transformation of a circa 1927 vaudeville house  into a modern concert venue.

The Huntington Historical Society has announced the selection of The Paramount owners as honorees at this year’s “An Evening of Wine Under The Stars” fundraising gala. The event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 6 under a tent on the grounds of the historical Dr. Daniel W. Kissam House and Barn property in Huntington village.

The Paramount was selected in recognition of its successful restoration and adaptive re-use of the 1927 Huntington Theater by owners Brian Doyle, Stephen Ubertini, Jim Condron and Dominic Catoggio. The restoration breathed new life into a major downtown structure and has helped to bring a new vitality to the village, according to the Historical Society. In addition, The Paramount’s VIP Founder’s Room, located inside the concert venue, is always a popular stop on The Historical Society’s Walking Tours and Pub Crawls.

“It’s such an honor to be recognized by The Huntington Historical Society. We thank you for bringing recognition to the theater and our efforts to restore it,” co-owner Stephen Ubertini said.

At 91 years old, the one-time vaudeville house that today houses The Paramount, has a rich history, co-owner Dominic Catoggio said, but added the Huntington Historical Society has been around since 1903. “We are humbled that they have chosen to honor a newcomer to the town.”

The Paramount owners hope their adaptation of a historical structure will inspire others.

“We hope our restoration project will inspire other owners of historic properties in the village to bring them back to their former glory and preserve the historic ambiance that drew us to Huntington, co-owner Brian Doyle said.

“It’s wonderful to be able to honor the music heritage of Huntington and at the same time, be able to look toward the future and help discover great talent,” concluded co-owner Jim Condron.

Historical Society Executive Director Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano said that mix of old and new is one of the things that made The Paramount stand out to the selection committee.

 “We are really excited to be honoring The Paramount. We love the restored building and The Founder’s Room, where there are so many secrets in plain sight,” she said. “I love discovering more at every Walking Tour and Pub Crawl.”

Huntington Historical Society’s “An Evening of Wine Under the Stars” is the non-profit organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year and features a lavish cocktail hour, buffet dining featuring Huntington’s finest restaurants, lots of raffles and a silent auction. This year the Society has teamed up with OneCause (formerly BidPal) to facilitate bidding on the silent auction. “So, bring your fully charged phones to The Kissam House and join in the fun of online bidding,” Fortunato-Napolitano said. “I am so enthusiastic to bring OneCause to The Huntington Historical Society. I have worked with their software system and it really is the wave of the future to use on your phones.”

Fine wine, great food, live music, craft beer, exciting raffles, and of course, fascinating history will be on tap at “An Evening of Wine Under the Stars.” The Sept. 6 gala starts at 6:30 p.m. Businesses that wish to show support can chooses sponsorships at many different levels. For sponsor information or tickets, call 631-427-7045 ext. 405.