I live very close to The Senator Theatre. I am a volunteer there and a leader in the Friends of the Senator organization.

I must respond to your recent article "WTMD Bid to Take Over Senator Draws Concerns" (Jan. 29). Among those of us actively engaged in trying to ensure the Senator's preservation for future generations, it is the proposal from the operator of the Charles Theatre, Buzz Cusack, which is drawing concerns.

As the architectural drawings he presented at a public meeting show, Mr. Cusack's proposal would needlessly knock two holes in the walls of the outer lobby, and it would turn the ladies' lounge and restroom into a restaurant. These are unnecessary changes to a significant historic building on the National Register of Historic Places. Worst of all, they cannot be reversed once it becomes clear that Mr. Cusack's proposal will not work.

A single screen theatre showing first-run films is simply a business model that does not work. Thousands of them have gone out of business all over the country. The Senator has survived, thanks to the Kiefaber family's hard work, investment of personal funds and good stewardship. It will likely not survive another for-profit owner.

Historic theaters are expensive buildings to maintain and restore. All over the country, most of the ones that are surviving in good condition have been taken over by non-profits, which can raise money through capital campaigns to maintain and restore the buildings. A for-profit owner is simply not going to put in the millions of dollars that it will take for the Senator to survive for another 70 years. WTMD would put the Senator in the hands of a non-profit. WTMD's proposal is vastly superior to the alternative.

Laura Perkins, Baltimore