Cracks run upward from the ground up the wall of the historic Egyptian Theatre in downtown Coos Bay. The corner on the back side of the building is starting to show problems from weather damage and age. World Photo by Madeline Steege

COOS BAY — The city of Coos Bay knew it was buying a building in need of repairs when it purchased the Egyptian Theatre in 2006.

Nearly three years later, the city staff knows exactly what’s wrong with the theater. They just aren’t sure how to go about fixing it.

Engineers from Pinnacle Western Inc., of Roseburg, inspected the theater in September. They found plenty of problems, ranging from a sinking foundation to roof leaks.

Pinnacle recommends installing a new roof, adding support piles under the floors and reinforcing the west wall, though the repairs aren’t urgent enough to warrant closing the theater.

Carl Nolte, the city’s engineer, isn’t surprised by these findings. He said they offer little more than confirmation of what the city could have guessed on its own, which is why he wants the city to contract with another firm. He said he expected the report to feature a blueprint for how the city might fix the problems without disturbing the Mighty Wurlitzer organ.

“It’s talking about what we can do but not how we can do it,” he said.

The other question is cost. A previous report suggested the repairs would require at least $200,000, though Pinnacle Western didn’t outline any costs.

Rick Shearer, chairman of fundraising and membership of the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association, which operates the theater for the city, said the group is willing to seek grants to finance the repairs. The problem is that most foundations want to know how much a project will cost to make sure they aren’t footing the entire bill.

“Until we have a figure, we can’t do anything,” Shearer said. “We’re kind of at a standstill.”

The theater group has made some improvements, including a refurbished heating system that was completed in September.

The theater also has started a fundraising campaign to build an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathroom on the ground floor. Shearer said the attendance figures at the theater have been down somewhat this fall from last year, though stronger than over the summer. He said he thinks the theater would be able to attract larger crowds if potential customers knew they wouldn’t have to climb two sets of stairs to use a bathroom.

Aside from getting sufficient funding, the theater needs to hire an architect to prepare plans to demonstrate the bathroom won’t affect the building’s other structural concerns.

Shearer said he doesn’t think the bathroom should be a problem since it would be built in an area of the theater away from the most significant problems. The engineer’s report said the west part of the theater, the end with the stage, is where most of the settling has occurred.

“The settlement is severe enough that it appears to be causing damage to the structure,” it said.

It also said there have been several re-roofings that should be removed and replaced with a new roofing system.

The report stops short of suggesting the building is dangerous. On Monday, city officials said the association can continue to feature films and other events at the building on South Broadway.

With attendance down, Shearer said the theater group has tightened its budget while looking for new ways to attract audiences.

Maintenance projects have been delayed, while free events are being scheduled. Also, the theater will feature a recorded ballet performance of “The Nutcracker” in December.

“We have to diversify,” Shearer said.