It didn't come in a Christmas stocking, but the $400,000 check delivered last week to a Zelienople nonprofit group promises to fulfill a 6-year-old plan to restore a defunct though quaint theater in the little Butler County borough.

"We've got something to celebrate, that's for sure,'' said Ron Carter, executive director of The Strand Theater Initiative.

The grant came from the state Revitalization Capital Assistance Program through the Butler County Redevelopment Authority. It had been announced a year ago but was given to the nonprofit group last week.

"We've got the money in the bank, and we're ready to start knocking down walls,'' said Mr. Carter, of Cranberry.

He's been working since 2001 to arrange the financing and plans for a restoration of The Strand, an old-fashioned Main Street-style cinema that closed around 1984. It was built in 1914 as a silent-film house and a vaudeville center.

Mr. Carter and those working with him hope to return the decaying building to its roots.

The idea is to use The Strand one day as a cultural center and cinema that would feature films and live entertainment.

The nonprofit has raised $600,000 and, combined with the $400,000 state grant, has enough cash on hand to demolish the interior, build a new floor, reorient the stage, arrange seating and install new heating, air conditioning and wiring.

"When we're done with the first phase, we'll have a usable building,'' said Mr. Carter, who estimated the current value of the property at $200,000.

He said he hoped to begin construction in the spring and have the structure ready for occupancy before the close of this year.

"They've done an amazing job,'' said Perry O'Malley, executive director of the redevelopment authority. "No only will Zelienople Borough have a new gem on Main Street to be proud of, but thousands of citizens will soon be able to access another cultural venue in the county." He credited state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, for "shaking the money tree in Harrisburg and bringing home the funds for a worthy project."

In a news release from the authority, Ms. Orie is quoted as saying: "When The Strand Theater Initiative group approached me to help, I was pleased to be of assistance. Their enthusiasm and dedication and the obvious importance of saving and renovating The Strand theater on Zelienople's Main Street is vital to our region."

Mr. Carter said he is working with Moss Architects, of East Liberty, to find a contractor and that he will begin the municipal approval process in the coming weeks. "We're anxious now that we have all the money in place to get moving,'' he said.

Meanwhile, fund raising will continue for the second phase of the project: construction of a stage and stage house and other interior work, as well as a possible parking deck. Mr. Carter estimated the second phase at $3 million.

He said it wouldn't fulfill his vision to use the building only as a cinema.

"We see this as having great potential as a cultural and performing arts center. There's programming out there that wouldn't fill a Heinz Hall or a Benedum, but that would come to a smaller venue and be welcomed by people,'' he said.

He said the "explosive" growth of northern Allegheny and southern Butler counties has created a marketplace for such an enterprise.

The nonprofit group bought The Strand in 2002.