So far, the project has cost well over a million dollars. Adib said the cost and time for the renovation have been three times as much as he originally estimated. Many times when the work crew opens something up, three hidden things to fix pop up. He said it would have cost less if he had built an entirely new building the same size as the Villa. However, he never considered that an option.

"Everything is not about money. Some things you just do because they're right. The theater is one of those," he said. "I'm glad to have preserved it, even with the cost."

He has made great effort to preserve the feeling of the theater for people such as Mendenhall, the architect for the project, and Richard Achter, the general contractor, to remember it from days past.

"As a small child I used to watch movies at the Villa. When I got the opportunity to work on the building, I couldn't turn it down, because it was too interesting," Achter said.

"I grew up in the Holladay area. When I was a young kid, they used to have Saturday matinees at the Villa. Parents could drop kids off, and for a couple of bucks, they kids could watch movies and terrorize the inside of the theater," Mendenhall said. "There used to be hundreds of kids in there running around. I was one of the kids terrorizing the Villa. I remember going to a lot of movies there."

Not only have the memories made the renovation interesting for Mendenhall and Achter, but the architecture and building design also have been significant.

"It's been very interesting restoring this building," Achter said. "So many different methods were used in construction. It's given me a lot of respect for the amount of work and labor that went into a building of that size and design."

As part of their effort to bring the theater up to seismic code, they've had to add steel rods to reinforce the building. Adib decided to do it from the outside in by adding Greek columns around the outside perimeter, which Mendenhall says will make it more interesting.

Support from community members interested in the project has made it bearable for Adib, especially on the days when the renovations are very frustrating. Sometimes people will come in and tell him memories they have of coming to the theater when they were younger or of how they went on their first date there and have now been married 40 or 50 years. After hearing these stories, it all becomes worthwhile for Adib.

"When I hear a few of those and how good people feel about this project, it takes away every bit of frustration. I am determined to do whatever I can to put this place together," he said