Owner of Forum porn theater seeks different development

The owner of the defunct Forum Theater building hopes to redevelop it into residential and commercial space, his attorney said Monday.

In a declaration that the controversial porn venue at 22d and Market Streets is gone for good, David Fineman said the Forum's landlord, Richard Bastiano, had requested development proposals from "various developers."

Fineman said any new project would not include pornographic businesses.

Both the Forum and a property Bastiano owns at 2132 Market St. could be demolished to make way for new development, Fineman said. Until recently, the property on the 2100 block of Market housed Les Gals, which featured nude dancers and other adult entertainment.

Anthony Trombetta, who operated both the Forum and Les Gals, did not return calls seeking comment. His businesses were licensed in 1975. Trombetta was convicted that year on federal charges of transporting women across state lines for prostitution.

In September, Bastiano's company, STB Investments, sued Trombetta for failing to pay about $29,000 in rent. An eviction notice was issued to Trombetta on Nov. 30.

The Forum was once part of a large section of Market Street that catered to the down and out and the publicly libidinous.

But as Center City began its revival, many of those businesses disappeared, and community leaders developed a strong distaste for the Forum, which served as a sort of seedy billboard for visitors arriving from 30th Street Station.

Today, that stretch is home to the high-end Murano condominiums and a Trader Joe's grocery that constantly bustles with shoppers.

Pat Toy, who lives in the area, was one of many neighbors who fought a 2010 effort by Trombetta to expand the Forum to include a stage for live nude dancers and private rooms for one-on-one "booth sessions." Eventually, Commonwealth Court prevented the expansion.

On Monday, Toy was excited to hear that the Forum was gone for good.

"That is great," she said. "That is the best thing that could happen."