The fate of the Rotunda Cinematheque in Hampden, also run by Kiefaber, has not been set, but an announcement is planned for this week.
Kiefaber and Baltimore officials have been working on a plan to turn the Senator into a nonprofit community center that would serve as more than a movie house, and the theater has been used in recent weeks for concerts and educational purposes. The city has offered an interest-free loan of $320,000 to a nonprofit that would take over the Senator and operate it in the black, but no such group has been found.
"There needs to be an entity that can take ownership of the theater and generate enough revenue to cover expenses and the debt," said Deputy Mayor Andrew Frank. "There's no group that I am aware of that can step in and do that at this point. But we are open to any and all proposals."
The city and private citizens have come forward in the past with support for the theater, a showplace for many Hollywood movie openings. In February 2007, when the bank threatened foreclosure, nearly $110,000 was raised, mostly from private contributions. The bank, however, faces its own financial troubles, and officials say it must act now.
At least three members of the community have said that they would be interested in running the Senator and continuing to show movies.
"This was a very difficult decision made after a great deal of soul-searching and deliberation with our key management staff and my family," Kiefaber said in a notice published on the Friends of the Senator Theatre Web site.
A hearing on the preservation commission's proposal is set for 1:30 p.m. April 14 at 417 E. Fayette St., eighth floor.
Baltimore Sun reporter Sam Sessa contributed to this article.
