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Restorations
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February 9, 2017
Birmingham, AL - Carver Theatre, a Birmingham cultural icon, may finally be restored
From AL.com: The restoration of the historic Carver Theatre is moving forward just weeks after portions of the 4th Avenue Business District was included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.
Last year, the Birmingham City Council approved spending $4.3 million on capital improvements to the city-owned structure. The process hadn’t moved forward, though, until this week when leadership of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, which operates the facility, met with city leaders to go over the budget for the planned work.
Bishop Jim Lowe, president of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame board of directors, said he hopes renovations will be complete in 12 to 18 months.
That timeline, though, may be too optimistic as the project hasn’t went out to bid yet, and the allotted city funds likely won’t pay for all of the improvements on the board’s wish list.
The historic Carver Theatre, owned by the city of Birmingham since 1990, is a non-profit multi-use community-based theater, which houses the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame museum.
Hundreds of internationally recognized artists have performed at the Carver Theatre, and each year, more than 100 area school children receive tuition free jazz instruction and performance opportunities at the venue.
The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame now wants to restore the aging theater to its 1940s grandeur and capitalize on the 4th Avenue Business District’s inclusion into the National Park system.
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January 31, 2017
New York, NY - The Urban Lens: Inside the Village East Cinema, one of NY’s last surviving ‘Yiddish Rialto’ theaters
From 6sqft.com: 6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, award-winning photographers James and Karla Murray return with a look inside the spectacular Village East Cinema. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at tipsRegency Bruin Theatresqft.com.
Moviegoers at the Village East Cinema located on 181 Second Avenue may be surprised to learn that they are visiting a recently restored New York City designated landmark. The Village East Cinema has a fascinating history as one of the last surviving “Yiddish Rialto” theaters along Second Avenue in the East Village. Today, the cinema is known for premiering many independent films and an eclectic mix of art and commercial releases. The theater’s most significant visual aspect, however, is its main auditorium’s ornate and colorful ceiling, which is regarded as having one of the most remarkable works of plaster craftsmanship displays in New York City.
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January 25, 2017
Auburn, NY - Auburn Schine Theater owners refine mission as project remains stagnant
From Auburnpub.com: After a stagnant 2016, the Cayuga County Arts Council has taken steps early in 2017 to reinvigorate its long-running restoration of the Auburn Schine Theater.
The seven-member council board completed a work session Jan. 7 with former Auburn Mayor Melina Carnicelli, according to a recent news release. The board emerged from the three-hour session, held at Beardsley Architects & Engineers in Auburn, with new mission and vision statements. The former declares the council’s commitment to restoring the 1938 art deco theater “by engaging community partners”; the latter describes the council as “a sustainable downtown business located in the historic Schines Theatre that promotes, educates and supports the expression of talent.”
The council, the release continues, will reach out to community members this year to fill various committee positions. In a Friday phone interview, council Vice Chair Dia Carabajal said the areas in which it could most use that community assistance are fundraising and communications, as well as the council’s already existing building committee. That committee’s chair of almost two years, Tim Kerstetter, left the council at the end of his term in December because he could no longer make the time commitment the project requires, he said Friday.
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January 7, 2017
Jersey City, NJ - An Inside Look At The Stanley Theater’s Celestial Restoration
From Jersey Digs: When it opened in 1928, The Stanley Theater in Journal Square was one of the greatest old movie palaces and the second-largest on the East Coast, next to Radio City. Presenting both orchestral and stage shows plus Hollywood new releases, it quickly became a cultural hub in the bustling Journal Square neighborhood.
“This was a refuge for the people of Jersey City,” notes historian Richard Polton. Designed by architect Fred Wesley Wentworth in a grand Venetian theme, the theater continued to thrive into the 1960s, with entertainers ranging from The Three Stooges, Jimmy Durante, Tony Bennett, Janis Joplin and Dolly Parton, to The Grateful Dead. By the 1970s, however, the theater, like many of its kind, suffered from disrepair and became a grindhouse.
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January 4, 2017
Winnsboro, LA - Winnsboro’s Historic Princess Theatre Restoration
From myarklamiss.com: Winnsboro’s historic Princess Theatre is in need of some repairs that are estimated to cost over half a million dollars.
The theatre has been closed to the public since Septmeber due to safety concerns.
City officials say the theater was built in 1907, and after 100 years of entertainment and memories, the low sloping roof is too dangerous for community use.
The building already saw some repairs in October, on it’s air units and back rafters.
Now, the ceiling is sagging and the wood is about to give.
But the community is not willing to see their princess fall apart.
“It’s missed tremendously, and we are hoping and praying that we can come up with the funds to repair this building,” says Mayor Jackie Johnson.
“I can remember this building being here all my life. Coming here to picture shows when I was a kid, teenager, watching different shows here. It’s just memories,” says city superintendent, Phillip Robinson.
Attached are some photos of productions throughout years past.
The city council met earlier in December, deciding on the $520,000 estimate for the repairs, and hoping to get the ball rolling on roof reconstruction.
Officials say once the funds are in place, the restoration should only take about 2 months.
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November 28, 2016
Lorain, OH - Ohio city’s historic theater helping revive downtown (Palace Theatre)
From WTOL.com: A theater in northern Ohio has been restored to look like it did when it opened in 1928.
Operators of the Palace Theatre in Lorain hope the restoration will bring more people back to the city’s downtown.
The theater has undergone many restorations over the years and this summer saw another $100,000 spent on improvements.
Operations director Chris Pataky tells The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer (http://bit.ly/2fyO8BM ) the theater was one of the first in Ohio to show films with sound. It also has the largest single floor seating of any theater in Ohio.
Lorain’s mayor says the theater is a gem and he hopes to see even more events there.
The theater hosts live plays, concerts, comedians, holiday events and an occasional film.
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November 16, 2016
Clarksburg, WV: Robinson Grand restoration bids due Dec. 22; public capital campaign set in 2017
From The Exponent Telegram:
The Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center’s capital campaign will begin its public phase in early 2017 to continue raising money for the $15 million multi-use facility for North Central West Virginia.Clarksburg City Manager Martin Howe said a recent economic study shows that the renovation and restoration project for the former theater will have a $32 million impact over the first five years of its operation.
It is slated for a soft opening in the spring of 2018. The formal opening is planned in the fall with a national headliner, according to Kathleen DuBois, planning and capital campaign consultant, who has been working with the project team since Nov. 2015.
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November 15, 2016
Mt. Clemens, MI - Historic Emerald Theater to open in December
From The Macomb Daily: A benefit concert involving WDVD-FM (96.3) is the first show on the schedule for the historic Emerald Theater in downtown Mount Clemens, venue and radio station officials said Monday.
Blaine’s Not So Silent Night featuring morning radio personality Blaine Fowler and other musicians will be held Dec. 15 with proceeds benefiting Children’s Miracle Network and Beaumont Children’s.
“This will be our first show here since we took over the property,” said theater owner John Hanna.
Hanna, owner of Royal Oak-based Hanna Development & Management, is in the process of renovating the interior and exterior of the 95-year-old theater.
Crews have been working to install a new floor and new bar on the inside, and a new marquee on the front of the Walnut Street venue that will have an emerald as a focal point. The work is nearing completion, he said.
“The heavy lifting is done,” Hanna said. “We’re remodeling the former Rock Room and are trying to address a ton of details. Things are looking good.”
The new marquee will be erected sometime in the week after Thanksgiving. Crews are working to prepare the front of the building for the sign. For the first new show in the theater since it was purchased earlier this year and renovated will be a benefit and hosted by contemporary hits radio station WDVD-FM (963.) and will feature several bands including the Blaine Fowler Experience.
“We are very excited to celebrate the season at the newly re-opened Emerald Theater with ‘Blaine’s Not So Silent Night’ starring Blue October, Wrabel and the BFE,” WDVD program director Robby Bridges said in an email.
Although Hanna’s focus now is on finishing the restoration, he is looking at a possible New Year’s Eve event at the Emerald, but no details have been released. More events are expected to be announced in early 2017.
Hanna Development purchased the theater as a “distressed property” from Revere Capital, LLC, which obtained it when the previous owners, Wally Mona and Marc Beginin, filed for bankruptcy last year.
The theater was designed by C. Howard Crane, the acclaimed theater architect who designed Detroit’s Fox Theatre and Orchestra Hall along with New York City’s Radio Music Hall. It opened in 1921 as a grand movie palace and vaudeville performance venue.
Over the decades, it morphed into other uses.
Hanna’s family-owned development company runs several properties in Oakland County but his prime pieces are in Royal Oak, including The Fifth, an 18-story residential complex, the Royal Oak Music Theater, Goodnite Gracie martini bar and D’Amato’s Italian Restaurant.
His long-term vision for the county seat in Macomb County begins with the Emerald. He recently purchased the Denver Building on Macomb Place and is considering a number of other properties. He also has purchased the former Johnny G’s restaurant, with plans to make it a Mexican restaurant called El Rey.
“There is a ton of potential in downtown Mount Clemens,” Hanna said. “I’d like to help make it more of a walkable downtown, I think that’s where its strength would be at.”
Despite Hanna’s low-key, under-the-radar approach, his actions have already made an impact on the city, according to Michelle Weiss of the Mount Clemens Downtown Development Authority.
“He’s doing an amazing job on the Emerald, it’s taken on a whole different look from the old theater,” Weiss said. “We believe in our city and we believe John will unlock the greatness. I think we are in for a major improvement thanks to him.”
Tickets for Blaine’s Not So Silent Nite are $9.63. For more information on the event, visit 963wdvd.com
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November 14, 2016
Metropolis, IL - Lunch raising money to save and restore historic theater
From WPSDlocal6.com: Community members are sharing a meal Sunday to help save an area landmark.
Dozens of people turned out in downtown Metropolis for the annual Save the Massac Theatre Luncheon, helping breathe new life in to the old theater.
Inside Happy Hearts in downtown Metropolis, community members and city leaders are packed together for an afternoon meal. Denese Peebles, an organizer with the Save the Massac Theatre group, has been helping to raise money through small events like this one for eight years, working toward saving and restoring the Massac Threatre.
“Bake sales, pork burger lunches, luncheons, everything. But we got the money together,” Peebles said. Sunday’s luncheon may seem small but for every brownie and cupcake sold, it’s helped to raise thousands of dollars to save the Massac Theatre over the years.
“The theater is just kind of an icon, I can remember going to shows when I was in high school and I just think it would be a wonderful thing to save. We need a good theater in town,” said Janet Foster, a Metropolis native. She and her family are here not just to get a meal but to give back to her hometown community.
The theater sits old and broken now but after years of fundraising, the group has saved it from demolition, replaced the roof and piece by piece are bringing it back to its former glory.
“I mean, the miracle of the movies, when I was a kid it took you someplace else and now we’ll be able to bring that back to our small town,” Peebles said. She says they’re currently raising money to lay new brick inside. But in a few years, they’ll be ready to reopen the theater’s doors to the community for good.
After opening in 1938, the Massac Theatre closed its doors in 1978, according to members of the Save the Massac Theatre group. Their goal is to restore the theater an reopen it for use by the high school as well as an operational movie theater in the next five years. Its restoration is being paid for through community donations and grant funding.
The next event to benefit the theater will be held Dec. 8 at the Community Center in Metropolis. Organizers say it will be a ham dinner cooked by the Metropolis Mayor.
For more information on the theater, visit them on the website here http://www.savethemassac.com/ on the Facebook page here. https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheMassacTheatre/
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October 18, 2016
Flint, MI - Historic finds uncovered as Capitol Theatre renovations continue
From Mlive.com: It’s a landmark that’s been around longer than most Flintstones.
Yet, not even experts leading the restoration know all the hidden secrets the historic Capitol Theatre holds.
“Very often on historic restoration projects, we hear about the conditions that you find that make things more complicated or add time or add money,” said Jarret Haynes, CEO of the Whiting Auditorium. “But sometimes, you find things that you say, ‘Wow, we didn’t know this was here, and we could refurbish this restore this and even more bring back the character of this lobby of what the original design intent was.’”
Haynes said the latter has mostly been the case with the $32 million Capitol project, which began when The Whiting and Uptown Reinvestment Corp. acquired the building in July. The Whiting will manage operations at the Capitol.