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August 19, 2016
Charleston, IL - Willstock music festival to raise money for (Will Rogers) theater’s restoration, rehabilitation efforts
From The Daily Eastern News: In its heyday, the Will Roger’s Theater was a local hot spot for Big Bands and movies.
Now, the theater, located in the heart of Charleston, awaits restoration.
The “Willstock” music festival, set to take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Kiwanis Park, aims to benefit these rehabilitation efforts.
Funds raised from the festival will go to this project.
Though admission is free, donations will be accepted throughout the day and evening.
According to the festival’s website, organizers have raised over $30,000 of their $100,000 goal.
Earl Halbe, the president of the project board, said the community is committed to the project.
Halbe said the board’s vision for the theater once it is restored is to not only host independent film festivals and performances but to also offer a stage for Eastern and Charleston High School students.
“Will Rogers [will be] an economic anchor,” Halbe said. “[Once opened] it and the other storefronts on the block will make several jobs available, and it’s great for Charleston.”
Halbe said though the damage looks bad on the outside, the original art deco lights and features on the walls in the theater are still there as well as the original orchestra pit.
It is the only theater in the area that has an orchestra pit, Halbe added.
“People think it’s falling apart on the inside, but it’s in fair condition,” Halbe said.
The theater first opened in 1938 and the adjoining commercial block, containing four storefronts, were completed several years later.
However, the theater and four storefronts were sold in 2010, and the new owners did not finish the task of re-opening it, Halbe said.
“What we want to do is involve the entire Charleston community,” Halbe said. “We hope to, within reason, to make it exactly the way it was.”
According to a press release, The Will Rogers Theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and was designated a Landmark Property by the city of Charleston in 2011.
It was also placed on the list of the ten most threatened historic sites in 2011.
“Of course it will take some years to be accomplished but we can get it started,” Halbe said.
The festival will host several performances including headliner Charlotte Martin, a Charleston native and Eastern alumna, who has recorded several major label and independent record albums, according to Willstock’s Facebook page
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Jackson, MI - Installation process begins for 1,000 new seats in historic Michigan Theatre of Jackson
From Mlive.com: While it may eventually be moved from where it’s positioned now, employees worked on installing the first new seat at the historic Michigan Theatre of Jackson on Thursday.
The other 999 seats will be installed before the end of the fall, said Michigan Theatre Executive Director Steve Tucker. They replace 1,559 red velour seats that were installed around 1951.
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August 18, 2016
Joliet, IL - VenuWorks plans quick start at Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet
From The Herald-News: VenuWorks plans to take the management reins Sept. 1 at the Rialto Square Theatre – and begin looking for shows even sooner – after being selected Wednesday as the firm to run the theater.
The Rialto board voted 6-0 to hire VenuWorks to manage the theater.
The one possible dissenting vote – Mary Beth Gannon – was taken from the Rialto in an ambulance just before the meeting started while repeatedly coughing violently for several minutes. A friend said Gannon was having an asthma attack.
The vote on Wednesday does not immediately give VenuWorks the job.
The Rialto still must negotiate a contract with the Iowa-based venue management company.
But both sides expressed confidence they would get that done so VenuWorks could begin work Sept. 1.
“We’ve developed a good relationship with them,” said VenuWorks Chief Financial Officer John Siehl. “We want to make this work.”
Siehl said the company’s booking office will start looking for acts at the Rialto immediately.
“Probably tomorrow we’ll start making calls and letting people know that this is part of our roster,” he said.
VenuWorks manages 37 theaters, sports facilities, conference centers and outdoor venues.
The Rialto board rejected requests from a few people who asked that the selection of a manager be slowed down for a month. The call for delay came amid a push to give the management contract to Ron Onesti, who runs the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.
Onesti Entertainment was one of five companies reviewed by a Rialto committee that recommended VenuWorks and Pinnacle Venue Services as the two finalists for the job.
Gannon last week helped initiate an online petition drive urging Onesti for the job, and Onesti appeared at a City Council meeting on Monday with supporters suggesting the city intervene in the selection process.
Pinnacle in making its final presentation on Monday announced that Onesti had become part of its team and would be involved in the Rialto if the firm got the job.
The Onesti movement took another turn Wednesday when Onesti sent a letter addressed to city officials and the Rialto board calling all five management proposals “worthless” because the firms did not know enough about the theater. Onesti also urged a delay.
Pinnacle Managing Partner Doug Higgons, when asked before the Wednesday meeting, said he was not aware of the Onesti letter.
Adding Onesti to the team may not have helped Pinnacle.
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Cleveland, OH - Ohio Theatre Lobby gets restored to 1920s glory
From WKYC.com: From the world’s largest outdoor chandelier to the marquees and arches welcoming patrons of the arts downtown, the revitalization of Cleveland’s theatre district has been a long time in the making.
But there was one final piece needed to complete the puzzle, and that piece was the lobby of the Ohio Theatre.
The last of the five historic Playhouse Square theatres to be restored, the Ohio Theatre was ravaged by a fire initiated by a malfunctioning concession stand machine in 1964. Lost in the fire were the murals, ornamental plaster ceiling, wooden columns and fireplaces, and there were enough resources to undertake the full restoration project.
“Starting last summer, we took out everything that we had put in,” said Tom Einhouse, Vice President of Facilities and Capital for Playhouse Square.
“We took out bathrooms and the little foyer lobby and everything else and gutted it back to the walls, back to the brick, back to the underside of the roof, and literally, recreated everything.”
When the Ohio Theatre reopened on July 8, 1982, it had a modernized look. However, through a generous gift from the Gordon Gund Foundation, and countless hours of research of original renderings, work began on the full renovation in July of 2015.
The sculpting of plaster for the ceiling took more than 8,500 hours and the murals, which span 30 feet long and 10 feet high, were created by six artists at Evergreene Architectural Arts in New York City. Also, the chandeliers were restored, cleaned and rewired by Bruening Glass Works in Rocky River, and carpets were replicated from original drawings by Brinton’s in England.
Complete with hand-picked marble from the Vermont and mahogany columns, the new-look lobby took 11 months to fully restore, and now, with the final piece in place, Playhouse Square’s puzzle is complete.
…And what a picture it has revealed.
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Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre plans relighting ceremony for refurbished marquee
From WVLT-TV: After months of work replacing light bulbs and refurbishing the vertical sign and marquee outside the Tennessee Theatre, it’s time for the signs to light up again.
The theatre will celebrate the return of the iconic signage to Gay Street with a free open house and relighting ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
“The vertical sign is an important part of downtown Knoxville’s visual identity and our theater’s history,” Tennessee Theatre Executive Director Becky Hancock said. “After more than two months of work, we will welcome back our vertical sign and refurbished marquee, both of which will shine on Gay Street even brighter and better. We look forward to the public joining us for the celebration.”
McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects and Interior Designers is sponsoring the open house, which includes self-guided tours of the stage and backstage areas from 6:00-8:00 p.m., and organ music from house organist Dr. Bill Snyder on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Visitors can also get their portrait with the marquee thanks to a caricature artist.
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August 16, 2016
Middlebury, VT - Town Hall Theater preserves historic character of building while enlarging stage door
From the Addison Independent: MIDDLEBURY — There was only one problem with the original 1884 loading dock door at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater. It was too small to actually load anything into the theater.
“The original door gave us a 4’ by 6’ opening, far too small for the kinds of set pieces we use in productions today,” said THT executive director Douglas Anderson. “The old door was historic and lovely, but it seriously limited the kinds of productions and events we could host here at THT.”
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Pontiac, MI - What we learned from the Flagstar Strand Theatre construction preview
From the Oakland Press: One of Pontiac’s oldest performance venues is scheduled to reopen its doors on December 1 after $20 million worth of renovations and rebranding.
The Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts announced the news during its “Choose Your Seat” event held on Thursday, August 11 at the historic Pontiac venue. Guests had a chance to reserve a seat in the theater for the next three years, priced from $500 to $2,500.
The event also served as a construction preview that showcased the renovations completed to the date. Guests were given a tour of the progress made in rebuilding the structure’s interior, which is nearly 100 years old.
“I’m blessed to be here,” said Kyle Westberg, owner of the Strand and developer in downtown Pontiac.
Aside from the estimated opening date, here is what we learned regarding the Strand’s progress.
- Slows BBQ will open in mid-November and operate seven days a week on its own separate schedule
The Strand will be adjoined to the first and only Slows BBQ location in Oakland County – the company’s fourth restaurant. Slows had previously been offered openings in other parts of Oakland County but turned them all down.
“Slows said yes to Pontiac 15 minutes after getting the Strand’s offer,” Westberg said.
The Detroit-based restaurant will serve their signature barbecue dishes including “The Yardbird,” their award-winning pulled and smoked Amish chicken sandwich, along with side dishes, craft beer and cocktail offerings throughout the theater’s bars, lounges and VIP areas.
- The venue will feature a mixed bag of performers
According to the Strand, ““Performers will include an eye-catching mix of national touring artists in Rock, R&B, Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Classical, Jazz and more in addition to touring Broadway, theatrical productions, comedy and family entertainment.”
- The Strand almost became another nightclub
According to Westberg, three buyers were interested in purchasing the theater in 2013. One of the interested purchasers wanted to turn the building, which served as a movie theater from the 1930’s to the 1960’s, into another downtown Pontiac nightclub like Elektricity or Tonic (now defunct).
Westberg’s company eventually won the bid and has been renovating the Strand in compliance with federal historic restoration processes that give tax breaks to the private sector for rehabilitating and reusing historic buildings.
- Movie screenings will take place in a small viewing room
Westberg said that community outreach is important to the Strand. The company plans to work with Oakland University and Pontiac Schools on concerts and theater productions that will benefit local students.
Westberg also envisions holding a weekly movie series for Pontiac senior citizens at little to no charge. A small room adjacent to the second level of the theater will have a movie projector installed for small movie viewings and business meetings.
- The theater will be an intimate performance destination for high-profile artists
The renovated Strand will accommodate up to 900 people. The room will feature oversized luxury chairs for added comfort across three levels of seating. Though no performances have been announced, President/CEO Bill Lee has been in talks with acts such as Celine Dion and Chris Rock for booking.
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August 15, 2016
Cleveland, OH - Historic La Salle Theatre in Collinwood ready for a $4.1M makeover
From Cleveland.com: Depending on how you count it, the historic La Salle Theatre on East 185th Street in Collinwood is embarking on its second, third or fourth life.
Built in 1927 as movie palace, it languished in the 1990s before becoming a vintage auto showroom and then going vacant for about a decade until now.
The nonprofit Northeast Shores Development Corp., which helped rescue the building from foreclosure and possible demolition in 2009, is scheduled to launch a $4.1 million renovation Tuesday that will turn the structure into an arts, media, and community center by next May.
The theater, which could seat 800 for performances or 450 for weddings, dinners and other catered events, will be used as a performing arts rehearsal or recording space, an exhibit hall, a stage for high school theater and arts programs, and as a meeting space for businesses and community organizations.
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Edinburgh, TX - Attorney Working to Restore Edinburg Theater
From KRGV.com: An Edinburg attorney is working to restore a movie theater built in 1941. Felipe Garcia said the Citrus Theater has historical significance and brings back memories for him and lots of people in the city.
“It was pretty much the only building of its type in the city of Edinburg that was air-conditioned besides the courthouse and things like that,” he added.
The theater, which showed all first-run movies, is across the parking lot from the Hidalgo County Courthouse. Garcia bought it 20 years ago.
“I’ve tried to maintain it from the standpoint of keeping everything intact that was in there. The chairs, the old projectors are still there,” he said.
The Citrus Theater was the dream of an Edinburg doctor and his wife. In 1939, in an alleged jealous rage, the doctor shot and killed his wife. He then used the insurance money to build the theater.
The theater has two balconies and a total of 800 seats. Movie patrons left their marks. There are scuff marks where people put up their feet against the wall near the front row. Garcia pointed out a spot with “circular grease stains, where guys that were there with their dates would rest their heads back there.”
Citrus murals decorate the theater’s entrance. “During one of the renovation projects, they painted it over, but we managed to restore it,” Garcia explained.
As for the doctor who built the theater, he included his office inside of it. His exam rooms are still there, and he built a side entrance for himself and his patients.
Garcia invites anyone interested in learning more to visit the Citrus Theater Edinburg TX group on Facebook. That’s where he shares photos about the theater and its history.
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Carrizozo, NM - Lighting up the Lyric
From the Ruidoso News: In 2006, Dr. David Kammer submitted a multiple property listing titled “Movie Theaters in New Mexico built from 1905 to 1960” to the National Park Service for a National Register of Historic Places consideration.
It was the first step in the nomination process and an important acknowledgement by The New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of its support of the New Mexico Main Street Program’s quest to identify the state’s historic movie houses. While not specifically named in the nomination, (letters were sent to owners and, in this case, there may have been no reply) Carrizozo’s Lyric Theater, formerly the Crystal Theater, is a prime example of the type and use of buildings, both existing and new, that became social centers in large and small towns alike.
The nomination remains timely even 10 years out, since at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, the marquee of the Lyric will be lit after decades of being dark.
Despite its remote location, Carrizozo was uniquely positioned for a movie theater due to the rail road that brought in influences from afar. The rural community was not alone: New Mexico saw an explosion in opera houses across the state. Just two years after the opening of United States’ first movie theater in Buffalo, New York in 1896, the movie “Indian School Day” was made in New Mexico and the Grant Opera House opened in Albuquerque.