Hello to all of you Rochester people…and those who remember the Oriental. Please look up the current Robbins Theatre renovation taking place in Warren, Ohio. It is a combination stage theatre and movie venue, as our Oriental had been.
My name is Mike Carver….and I was the last to attempt to save the Oriental in 2001. I and other interested parties had a plan to acquire and renovate the Oriental…..a group of individual artists from Rochester, Mike Nelson of the Rochester Theatre Group, and an architect consultant from the area who had been involved in historical renovations in the t. Louis downtown area.
We(the group and I) had actual architectural renderings and plans, including the actual drawings of which all the plaster of paris decor in the theatre had been made…….all this and a firm business plan……we presented at a Rochester Council Meeting in the Library. We were well on the way to a viable way to keep the Oriental alive. At that meeting, most of the council members and the Mayor listened as the designer made a presentation. Amazing enough, the most boisterous concern was that, assuming we were successful, we might create a PARKING problem in Rochester. Imagine…the concern that Rochester streets might once again be “crowded”….I guess they could not conceive of creating a parking authority…or some other way to actually make money.
Our plan was to have a perimeter of shops/offices on the upper balcony areas…..to help fund the operation. Mike Nelson had made contact with the Pgh. Dance Theatre group….who had discussed making it their “home venue”..if it was up to their standards. OUR plan was to have a variety of often ethnic based “nights” to draw people from our multi ethnicity Valley.
The Borough Manager, Ed Pirolli, myself, and a the leader of the downtown Rochester group, met and I was told by Ed…..(just wait until the Borough finally gets posession)…..which they did in August 2011.
On the same day we all were excited that Ross Gudiati from KDKA was to visit the site…..The Borough conveintly made crash arrangements to have Unis Demolition quickly show up and tear off the front of the structure……very simple…Ed lied to us and had NO INTENTION of allowing this wonderful structure to be saved. Statements had bee made about the soundness of the structure….yea right….the side walls had to be pulled down with bulldozers…..the wrecking ball wouldn’t touch them…….you….the public were lied to…again. And as you go by….where is the “upscale restaurant” we kept hearing about. AND…the property has considereble hazardous material issues buried beneath the dirt on Hinds Street….good luck to the sometime/maybe developer.
I moved on to another venture, which has been good to me……but I will always remember what we had in store for the Oriental……and what it would have been for Rochesters future.
Look at the Robbins(Warren, Ohio) renovation as it progresses…..see what your short minded politicians have cost Rochester.
Sorry…..I incorrectly typed “August 2011” in my remarks……should have been August 2001….sorry Mike Carver
Thanks for the Pic(s)
Hello to all of you Rochester people…and those who remember the Oriental. Please look up the current Robbins Theatre renovation taking place in Warren, Ohio. It is a combination stage theatre and movie venue, as our Oriental had been.
My name is Mike Carver….and I was the last to attempt to save the Oriental in 2001. I and other interested parties had a plan to acquire and renovate the Oriental…..a group of individual artists from Rochester, Mike Nelson of the Rochester Theatre Group, and an architect consultant from the area who had been involved in historical renovations in the t. Louis downtown area.
We(the group and I) had actual architectural renderings and plans, including the actual drawings of which all the plaster of paris decor in the theatre had been made…….all this and a firm business plan……we presented at a Rochester Council Meeting in the Library. We were well on the way to a viable way to keep the Oriental alive. At that meeting, most of the council members and the Mayor listened as the designer made a presentation. Amazing enough, the most boisterous concern was that, assuming we were successful, we might create a PARKING problem in Rochester. Imagine…the concern that Rochester streets might once again be “crowded”….I guess they could not conceive of creating a parking authority…or some other way to actually make money.
Our plan was to have a perimeter of shops/offices on the upper balcony areas…..to help fund the operation. Mike Nelson had made contact with the Pgh. Dance Theatre group….who had discussed making it their “home venue”..if it was up to their standards. OUR plan was to have a variety of often ethnic based “nights” to draw people from our multi ethnicity Valley.
The Borough Manager, Ed Pirolli, myself, and a the leader of the downtown Rochester group, met and I was told by Ed…..(just wait until the Borough finally gets posession)…..which they did in August 2011.
On the same day we all were excited that Ross Gudiati from KDKA was to visit the site…..The Borough conveintly made crash arrangements to have Unis Demolition quickly show up and tear off the front of the structure……very simple…Ed lied to us and had NO INTENTION of allowing this wonderful structure to be saved. Statements had bee made about the soundness of the structure….yea right….the side walls had to be pulled down with bulldozers…..the wrecking ball wouldn’t touch them…….you….the public were lied to…again. And as you go by….where is the “upscale restaurant” we kept hearing about. AND…the property has considereble hazardous material issues buried beneath the dirt on Hinds Street….good luck to the sometime/maybe developer.
I moved on to another venture, which has been good to me……but I will always remember what we had in store for the Oriental……and what it would have been for Rochesters future.
Look at the Robbins(Warren, Ohio) renovation as it progresses…..see what your short minded politicians have cost Rochester.
Mike Carver