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Wayne Theatre Restoration Brings Life to Downtown Waynesboro
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By Joanne DiMaggio\n\t\t\t\n\t\tUpon receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997, Italian playwright Dario Fo said: “A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time has no relevance.” That sentiment can well be applied to the Wayne Theatre Alliance restoration project, which not only will bring the theatre back to its 1920s splendor, but also will serve as the anchor for the revitalization of Downtown Waynesboro.
The Wayne Theatre originally opened in January 1926 as Waynesboro's first vaudeville/silent movie theatre.
“When it was first built, it was for most of that time the only operating theatre in town,” said Clair F. Myers, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Wayne Theatre Alliance. “It seated about 400—which is what our capacity will be. It had an organ and a small orchestra that played before the movies began, even when they went to sound. But the silent films were replaced almost immediately by talkies, so the theatre never really functioned as a vaudeville house.”
The theatre was remodeled and expanded in 1949, around the same time that Waynesboro’s population and manufacturing sector expanded. “The owners tore out everything inside, doubled the capacity of the seating area, and put in a curved cinemascope screen,” Myers said. “From everything I can tell from memoirs, it was the entertainment center for the town well into the ’70s, when things started to decline.”
After the theatre burned in 1980, it was rebuilt as a dual-screen movie house. It operated for the next 20 years until the corporation that owned the theatre decided it was no longer financially viable and in 2000 gave it to the City of Waynesboro for a dollar.
“The city was looking around for what they were going to do with it and the cultural commission encouraged the city to create the Wayne Theatre Alliance to take on the project of preserving the building and turning it into a usable community space,” said Myers. “The Alliance incorporated immediately as a nonprofit 501(c)3 and was able to accept funding.”
Myers said the Alliance has three goals: preserve the building; create a usable performance space; and use the building as a catalyst for economic development by bringing in businesses and converting spaces on West Main Street into condos or restaurants.
Charlottesville Architects Chosen
The Alliance selected the Charlottesville architectural firm of Bushman and Dreyfus to take on the project. The firm had been involved in the reconstruction of The Paramount Theater in Charlottesville and the board felt its experience would lend itself well to the Wayne restoration project.
Because the building is part of Waynesboro’s historic district, the Alliance also had to gain approval from the state’s Department of Historic Resources, which has since given the green light on all aspects of the proposed design work.
“There aren’t very many areas in the theatre that are left from 1926,” said Myers. “The front’s neo-classical façade has to be restored. We have found someone who either has the original window glass or can duplicate it and have lined up a plaster restorer to do the interior lobby area. Where there are historic features left in the building or where we can document what they were, those will be restored by people who have that kind of skill.”
Costly Endeavor
The estimated price tag for the restoration is $6.4 million. The Alliance has raised close to $1.9 million out of the $2.75 million designated for its capital campaign. State and federal funding has brought in about a million dollars and Myers said the City of Waynesboro would contribute a million as well. With historic tax credits of $1+ million and a generous grant from an estate, Myers said the Alliance has about 80% of the projected revenues needed.
Still, there is the need to raise another million dollars. To do so, the Alliance has developed some creative fundraising ideas, including the monthly Parade of Events held around town. Upcoming programs include a murder mystery and dinner at Fairfax Hall on April 5; a Kentucky Derby Party on May 3; a tour of Waynesboro’s renowned Tree Street homes on May 10; and \"Bluegrass, Barbecue and Blue Jeans\" (And Mountain Music Too) on June 14. Each of these fundraisers is designated to cover the Alliance’s operational expenses.
Another fundraiser is The Seat Campaign. For $1,000, contributors can have their name, the name of their business, or the name of a deceased friend or loved one laser-engraved on the arm of the seat. Seventy seats have been spoken for and Myers is hoping to sell another 130 by the time the theatre opens.
Depending on the donation, individuals can have their names inscribed on sidewalk bricks, listed on a donor board in the lobby, or included on some of the interior portions of the theatre.
“The intention is not just to raise money but it is to give everyone an opportunity to put their thumbprint on the building,” Myers said.
A group of volunteers is already hard at work putting their thumbprint on the building in a different way.
“Until I was hired in 2006, all of the work to move this project forward was done by volunteers,” said Myers. “The capital campaign is driven by a group of volunteers and we use volunteers for our fundraising events. We just finished four major workdays in the theatre where we put in well over 340 volunteer hours taking out all of the things that had to be demolished and saved ourselves about $50,000 in outside labor costs.”
Importance of Preservation
When something is gone—it’s gone. Waynesboro has already lost a significant amount of its historic heritage, which is why the restoration project is vital to the community.
“Waynesboro had a real economic boom from the ’50s into the ’80s and so they pretty much wiped out most of their historic buildings downtown and replaced it with ’60s, modern architecture,” Myers said. “The few buildings left are the only signs of what was the history of this town that give it some of its character. When the state architectural historian looked at the building, he said that the Wayne Theatre was an anchor building and if it were to go the whole character of downtown would be lost.”
Myers said research has shown that other communities actively involved in revitalizing their downtown areas rely heavily on performing art spaces as the foundation upon which other businesses grow.
“Having a performing art center provides a spin-off of restaurants, coffee houses, and niche retailing,” Myers said. “We’re lucky in that thanks to one of our donors, we control almost the entire block. We’re on a hillside, so it’s a prime location for garden-top condos where you can look down on the garden below or out to the mountains. With the Wayne as the central focus, our block can develop either in housing or restaurant and retail and it will spin-off down to the rest of the town.”
Multi-Purpose Building
The Alliance’s greatest challenge right now is to finish the capital campaign.
“We have everything in place—it’s just money now,” he said. “The plans have been approved at the state and federal level and we’ve got the infrastructure either done or ready to be finished, so now it’s really about finishing off funding to complete construction. Then the whole organization will shift over to putting in place the plan for what kind of entertainment it will be doing in that building.”
Within the first year of the Alliance, the board determined that to be a viable organization it had to create a facility that could house not only film, but also a whole range of events including theatre, dance, music concerts, lectures, public meetings, and private events.
“The intention here is to make it useful for local arts groups that need an orchestra pit, wing space, dressing rooms, and fly loft,” said Myers. “A large part of the cost is to make the building useful for local arts groups as well as touring performers.”
Some progress has already been made in that regard. Last year, the Alliance began to develop the River City Radio Hour, a variety show it hopes to start broadcasting in September.
“We’ll be showing films and offering the space to local arts, theater, orchestra, or choral groups, and also booking touring artists. We will also develop a number of destination events—the kinds of things that will attract people who don’t live immediately in our areas. We’ll do a Christmas program to bring people into Waynesboro and they can also go to the Artisan Center and do some shopping, and we’ll probably be moving into regular bluegrass programming to attract regional tourism.”
The theatre is scheduled to open sometime in 2009. For more information and to follow its timeline, visit www.waynetheatre.org
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Wayne Theatre Restoration Brings Life to Downtown Waynesboro
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By Joanne DiMaggio\\n\\t\\t\\t\\n\\t\\tUpon receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997, Italian playwright Dario Fo said: “A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time has no relevance.” That sentiment can well be applied to the Wayne Theatre Alliance restoration project, which not only will bring the theatre back to its 1920s splendor, but also will serve as the anchor for the revitalization of Downtown Waynesboro.
The Wayne Theatre originally opened in January 1926 as Waynesboro\'s first vaudeville/silent movie theatre.
“When it was first built, it was for most of that time the only operating theatre in town,” said Clair F. Myers, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Wayne Theatre Alliance. “It seated about 400—which is what our capacity will be. It had an organ and a small orchestra that played before the movies began, even when they went to sound. But the silent films were replaced almost immediately by talkies, so the theatre never really functioned as a vaudeville house.”
The theatre was remodeled and expanded in 1949, around the same time that Waynesboro’s population and manufacturing sector expanded. “The owners tore out everything inside, doubled the capacity of the seating area, and put in a curved cinemascope screen,” Myers said. “From everything I can tell from memoirs, it was the entertainment center for the town well into the ’70s, when things started to decline.”
After the theatre burned in 1980, it was rebuilt as a dual-screen movie house. It operated for the next 20 years until the corporation that owned the theatre decided it was no longer financially viable and in 2000 gave it to the City of Waynesboro for a dollar.
“The city was looking around for what they were going to do with it and the cultural commission encouraged the city to create the Wayne Theatre Alliance to take on the project of preserving the building and turning it into a usable community space,” said Myers. “The Alliance incorporated immediately as a nonprofit 501(c)3 and was able to accept funding.”
Myers said the Alliance has three goals: preserve the building; create a usable performance space; and use the building as a catalyst for economic development by bringing in businesses and converting spaces on West Main Street into condos or restaurants.
Charlottesville Architects Chosen
The Alliance selected the Charlottesville architectural firm of Bushman and Dreyfus to take on the project. The firm had been involved in the reconstruction of The Paramount Theater in Charlottesville and the board felt its experience would lend itself well to the Wayne restoration project.
Because the building is part of Waynesboro’s historic district, the Alliance also had to gain approval from the state’s Department of Historic Resources, which has since given the green light on all aspects of the proposed design work.
“There aren’t very many areas in the theatre that are left from 1926,” said Myers. “The front’s neo-classical façade has to be restored. We have found someone who either has the original window glass or can duplicate it and have lined up a plaster restorer to do the interior lobby area. Where there are historic features left in the building or where we can document what they were, those will be restored by people who have that kind of skill.”
Costly Endeavor
The estimated price tag for the restoration is $6.4 million. The Alliance has raised close to $1.9 million out of the $2.75 million designated for its capital campaign. State and federal funding has brought in about a million dollars and Myers said the City of Waynesboro would contribute a million as well. With historic tax credits of $1+ million and a generous grant from an estate, Myers said the Alliance has about 80% of the projected revenues needed.
Still, there is the need to raise another million dollars. To do so, the Alliance has developed some creative fundraising ideas, including the monthly Parade of Events held around town. Upcoming programs include a murder mystery and dinner at Fairfax Hall on April 5; a Kentucky Derby Party on May 3; a tour of Waynesboro’s renowned Tree Street homes on May 10; and \\\"Bluegrass, Barbecue and Blue Jeans\\\" (And Mountain Music Too) on June 14. Each of these fundraisers is designated to cover the Alliance’s operational expenses.
Another fundraiser is The Seat Campaign. For $1,000, contributors can have their name, the name of their business, or the name of a deceased friend or loved one laser-engraved on the arm of the seat. Seventy seats have been spoken for and Myers is hoping to sell another 130 by the time the theatre opens.
Depending on the donation, individuals can have their names inscribed on sidewalk bricks, listed on a donor board in the lobby, or included on some of the interior portions of the theatre.
“The intention is not just to raise money but it is to give everyone an opportunity to put their thumbprint on the building,” Myers said.
A group of volunteers is already hard at work putting their thumbprint on the building in a different way.
“Until I was hired in 2006, all of the work to move this project forward was done by volunteers,” said Myers. “The capital campaign is driven by a group of volunteers and we use volunteers for our fundraising events. We just finished four major workdays in the theatre where we put in well over 340 volunteer hours taking out all of the things that had to be demolished and saved ourselves about $50,000 in outside labor costs.”
Importance of Preservation
When something is gone—it’s gone. Waynesboro has already lost a significant amount of its historic heritage, which is why the restoration project is vital to the community.
“Waynesboro had a real economic boom from the ’50s into the ’80s and so they pretty much wiped out most of their historic buildings downtown and replaced it with ’60s, modern architecture,” Myers said. “The few buildings left are the only signs of what was the history of this town that give it some of its character. When the state architectural historian looked at the building, he said that the Wayne Theatre was an anchor building and if it were to go the whole character of downtown would be lost.”
Myers said research has shown that other communities actively involved in revitalizing their downtown areas rely heavily on performing art spaces as the foundation upon which other businesses grow.
“Having a performing art center provides a spin-off of restaurants, coffee houses, and niche retailing,” Myers said. “We’re lucky in that thanks to one of our donors, we control almost the entire block. We’re on a hillside, so it’s a prime location for garden-top condos where you can look down on the garden below or out to the mountains. With the Wayne as the central focus, our block can develop either in housing or restaurant and retail and it will spin-off down to the rest of the town.”
Multi-Purpose Building
The Alliance’s greatest challenge right now is to finish the capital campaign.
“We have everything in place—it’s just money now,” he said. “The plans have been approved at the state and federal level and we’ve got the infrastructure either done or ready to be finished, so now it’s really about finishing off funding to complete construction. Then the whole organization will shift over to putting in place the plan for what kind of entertainment it will be doing in that building.”
Within the first year of the Alliance, the board determined that to be a viable organization it had to create a facility that could house not only film, but also a whole range of events including theatre, dance, music concerts, lectures, public meetings, and private events.
“The intention here is to make it useful for local arts groups that need an orchestra pit, wing space, dressing rooms, and fly loft,” said Myers. “A large part of the cost is to make the building useful for local arts groups as well as touring performers.”
Some progress has already been made in that regard. Last year, the Alliance began to develop the River City Radio Hour, a variety show it hopes to start broadcasting in September.
“We’ll be showing films and offering the space to local arts, theater, orchestra, or choral groups, and also booking touring artists. We will also develop a number of destination events—the kinds of things that will attract people who don’t live immediately in our areas. We’ll do a Christmas program to bring people into Waynesboro and they can also go to the Artisan Center and do some shopping, and we’ll probably be moving into regular bluegrass programming to attract regional tourism.”
The theatre is scheduled to open sometime in 2009. For more information and to follow its timeline, visit www.waynetheatre.org
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