Topic: Cincinnati: Over-the-Rhine - Emery Theater Renovation

[moonloop]

Anyone heard of this? Is there now an organized effort to bring it back to life? If it's half the size of Music Hall, that's 1300 seats which puts it in Taft Theater and Bogarts territory. This is the first I've heard of any such plans.

Save the Emery
 
When: Saturday, July 26, 2008

Time: 8:30:00 AM - 2:00:00 PM

Location: Emery Theater - 1112 Walnut (Corner of Central Parkway and Walnut)

Description: The Emery Theater, at the corner of Central Parkway and Walnut, was built in 1911 and is a half-scale Music Hall. Although it housed the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra many years ago, it has been unused for over a decade. As part of a larger effort to renovate and re-open the theater, Give Back Cincinnati will be giving the theater a much needed cleaning and painting. Check your calendar and sign up for the opportunity to do a fun project in a piece of Cincinnati history!

Note: The Emery is an old building. Old buildings contain old paint and old paint may create dust containing lead. We will provide approved dust masks for all volunteers. If you are pregnant you may wish to consult your physician about lead paint exposure before attending the project. Click here for more information on lead paint.

A history of the theater can be found at http://www.emerycenterapts.com/notabad.html. E-mail events@givebackcincinnati.org with any questions. Sign up now to become part of an exciting event!

[BallHatGuy]

On May 30 I noted some activity:
http://queencitysurvey.blogspot.com/2008/05/so-remember-those-rumors.html

[dmerkow]

This seriously needs to happen.

[UncleRando]

Contact:
Daniel Kiracofe
Operational Board - Events Director (hands-on)
events@givebackcincinnati.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Save the Emery!
YPs Invited to get their hands dirty as Give Back Cincinnati and the Mayor's Arts Allies Program work to save a Cincinnati gem.

(CINCINNATI – July 1, 2008) – As part of the Mayor's Arts Allies Program, an initiative developed by the Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet, Give Back Cincinnati invites area YPs to take part in saving a piece of Cincinnati history!

The Emery Theater, at the corner of Central Parkway and Walnut, was built in 1911 and is a half-scale Music Hall. Although it housed the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra many years ago, it has been unused for over a decade. As part of a larger effort to renovate and re-open the theater, on July 26, Give Back Cincinnati will be giving the theater a much needed cleaning and painting.  A history of the theater can be found at http://www.emerycenterapts.com/notabad.html. E-mail events@givebackcincinnati.org with any questions.

About the Event Presenter:
Give Back Cincinnati started in December 2000 with a small group of friends that wanted to give back to their community. Since that first event, that small group of friends has grown to over 3400 members (representing 400 companies) and continues to provide young people in Cincinnati with an outlet where they can have fun, meet people, and give back to their community all at the same time.

Started in May of 2007, Arts Allies is an initiative launched by Mayor Mark Mallory and the Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet (YPKC) designed to connect Young Professionals (YPs) to Cincinnati's celebrated arts and cultural institutions and events.

Event Details:
Save the Emery!
Emery Theater – corner of Central Parkway and Walnut

Saturday, July 26, 2008
•    8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
•    Register to participate at www.givebackcincinnati.org

[BDRUF]

This sounds awesome I wish that I could be home to work on this. Unfortunately I've never gotten the chance to see the inside of the theater. Does anyone have any pictures of this?

[UncleRando]

Give Back Cincinnati brings attention to Emery Theatre
http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/emerytheatre0729.aspx

Give Back Cincinnati and other interested volunteers gave Over-the-Rhine's historic Emery Theatre a much-needed cleaning on Saturday.

The theater, part of a complex erected in 1911 and once the home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, has gone unused since the American Theatre Organ Society vacated the space more than a decade ago.

"It's been abandoned for about ten years," says Kyle Snyder, communications director for Give Back Cincinnati.  "We just had this opportunity to bring attention to it.  It seemed like it had been forgotten."

Volunteer work involved painting, the cleaning of the theater's marble, seats, and stage, and the polishing of brass fixtures.

"In addition to getting the word out, we wanted to give it enough of a facelift that people would be able to see its potential," Snyder says.

With 1,700 seats and excellent acoustics, many consider the space to be perfect for mid-sized audiences.

"We hope that it's restored to a condition where you can actually have events," he says.  "The fine arts organizations already have their venues, but there are a lot of smaller groups who could share it."

The Emery Center complex is owned by the University of Cincinnati, with the Emery Center Corporation (ECC) holding a sublease for the theater.

Earlier this year, UC mandated the ECC to identify a viable manager and program for the theater "as soon as possible".

Beth Sullebarger of the ECC says that they currently envision a three-phased, $20 million dollar restoration that would restore the orchestra level seating by 2009 and restore the first and second balconies in time for the building's 100th anniversary.

The ECC will deliver a viable plan to UC by the end of this year.

[BallHatGuy]

I took some pictures here:
http://queencitysurvey.blogspot.com/2008/07/take-back-emery.html

[Sherman Cahal]

Damn! I was in there that morning taking photographs before the cleanup began, and left covered in dust. I plan on returning very soon, though.

[UncleRando]

Lots of fantastic photos included with link...

Soap Dish: Emery Theatre
http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/37soapdish.aspx

A few weeks back, your humble Soapdish observed that the Aronoff Center’s Fifth Third Bank Theater could be considered one of downtown’s most under-utilized performance spaces, save for the mothballed Emery Theater at Central Parkway and Walnut.  Well, cue the klieg lights, unfurl the moth-eaten red carpet and fire up the orchestra, as the 97 year old Emery is shaking off nine years of dust and being primed for a resurrection, kicking off with next month’s Cincinnati Entertainment Awards on November 23.

For the uninitiated or unfamiliar, an abridged bit of history follows.  The 2,211 seat (when originally opened) Emery, currently owned by the University of Cincinnati and under a 75 year lease to the non-profit Emery Center Corporation, occupies much of the Walnut Street side of the Emery Center Apartment building, originally the home of the Ohio Mechanics Institute, later known as the Ohio College of Applied Science.  The Emery Theater was built in the style of the theater style concert halls constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Carnegie Hall, and the Orchestra Halls in Chicago and Detroit.  These halls were specifically built for the symphonies of their respective cities.  The somewhat itinerant Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, along with its then relatively-unknown twenty-seven year old conductor Leopold Stokowski, vacated their Music Hall digs in order to set up shop in the acoustically superior Emery for a 24 year run, only to return again to Music Hall in 1936.  The Emery's stage has played host to famed Russian ballet dancer Nijinsky, Bette Davis and composer George Gershwin, who performed “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra shortly after he had premiered it at Carnegie Hall in New York.  By all accounts, Leopold’s among them, the pristine acoustics of the Emery were considered to be among the finest in the country.

Restoring the Emery to prominence (to use a tired but apt cliché) is both a worthy cause and a welcome addition to the Cincinnati theater landscape.  In comparison to other cities, downtown Cincinnati is somewhat lacking in the breadth of its historic performance venues.  For example, Detroit has five restored and different-sized functioning theaters, each one more lavish and opulent then the next, and all within about a mile or so of each other.  Downtown Cleveland possesses a similar attraction with its Playhouse Square district downtown.  While the cavernous Music Hall (technically in Over-the-Rhine, as opposed to downtown) is indeed a grand space, its origins were somewhat different, originally being constructed in 1878 for the May Festival, as well as conventions and expositions.  The neighboring Memorial Hall, a 1908 era 600+ seat Beaux Art classic, sees use for chamber orchestra performances and the miscellaneous event such as last April’s hipster-fueled MusicNow festival.  As far as the central business district is concerned, however, Cincinnati leveled downtown’s historic Albee Theater back in 1977 (where the Westin is now), and, in a rather hollow and pyrrhic nod to preservation, ignominiously embedded the Albee facade’s arch into the antiseptic Sixth Street entrance of the Convention Center.

That leaves us with the somewhat utilitarian Taft, and little else.  Of course, the reason that many of Detroit’s and, to a lesser extent, Cleveland’s, grand venues survived over the years was because there was so little demand for the land, even in the central business district, that they simply sat there in a mummified and entombed state (save, of course, for one unlucky space, Detroit’s 4,038 seat Michigan Theater, which was gutted for a parking garage in the 1980s, with its tattered curtains, decaying plaster medallions and crumbling proscenium still in place to this day).

Getting back to the Emery, as recently as this past July, one hundred or so eager volunteers from Give Back Cincinnati and the Mayor’s Kitchen Cabinet bustled through the Emery, cleaning the place up and slathering about a fresh coat of paint.  This past Saturday, after obtaining a morning elixir at the adjacent Coffee Emporium, I strolled around the corner to peer into the Emery windows.  Finding the door ajar, I walked in to find Dale McGirr, Senior Planner with GBBN Architects, and formerly Senior Vice President Emeritus of Special Projects at the University of Cincinnati.  McGirr was preparing for yet another Give Back tour that afternoon, and agreed to give me a preview.  The Emery is currently in possession of only a temporary certificate of occupancy, so the type of functions it can accommodate are quite limited in scope. Moreover, it is clear that there is a lot of work to be done, both aesthetically as well as basic infrastructure, in order to get the space fully functioning and in code-compliant condition.  One decided advantage, however, is that the Emery has remained relatively secure and, most critically, dry during its dormant stages, thereby avoiding the bete noir of theater preservationists—water damage.  Nevertheless, current backers can use this time to identify, assess and prioritize their needs, generate the flashy publicity (ahem) and then embark on the necessary fundraising to get them where they need to be.  Beth Sullebarger of the Emery Center Corporation has previously gone on record as envisioning a three-phased, $20 million dollar restoration that would restore the orchestra level seating by 2009 and restore the first and second balconies in time for the building's 100th anniversary.

As currently contemplated, the Emery, utilizing its first two massive balconies, would reconfigure as an approximately 1,200 seat venue, thereby positioning it competitively for mid-sized touring shows and bands that currently pass over Cincinnati for cities such as Columbus, Indianapolis and Louisville.  In addition, a look inside the theater’s soaring interior reveals yet a third balcony, far up in the nosebleed seats.  Interestingly enough, however, the third balcony is apparently structurally isolated, perhaps more appropriately described as segregated, from the rest of the theater, with separate access doors, stairwells and ticket windows.  While the planners contemplate how to integrate the third balcony with the balance of the theater, they remain confident that a reconfigured capacity of 1,200, without the additional balcony, should position the venue nicely for future events.

Indeed, while discussing these finer points with McGirr, local arts booster and consultant Joan Kaup strolled in to the theater.  Kaup is assisting in efforts to bring to Cincinnati the 2012 World Choir Games, and a renovated Emery Theater is key to those efforts. These games bring in over 400 amateur choir ensembles from over 90 countries, with the 2008 games being held in Graz, Austria and the 2010 games slated for Shaoxing, China.  According to Kaup, Cincinnati, along with, um…Reno, Nevada, is one of two finalists for the 2012 games (they have never been held in the U.S.), and the site selection Committee will be in town next week to inspect the venues, including the Emery.  Organizers envision a walkable axis of venues for the event, consisting of Music and Memorial Halls to the west, the new SCPA and the (hopefully fully) restored Emery Theater.

With the centennial of the Emery only a few years away, it is evident that the organizers have a fairly serendipitous, albeit ambitious, timetable for the project.  While the theater has endured several aborted restoration attempts in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the project has continued to meander along in relative anonymity until these most recent stirrings.  Keep your eyes peeled for more functions, fundraisers and events for and at the Emery Theater in the future.  As unofficial Cincinnati Arts Booster Emeritus, scooter aficionado, Emery supporter and erstwhile concert promoter Jim Tarbell is fond of saying, “just imagine a Prairie Home Companion performing live on that stage, or a Bob Dylan concert…”  Sounds good to me.  Perhaps Tarbell is itching to get back into the concert promotion business and start booking the Emery.  In the meantime, I’ll see everyone at the CEA Awards at the Emery on November 23.

[Blue Line]

Makes me want to attend the CEA Awards, just for this.

[moonloop]

Good to hear. I was curious how a rehab Emery would fit in with all the other existing concert halls.

[Caseyc]

this is an odd location now for this thread. I understand the genesis, but can we move to Projects or Arch/Preservation as the renovation project moves forward?

[Blue Line]

...but it *is* in Projects

It's just like other rehabbing projects to make use out of old buildings.

[UncleRando]

this is an odd location now for this thread. I understand the genesis, but can we move to Projects or Arch/Preservation as the renovation project moves forward?

I had been thinking the same thing when I posted that article.  Consider it done.

[UncleRando]

Board hopes event piques interest in historic Cincinnati's Emery Theatre
Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Lucy May

After sitting dormant nearly a decade, the Emery Theatre will have a coming-out party later this month to revive interest in restoring the historic downtown concert hall.  The Emery will host 650 guests at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Nov. 23, the first event to be held there since a concert in 1999. The board of the Emery Center Corp. hopes the event will demonstrate the potential of the theater and spur interest in raising $3 million to make it functional.

“We are not quite ready to kick off a major capital campaign,” said Kathy Schwab, real estate development manager at Al Neyer Inc. and a founding member of the Emery Center Corp. board. “But if it’s ever going to make sense, this is the right time for the Emery Theatre.”

Read full article here:
http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/11/10/story11.html

[TheHemroid]

Aside from Music Hall, SCPA could benefit from this greatly.  Very cool and what a kickass looking building.

[UncleRando]

Save the Emery - Part Two
http://www.givebackcincinnati.org/v3/events_details.asp?EventID=1287

Over-the-Rhine's beautiful and historically rich Emery Theatre closed its doors in 1999. Built in 1912, it originally served as the auditorium for the Ohio Mechanics Institute and home to CSO from 1912 to 1936.

Last year, Give Back volunteers took to cleaning and restoring the theater, which resulted in the Emery opening its doors and hosting the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Join as we return to the Emery and help to make sure this historic landmark is not forgotten.

Registration starts at 8:30 am at The Know Theatre. Lunch will also be served at The Know.

Check back for potential parking details, but remember to feed your meter if you park on the street.

Join us at Bockfest afterwards for the after party!

For additional information on this event, please read Frequently Asked Questions or email events@givebackcincinnati.org

When:  Saturday, March 07, 2009
Time:  8:30:00 AM - 2:30:00 PM

[Gordon Bombay]

Photographs of the Emery taken over the previous summer can be seen in the latest update at www.queencitydisco.com

[UncleRando]

Efforts to 'Save the Emery' continue
http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/savetheemery0303.aspx

For the second straight year, volunteers from Give Back Cincinnati will be cleaning and restoring the historic Emery Theatre in Over-the-Rhine.

Shuttered since 1999, last July's painting, cleaning and polishing allowed the venue to host the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards last November.

But more work remains to open the 1,600-seat theater as a functional venue for concerts and fine arts events.

"We're really still at the beginning of our fundraising," says Beth Sullebarger of the Emery Center Corporation (ECC), which holds a sublease on the theater.  "Right now, we have two grant applications out to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Ohio Historic Preservation Office."

Sullebarger estimates that they'll need to raise at least $3 million to restore the building's restrooms, orchestra level and first balcony.

That work would open up about 1,100 seats.

"That's our immediate next step," Sullebarger says.  "But it's our first step in making the Emery an urban, edgy venue.  It allow us to hold more events, even benefits."

ECC envisions a three-phased, $20 million restoration that would be completed by 2011, the building's 100th anniversary.

Give Back Cincinnati will be doing its part this Saturday from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

"I think everybody should know just how significant Give Back Cincinnati's support has been in getting the Emery Theatre re-opened," Sullebarger says.

       

[UncleRando]

Photos from the most recent Give Back Cincinnati outing at the Emery Theatre...
http://www.urbancincy.com/2009/03/give-back-cincinnati-back-at-emery.html

[UncleRando]

Cincinnati considering grant application for Emery Theatre
http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/cincinnati-considering-grant.html

Cincinnati City Council is considering an ordinance that could bring $20,000 in funding to help restore the historic Emery Theatre in Over-the-Rhine.

The ordinance would authorize the City to submit a Certified Local Government subgrant application to the National Park Service on behalf of the Emery Center Corporation to pay for restoration of the men's and women's bathrooms.

Emery Center Corporation, a non-profit that leases the theater from the University of Cincinnati, would administer the subgrant funds and provide a $15,000 local match.

The ordinance appeared in council's Finance Committee yesterday, and is likely to appear before the full council tomorrow afternoon.

Built in 1911 and vacant since 1999, Emery Center Corporation soon plans to begin fundraising efforts to restore the building's orchestra level and first balcony, opening up about 1,100 seats for medium-sized shows and benefits.

Cost estimates for the first phase are $3 million.

A second phase would open the second balcony's 500 seats, a project the non-profit hopes to complete in time for the building's 100th anniversary in 2011.

An announcement of the grant awardees is expected in May.

In Ohio, U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Certified Local Government grant funding is disbursed through the Ohio Historic Preservation Office.

[Scrabble]

Any updates on this project?

[mcmicken]

The Emery Center Corporation is preparing fund raising documents for a challenge match. The goal is $3 million that will give the theater bathrooms, heating, ac, cleaning and painting and open the floor and first balcony for 1100 seats.  The acoustics and architecture will be preserved. They have a management team in place and hope to be a key venue for the World Choir Games in July 2012.

[Scrabble]

Cool, thanks.

[Rob Jaques]

Things are happening. http://therequiemproject.com/

[sheady]

Link didnt work.

[natininja]

Works for me!

[OTR]

This is such a great project. Keep us informed Neville!

[jdm00]

Sweet.  This would fill a nice niche--I think it's quite a bit smaller in terms of capacity than Taft or the Aronoff, but would be a great venue.  (And about 3 blocks from me... ) 

[Rob Jaques]

More news: http://t.co/QhuA6OHe

Also: www.emerytheatre.com for info about the 11.11.11 Event

There is going to be a call for volunteers posted this week. Ticket sales will start this week and a blogger tour will be forthcoming.

An architectural team has been selected: Cleveland-based firm Westlake, Reed and Leskosky with local architect John Senhauser of Senhauser Architects

Event Partners:

Art performances/installations by:
Michael Wilson
Know Theatre
ArtWorks
Madcap Puppets
parProjects
Cincinnati Children's Choir
Eden Flower Boutique
Contemporary Arts Center
Higher Level Art

PLEASE write/tweet/blog/Facebook the HELL out of this. We want to create some huge buzz for this event. If you want more info, you can email info@emerytheatre.com and if you want to volunteer in any capacity, email volunteers@emerytheatre.com.

We are partnering with Strata-G PR firm for the major PR stuff, but I am serving as the Communications Director for the Requiem Project (the NPO reopening The Emery). Feel free to email me at jaquesra@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @Requiem_Project (#TheEmery) and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TheEmeryTheatre

Thank you all!
 
Rob J

[Rob Jaques]

If you are interested in volunteering for the 11.11.11 Event at The Emery, go to www.emerytheatre.com/volunteers.php to get more information and sign up!

[Rob Jaques]

Watch this promotional video about The Emery: www.emerytheatre.com/video.php

[Rob Jaques]

Good Morning! Tickets are now on sale: www.emerytheatre.com/eventdetails.php

The Show Must Go On

[Rob Jaques]

The Emery clean up event is today! 9 AM to 3 PM. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by!

[OTR]

How'd it go?